Formula One fans flock to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for Canadian Grand Prix open house
Posted May 21, 2026 6:30 am.
Last Updated May 21, 2026 5:59 pm.
Formula One racing fans hoping to get a taste of the action before tires even hit the track this weekend were invited to Île Notre-Dame on Thursday.
The annual open house at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the iconic racetrack for the Canadian Grand Prix, took place from 9-11 a.m. Formula One supporters could participate in a pit lane walk to see the race cars and drivers that will be competing this Sunday.
Tickets were offered to a select number of fans in a lottery system, and hundreds showed up in full spirit, just ahead of race weekend, with more action starting tomorrow.
“I really want to see the McLaren garage and if I have some chances, I want to have the opportunity to take some pictures with Landon Norris and also get a signature,” said Yo-yo Cheng a Taiwanese, McLaren Norris fan. Cheng flew from Taiwan to Montreal for this weekend.
“It just feels like such a VIP experience, like not everyone gets to experience this. And it feels so close to the driver, to the garage, everything,” said Anaïs Perron, a Team Williams, Carlos Sainz Jr. fan.
Kim Reimer from Tallahassee Florida has been making custom Ferrari race car hats for 22 years. “This one took me a bit longer than usual, about 146 hours in total,” Reimer says.
People lined up early – in some cases hours before 9 a.m. – outside the site at Espace 67, right outside the Parc Jean-Drapeau metro station.
Inside, the few hundred early visitors could see teams working on their cars, get a sneak peak of the track, and an early view on what is ahead of this weekend.
“It’s just the thrill of seeing the cars up close, the mechanics work on the cars and hopefully meet a few drivers,” said Vito Peragine, Montrealer and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) fan.
Many fans are hoping to catch a glimps of more than just the cars.
Sakina Kitenge, a Lando Norris fan said, she’s hoping “to see some drivers, if we’re lucky, just see the crew working on cars and just the experience and the vibe of it because it’s like the first day of people going to the track, so it’s really fun to just be the first and get the first experience of this year’s race.”
Qualifying rounds begin Friday, then continue Saturday when there will also be a sprint race and then the actual race itself starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Formula One rescheduled the Montreal race from mid-June to May 24 in order to reduce travel and environmental impact by moving the event closer to the Miami Grand Prix.
