As the president of Scuderia Ferrari Club Montreal, Fabrizio Sciola might as well have motor oil coursing through his veins.
He lives for Grand Prix week and enjoys showing off Montreal and everything the city has to offer to other Ferrari lovers who come to town for the event. But 2024 was different.
“What happened last year was definitely a fiasco,” Sciola says.
Heavy rains flooded the paddocks and working spaces for the Formula One teams at the track. Drivers were reportedly late for important meetings due to delays caused by poorly managed construction sites. Miscommunication between race organizers, the city, police and Montreal’s transit authority led to issues accessing the track for ticket holders. Fans jumped barriers, invading the race track. Restaurant terrasses were shut down in the middle of dinner service by the fire department over bylaw violations.
“It was just a complete disaster and such an embarrassment, quite frankly,” Sciola says.
Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx agreed, saying that she was ashamed of what she saw.
“It was a disaster,” says Alain Creton, the president of the Peel Street merchants’ association.
Creton says his restaurant, Chez Alexandre, typically brings in between $100,000 to $200,000 in additional revenue on Formula One weekend, but much of that was lost last year after Montreal’s fire service forced him to take down his terrasse tents because it was 18 inches too close to the main buildings.
“We were a victim of a perfect storm last year,” says Sandrine Garneau, the COO of Octane Racing Group, the official race organizer and promoter. “A lot of what happened last year was due to miscommunication.”
Pressure is on this year
The failures of the 2024 Grand Prix have called into question Montreal’s commitment to hosting Formula One and the competence of the event’s organizers.
“2025 is going to be a big test, everything will have to be absolutely impeccable, really, really sharp, no mishaps at all. But I’m not sure that that’s enough to save the Canadian Grand Prix,” says auto racing columnist Piero Facchin.
Coming into this edition, rumours are swirling that the future of Montreal’s race could be in jeopardy.
Facchin says that with 24 races on the circuit, Formula One does not have room on its schedule to add more. But at the same time, places like Vietnam, Morocco, Argentina and Thailand are all angling to land a Grand Prix of their own.
In the past, the Canadian Grand Prix was the only stop for Formula One in North America. But today there are races in Las Vegas, Austin, Miami and Mexico City, lessening Montreal’s geographical advantage.
