Today is F1 media day in Montreal. Despite the teams having arrived during the week, today will be the first time the drivers emerge from their three-week break since the Miami Grand Prix. Under a new deal which will see the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve host Formula One until 2035, the organizers agreed to make significant upgrades to the facilities.
The Catalyst: A Public Relations Disaster
The agreement signed in 2025 followed a disastrous event the previous season. Extreme weather led to widespread flooding and deep mud across the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve site. Combined with massive traffic bottlenecks, severe logistical failures, and a track breach by fans at the end of the race, the weekend was a public relations nightmare.
The low point came when fans were turned away from a practice session after being mistakenly told it was canceled, and local firefighters controversially shut down crowded downtown restaurant terraces on the opening night of the race weekend.
F1 Issues a Modernization Ultimatum
The chaos prompted Quebec’s Tourism Minister, Caroline Proulx, to publicly state she was “very embarrassed” and “ashamed” of the string of failures. Following the debacle, high-level crisis meetings were held between local organizers (Octane Racing Group), Quebec government officials, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
Formula 1 corporate made it clear that with high-paying, ultra-modern street races like Miami and Las Vegas setting new hospitality benchmarks, historic venues like Montreal could no longer rely purely on nostalgia. F1 put intense pressure on Montreal to modernize or risk being dropped by countries eager to take their slot on the calendar.
As COO Sandrine Garneau admitted, “Formula 1 put significant pressure on us to continue being one of the best events on the calendar… We had to accept that we needed to reach that next level.” To save the event’s future, organizers agreed to a massive overhaul. The pressure worked, ultimately securing a long-term contract extension through 2035.
Inside Montreal’s Structural Overhaul
The resulting upgrades include a paddock and logistics overhaul, doubling the size of the F1 teams’ hospitality areas, completely redesigning the outdated paddock layout, and solving the access pinch points to improve access by foot and vehicles.
Temporary tents have been switched for permanent structures, which include a vastly expanded multi-tier podium suite. A dedicated navigation app has been launched, featuring color-coded fan zones to eliminate the dangerous crowd bottlenecks of previous years.
The 20% Price Hike Backfire
However, these modifications have to be paid for by someone, and so there is an increase in capacity of around 20%—much of which is premium hospitality, although general admission areas have seen an increase in the number of lowest-priced tickets too.
On average, the price to attend the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix has also increased by around 20%, but demand has not followed, according to Le Journal de Montreal. Three-day tickets, along with single-day admission, remain available, something highly unusual for the Canadian Grand Prix at this late stage in the game.
“We have increased capacity in several sectors and products this year, particularly in the suites and on the CGV Experience platform at the beach,” Canadian GP president and CEO Jean-Philippe Paradis said. “There are still tickets available for general admission, the CGV Experience with concerts, terrace seating, and the club package in our hospitality areas, which are not intended for corporate groups.”
The Identity Crisis: Tradition vs. Vegas-Style Luxury
However, there is concern that Montreal will not achieve the level of corporate and high-end ticket sales when compared to new venues like Las Vegas and Miami. These events were created with this kind of hospitality in mind, and before a wheel turned in anger in either location, the marketing of the events was aimed at attracting this kind of customer.
Simply replicating what another circuit has done may not, in the end, work for the historic home of the Canadian Grand Prix. Even more surprising is that this weekend is the first Sprint event scheduled in Montreal, with on-track competitive action daily across the weekend. The president of the Canadian GP supports this move wholeheartedly.
“Fans in Montreal want to see the best drivers in the world,” Paradis adds. “Personally, I think it’s fantastic to see real competition instead of people testing their cars. I agree with Stefano (Domenicali)—this is what I would advise all other organizers to do, because it creates additional significance for the weekend and a kind of ‘Super Saturday’.”
Domenicali’s Strategic Sprint Rotation
Yet there is no guarantee Canada will retain a Sprint weekend into 2027, given the tactics currently employed by F1 supremo Stefano Domenicali, which see just Miami and Shanghai retain their Sprints from 2025.
Domenicali is keen to increase the number of Sprint weekends but has been facing some resistance from the teams. By spreading the six agreed weekends around from organizer to organizer, he is creating demand for more and more Sprint weekends each year.
This year, Silverstone will host a Sprint weekend for the first time since the inaugural running of the format back in 2021. Of concern for the promoters of the Canadian Grand Prix should be the swathes of tickets which remain as yet unsold. Unlike the races in the Middle East, this event is not completely underwritten by national and local authorities guaranteeing the finance required to deliver such a massive undertaking.
Underlying Anxiety Over F1’s 2026 Engine Era
Reasons for the relative lack of interest in this year’s Canadian GP are yet to be fully identified, but the persistent negative stream of consciousness over the all-new 2026 F1 engines and the farcical spectacle they produce at times must be part of the negative vibe.
Expect more tales of woe from the drivers as they take to the microphones today trying to explain how their cars are programmed with such complicated algorithms that a driver needs to have his throttle at 98% for the maximum result. At 100%, the car will go into harvesting mode and slow down.
Since Miami, the FIA has declared they will insist that for 2027, internal combustion engine power is boosted while the electrical output is turned down. Yet the shift is a single-digit percentage and needed to be much greater to have any kind of significant impact.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
