Going to Montreal

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Since I won't be able to make my usual trip to Indianapolis for the USGP this year, I'm going to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix instead. :) I'll be there for everything - practice, qualifying, and the race, but it's my first F1 race outside of Indy and I've got a few questions about the event/circuit that hopefully someone can answer:
  • At Indy, all seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis everyday except Sunday. Can I expect the same thing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
  • If I can sit other places, what grandstands should I visit? My tickets are in stand 12 (great spot at the Senna corner), but I would love to see some action from other locations.
  • After years and years of USGPs, I knew where the good spots were to get close to the barrier walls and the track for some great pictures - are there any places like that in Canada?
  • And, finally, this is my first trip to Montreal, and I will have a good five and a half days to experience the city and surrounding area. Anything that I should or should not miss? Good restaurants? Karting tracks?
 
I can't help much here, having never been to Montreal, but from my experience at Silverstone I would suggest either spending Friday (practice day) or the support races walking around the whole circuit to try and find the best spots. Stand 12: is that on the outside of the second corner? If so, that's is a good one to watch from; I would think turn 10 (the hairpin at the far end - stands 21, 15 and 24) would also be good, and the final chicane (turns 12 and 13, no stands) - if you can get down there.

When Jenson Button was asked what the first thing he thought of when he hears the word "Montreal", the answer was "Great steak". I reckon you'll be OK for resturants :)

Circuit diagram
 
I went to the race in 2000, so this information may be out of date!

Jordan
At Indy, all seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis everyday except Sunday. Can I expect the same thing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
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Nope. All seating is assigned, all of the time. A lot of the access roads within the park are barrier-controlled too, so you can sometimes have to take long routes to get from where you are to where you want to go.

Jordan
If I can sit other places, what grandstands should I visit? My tickets are in stand 12 (great spot at the Senna corner), but I would love to see some action from other locations.
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You may - on the Friday only probably - be able to talk your way into other grandstands at equivalent levels. i.e. if you have a gold ticket, you may be able to get into other gold grandstands.

The hairpin is a good place to watch, mainly for the "he's definitely left the braking too late this time" moments. But, my main recommendation is this:

Two-thirds of the way along the back straight is a footbridge. It always used to be yellow with CASINO writ large in black, but last year was something different. You must, if at all possible, stand on this bridge while the cars are running. They scream towards you, induction howl piercing the air, flat in seventh. Then there's a "whump" as they go underneath you, and you feel the floor move from the impact of the air coming off the rear wing. It's an explosion of exhaust noise, and the machine-gun of downshifts as they almost fall over themselves braking for the chicane. Then they're gone.

It might be hard, as I think it counts as part of the paddock, but the experience still stirs me, eight years on, so you must try to do it if you can.

Jordan
After years and years of USGPs, I knew where the good spots were to get close to the barrier walls and the track for some great pictures - are there any places like that in Canada?
Click to expand...

You can walk around the park, and you may be lucky, within the constraints of the above.

Jordan
And, finally, this is my first trip to Montreal, and I will have a good five and a half days to experience the city and surrounding area. Anything that I should or should not miss? Good restaurants? Karting tracks?
Click to expand...

We didn't really get on that well with Montreal, to be honest. We faired much better in Toronto. There is a lot of great food around though.
 
Metar
Wouldn't a slower corner be better for photographs, especially if the camera isn't the fastest?
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A good pan can cover a bad camera. It's better that the cars are going quickly, because then they'll hide the fencing between you and them. Shooting cars in the slow corners is where you need serious equipment.
 
Stand 12: is that on the outside of the second corner? If so, that's is a good one to watch from;
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Yep, that's the one. I looked up pictures from the stands around the internet/Flickr, and I think I'm in one of the best locations on the circuit.

Giles
Nope. All seating is assigned, all of the time. [...]
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Thanks for the info, Giles! I think I know the bridge that you're talking about - I'll do my best to get on it. Also, I forgot to add that I will be taking a Sony HDR-CX7 high-definition camcorder along with me, so expect some F1 videos in HD after the weekend. :)
 
Hope you have a great race to watch. Would greatly appreciate some footage from the race to see what its like from the spectators view, as I've never been at one but plan on going to one soon, strange because I dont think I've missed a whole race in eight years!
 
Montreal is only 323 mi away from me. i should visit there more often especially when F1 or NASCAR is in town

hope you have a good time
 

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