Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Walk through the emblematic Rue Sainte Catherine at any point during Canadian Grand Prix week and there's little doubt about what the biggest show in town is, with decorations installed and stages being built for an open-air downtown festival as Montreal welcomes F1's annual return.

Between the influx of F1 fans and the Montreal Canadiens entering the NHL Eastern conference finals, Quebec's biggest city is set for a sports-crazed weekend, and its buzz is making the event a popular stop on the calendar in the F1 paddock.

When F1 coined the phrase 'destination city', Montreal would have surely been one of the blueprints of what Liberty Media is trying to achieve with a modern-day grand prix, alongside the likes of Melbourne and Singapore, and its other non-US North American race in Mexico City.

But as F1 has understandably tried to capitalise on its US gold rush in the wake of Drive to Survive, you'd be forgiven for thinking Montreal has been somewhat overshadowed by its glitzy southern neighbours.

The Monaco Grand Prix may be F1's original crown jewel, but as Las Vegas joined the calendar officials were quick to position the Nevada race on a similar footing, meshing together its various plays to conquer the American market.

With its artificial pomp and hyper commercialisation, Vegas got some weary looks at first, some of it thoroughly deserved, but it has since grown into its own as an F1 destination. By and large it has been able to coexist with the country's other races in Texas and Miami, all carving out their own identity.

Kubica's 2008 win for BMW Sauber was a feelgood story at a time when Montreal was F1's only stop in North America

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

But while F1 in the US has gone through many ups and downs in terms of fan and corporate interest, not even organising a single race there for four years between 2008 and 2011, the Canadian Grand Prix has been a reliable North American mainstay for decades.

First organising an edition of the race on the man-made Ile Notre-Dame in 1978, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a clever use of legacy infrastructure from Montreal's Expo 1967 and the 1976 Olympic Games.

Races at the circuit named after the country's finest ever driver are usually 'weird', for lack of a better word. Between its stop-start nature, the proximity of the walls, its unsettling kerbs and unpredictable weather, Montreal has pound for pound delivered more thrilling and chaotic races than most other venues on the calendar, with the dry-to-wet 2024 race the most recent example.

Montreal's improvements came hand-in-hand with a four-year contract extension, taking the race to 2035

You can't organise a race on history, quirky groundhog sightings and sporting chaos alone though, and Montreal is one of several legacy races that has had to learn that lesson the hard way. The 2024 edition was also one affected by several logistics disruptions and traffic congestion, which forced organisers to go back to the drawing board as the popularity of the race threatened to overwhelm the existing facilities on the cramped island.

But following improvements last year made by a revamped organisation, Canada scored more points by agreeing to bring its race forward to help F1 streamline the logistics of its calendar, with freight now moving straight from Miami across the border. The harsh Canadian winters made it a tough logistical challenge, as a lot of infrastructure is built up specifically for the race by over 5,000 workers and volunteers, and then stowed away again for the rest of the year, so the parkland can be used as normal.

"This winter has been particularly rough for us, but with a great partnership that we have with the park and the City of Montreal, we were able to start some of our builds in the fall, which is ultimately what saved us," the race's COO Sandrine Garneau told local CTV News. "Everything from the grandstands to the hospitality to the platforms, all of those are 100% temporary."

F1's longest-ever race also became a classic as Button passed Vettel on the final lap to win

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Montreal's improvements came hand-in-hand with a four-year contract extension, taking the race to 2035. That extension allows the various federal and provincial governments to write off bigger infrastructure projects over a longer period, which is a key driver behind F1 signing longer term contracts with many of its venues. Officials are adamant a £63million investment in public money over the course of the four-year extension will be easily offset by an estimated £541.14m of economic returns.

Organisers are expecting a record number of spectators across the weekend, up from last year's 352,000, to take in the on-track spectacle during the day and a range of festivities and concerts at night, as fans turn downtown Montreal into one major open-air festival.

'Iconic' is an overused phrase, but it isn't just a label you can slap on anything. It's a status that is earned over time. With its rich fan and racing tradition, its staying power and its knack for on-track intrigue, Montreal's Canadian Grand Prix has earned every bit of it. Long may it continue.

A record crowd is expected at this weekend's Canadian GP

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images