Neither the rain nor the chilly weather on Saturday put off the many F1 fans who, dressed in raincoats or carrying umbrellas, flocked to the circuit in large numbers to attend the qualifying sessions, won by driver Max Verstappen, from the Red Bull team, who will start first.

They will be some 100,000 amateurs to go to Île Notre-Dame on Sunday. Canadians Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams) will start 18th and 19th respectively.

The new rule that you can’t bring your own drinks onto the venue in an effort to save a few bucks surprised a few but didn’t stop them from walking through the ticket booths, though without their favorite drinks under their arm. .

It must be said that entry for the qualifications is not within the reach of all budgets: more than $140 per ticket. However, the lucky ones were able to get them for a hundred dollars on resale sites. The price of a can of beer is correspondingly: $10 per unit.

At this price, I’ll only take onesaid one fan unsurprised by the situation, while others argued that it will prevent the outbursts and inappropriate behavior sometimes associated with overconsumption.

While governments and the tourism industry rejoice in the economic spin-offs, there are also some to denounce behind the scenes: pollution, sexual exploitation, lower than expected profitability for the State, issues that it is impossible to Keep quiet.

Former driver Bertrand Godin, recently inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, says drivers are well aware that they work in a polluting sector of activity but that the industry is making efforts to improve its environmental record and his cars.

detractors

More and more detractors are making their voices heard in the media and in the public arena, including, first and foremost, those working with victims of sexual exploitation as well as the police services, which have carried out prevention and information in anticipation of the Grand Prix du Canada.

Associate professor at HEC Montreal, Yves-Marie Abraham did not mince his words on Saturday at the microphone of Alain Gravel on the show Facts first. According to him, it is time to put an end to this annual race and stop the damage. It’s a zombie, undead show with no futurehe said.

Ray Lalonde, sports marketing expert and former member of the Montreal Canadiens entourage, does not agree, even if he believes that progress must be made, particularly in terms of the environment. Spectator sport is a global trend and the craze can be measured all over the planethe recalls.

Popularity on the rise

The rise in popularity is particularly felt among young adults thanks, among other things, to video games, series and films that have popularized car racing. And to see the crowd that attended the qualifications, it was easy to see that there is indeed a succession on the side of speed enthusiasts.

The numbers for F1 in Montreal don’t lie: tickets sold out in two hours when they went on sale in December 2021, unheard of in 30 years.

For their part, hoteliers and restaurateurs are sold out. After two lean years, these international tourists (57% come from outside Quebec and 28% from the United States) are certainly welcome.

The Canadian Grand Prix will take place beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday. The day should be sunny, according to the weather forecast.

With information from Hadi Hassin and The Canadian Press