“FAN”tastic! A family adventure at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix

By Lorie Steiner

A granny, a mom and a teenager walk into a bagel bar… no joke. 😊 That’s exactly how my daughter Vicki, my grandson Nate and I ended our unbelievable F1 weekend in Montréal in early June, 2024. So much happened that won’t fit on these pages, but here’s a lightning-fast recap of the highlights. 

Day 1 Thursday

We boarded the VIA at Union Station Toronto with tons of other fans and arrived on time at our destination: the spectacular Humaniti Hotel in downtown Montréal. If you’re looking for one of the best accommodations in the city, this is it. The rooftop pool is especially awesome. Note, it started raining just as the train crossed the border into Quebec.

Day 2 Friday

8 am, the sun was shining so we went for a relaxing swim. After a quick brunch, we decided to Uber to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for the F1 practice sessions. Who knew we wouldn’t be the only ones? When we finally arrived, or thought we had, the Uber was directed to drop us off under the bridge to the island so we could walk up the hill and over the bridge to the track. No worries. We hiked the distance in the sunshine and made it to about six metres from the entrance checkpoint, when the sky turned black, rain then hail pelted us relentlessly and the wind threatened to blow us and literally thousands of others off the bridge into the St. Lawrence River. Thank goodness we had those trusty ultra-thin rain ponchos. That’s when the security team came and told us, “The track’s closed for the day. They’re evacuating. Go back to the city.” Seriously? 

It was a nightmare trekking through the mud back to the Metro station, arriving back at the hotel to find out F1 practice had resumed. Grrr… Meanwhile, the sun came out and there was a double rainbow outside our hotel window. So off we went to explore the cobblestone beauty of Old Montréal (the streets were all drecked out with checkered flags welcoming race fans). We felt so special and proceeded to shop for F1 merch and drown our sorrows with the best poutine ever. 

Highlight of my weekend: Back at the hotel, my fan crush, former F1 driver and Sky Sports master of the grid walk Martin Brundle, was waiting at the elevator. He was wonderfully generous, had a chat, let us get a pic and he signed my hat! 

Day 3 Saturday

Determined to get to the track, we took the Metro train (Vicki’s a whiz at navigation having mastered the Tube in London, UK), crossed the dreaded bridge on foot again and finally arrived at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for F1 Qualifying. Yay! We had general admission tickets, so the trick was to find a spot and park yourself. We ended up with the best location for lawn chair viewing – under some trees, right at the fence, just a few metres from the track. And the cars. And the drivers. And the spectator groundhogs. OMG – it was heaven.

Nate discovered the Fan Zone, more merch and amazing displays, then we feasted on $$ hot dogs and watched Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Red Bull, Haas, RB, Stake, Alpine, Williams and those super fast McLarens tear by us at top speed – yet surprisingly quiet. No earplugs needed. So worth the wait. Yes, it rained, and the ponchos went on for another round.

Highlight of the night: Back at the hotel, we met Stake KICK Sauber F1 driver Zhou Guanyu at the elevator. Zhou’s manager rushed us into the lift before any other fans spotted him and Zhou was kind enough to pose for a pic with us. Serendipity, for sure.

Day 4 Sunday, Race Day

Taking no chances, we were at the Metro before 6:30 am and in line at the Casino bridge around 8 am, where we waited en masse until the gates to the circuit opened at 10 am. Our plan was to stake out the same site as Saturday and then Nate would go on a mission to see if there was a better location to sit. There wasn’t, so we settled again in the sweet spot and took turns checking out the Fan Zone and everything we missed the day before. More $$ hot dogs and then it was lights out! The race was beyond exciting and we had no voices by the end of the day. 

Of course, it rained off and on, but that makes for a fabulous challenging race. By now the ponchos were in tatters and we couldn’t care less. We were at F1 and our guys were right there whizzing past us, close enough to see their helmets – don’t laugh, that’s a very big deal. At the checkered flag, it was Max Verstappen 1st, Lando Norris P2 and George Russell P3, but we three amigos were the biggest winners of the weekend. 

Day 5 Monday 

Home on the VIA after stopping at the bagel breakfast bar for a Montréal treat. Chatting with fellow fans all the way home. One thing to know about F1 fans, we might cheer for different drivers & teams, but get us together on a train or the Metro or at the track and we’re one big smiley group that can’t stop talking about motorsports. Can’t wait to do it again!