Canadian Grand Prix extended in Montreal until 2035

The Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix has officially been extended in Montreal until 2035.

This announcement comes Tuesday morning after last weekend’s successful Grand Prix, a significant milestone for organizers following last year’s fiasco, which sparked speculation about Montreal’s continued inclusion on the F1 calendar.

This extension was confirmed by the City, Tourism Montreal, the Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Grand Prix’s private partners, and the governments of Quebec and Canada during a press conference held Tuesday morning on Île Notre-Dame in Parc Jean-Drapeau. All stakeholders signed the newly minted contract extension, costing $117 million in public money.

Traffic congestion, flooding, and untimely inspections of downtown terraces disrupted the 2024 edition and tarnished the race’s reputation — something Quebec’s tourism minister Caroline Proulx called embarrassing at the time.

“This year, I’m extremely proud to be Quebec’s tourism minister,” Proulx said at the press conference.

“There were some issues last year,” said Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal. “Not only did we address them, but also I think it gives us a new momentum on how we want to improve always the Grand Prix of Montreal.”

Plante congratulated all of the partners involved in the negotiating blitz. “We do believe in the Grand Prix in Montreal, and now it’s going to come back for the next 10 years.”

Thanks to logistical improvements made this year, Proulx said that F1 bosses, including CEO Stefano Domenicali, were pleased.

“The standards that have been set with this new edition will only go further with this long-term engagement with Formula 1,” Proulx said. “We’re the third city in the world with the longest-standing contract with Formula 1. That says a lot.”

The current agreement with the Octane Group for the presentation of the Formula 1 Canadian GP was valid until 2031.

The original contract was due to expire in 2029, but extended into 2031 to include the two pandemic editions of 2020 and 2021 that were cancelled.

“It’s a magical moment, because we’re talking about four years,” said Jean-Philippe Paradis, President of the Octane Racing Group. “There’s a lot of Grand Prix around the world that get a year, two years. When you get a long-term investment by Formula 1; it proves itself that honestly they’re really happy about the partnership. 

“This renewed commitment allows Montreal, Quebec, and Canada to continue to benefit from the significant spinoffs of the Grand Prix, which contribute to the dynamism and attractiveness of our economy,” a press release stated.

For Ziggy Eichenbaum of Ziggy’s Pub on Crescent, this past weekend was his best Grand Prix yet and he’s relieved by the extension.

“You’re always worried when you’re going to lose it, because it’s Christmas in May,” he said. “Everybody’s more relaxed. Even the waiters, the bartenders, the owners, we’re all happy about it. Now we can sign the group of people that we need them to support us, at least they know they’re good for 10 years.”

For some people on the streets of Montreal, the news is welcome.

“It’s super fun and the vibe of the city is super exciting and I think that everyone enjoyed the process in town,” said Naveed Salehi, “but I wish that there would be less construction and people could move more easily.”

“It’s good for Montreal, Québécois people that we have a Canadian Grand Prix here and now we have multiple races in North America and it’s great for the environment, for the sport,” said Rosario from Vancouver.

“I think we’re going to have more tourism and we’re going to have more money into the city,” said one Montrealer. “I think it’s not a bad thing to have people visit, people liking what we have and sharing with others.”

The event injects over $100 million into Montreal’s economy.

“It’s 55% of the people are coming from outside of Montreal, so that’s a lot of new currency to the city,” said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “The city was sold at 90 per cemt, which is a great occupancy rate. And you’re talking about 75,000 people as well that were not at the Grand Prix, but came for the vibe of living the Grand Prix.”

The Canadian Grand Prix will be held from May 22 to 24, 2026, after the Grand Prix in Miami, Florida, rather than between two European stops — something Mayor Plante says is great news.

“We will start terraces and people will start to celebrate even earlier next year,” she said.

The Canadian Grand Prix, scheduled for its 55th edition next year, was added to the F1 calendar in 1967 and was first held in Bowmanville, Ontario, and later in Mont-Tremblant.

The event moved to Montreal in 1978, and local hero Gilles Villeneuve won the first race held in the city. The Montreal circuit was renamed Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve after his tragic death in 1982.

The Grand Prix weekend is a major economic asset for Montreal. An estimated 352,000 spectators attended the event this year over three days.

Mercedes driver George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, ahead of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and fellow Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

–With files from The Canadian Press