Neither the rain nor the chilly weather on Saturday put off the many F1 fans who, wearing raincoats or umbrellas in hand, flocked to the circuit in huge numbers to watch the qualifying sessions won. by driver Max Verstappen, from the Red Bull team, who will start first.
They will be some 100,000 to go to Île Notre-Dame by Sunday. Canadians Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Nicholas Latifi (Williams) will start 18th and 19th respectively.
The new rule prohibiting bring your own drinks on site, just to save a few dollars, surprised some, but did not prevent them from crossing the counters without their favorite drinks under their arm, however.
It must be said that the entry for the qualifications is not within the reach of all budgets: more than $140 a ticket, but the lucky ones were able to get hold of them for a hundred dollars on the resale sites. The price of a can of beer is correspondingly: $10 per unit.
At this price, I’ll only take one
said one fan unsurprised by the situation, while others argued that it will prevent the outbursts and inappropriate behavior sometimes associated with overconsumption of alcohol.
While governments and the tourist industry are delighted with the economic spin-offs, there are also some to denounce behind the scenes: pollution, sexual exploitation, lower-than-expected profitability for the State, which it is impossible to ignore. silence.
Former driver Bertrand Godin, recently inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame, says drivers are well aware that they work in a polluting industry, but that the industry is making efforts to improve its environmental record and its cars. .
detractors
More and more detractors are making their voices heard in the media and in the public arena, primarily those who work with victims of sexual exploitation, as well as the police services that have carried out prevention activities. and information in anticipation of the Grand Prix du Canada.
Associate professor at HEC Montreal, Yves-Marie Abraham did not mince his words, Saturday, at the microphone of Alain Gravel on the show Facts first. According to him, it is time to put an end to this event, to stop the damage. It’s a zombie, undead show with no future
he said.
Ray Lalonde, expert in sports marketing and former member of the entourage of the Montreal Canadiens, does not agree, even if he believes that we must do better in terms of the environment in particular. Spectator sport is a global trend and the craze can be measured all over the planet
he recalls.
Popularity on the rise
The rise in popularity is particularly felt among young adults, thanks among other things to the 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 new generation on the side of speed enthusiasts.
The numbers for F1 in Montreal don’t lie either: Tickets sold out within two hours when they went on sale in December last year, 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 on Sunday at 2 p.m., which should be sunny according to the weather forecast.
With information from Hadi Hassin and The Canadian Press
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca