{"id":667850,"date":"2026-05-14T01:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/667850\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T01:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:03:14","slug":"canadian-grand-prix-organizers-prepare-for-earlier-race-date-possible-habs-run-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/667850\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Grand Prix organizers prepare for earlier race date, possible Habs run"},"content":{"rendered":"

Organizers of the Canadian Grand Prix say they\u2019re ready for their new, earlier slot on the Formula One calendar, even if it raises the possibility of overlap with a\u00a0Montreal\u00a0Canadiens playoff run.<\/p>\n

Formula One has rescheduled the\u00a0Montreal\u00a0race from mid-June to May 24 in order to reduce travel and environmental impact by moving the event closer to the Miami Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

The new schedule allows teams to have consecutive races in North America, avoiding the pitfalls of the last schedule that required travelling back and forth for races in Europe.<\/p>\n

Sandrine Garneau, the race\u2019s chief operating officer for brands and strategy, said staff were able to start mounting the track facilities in the fall instead of the spring to accommodate a race date that\u2019s about three weeks earlier.<\/p>\n

She says the weather in late May traditionally hasn\u2019t been much colder than in June, but organizers are also making sure hospitality structures are suited for either extreme heat or cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you know, it can go either way in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0during that period,\u201d she said in an interview Wednesday, following an event at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan\u00a0Montreal. \u201cIt could be 32 degrees on Saturday. It could be four degrees on Friday. We\u2019re just going to be ready for any weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the new dates don\u2019t seem to have negatively affected ticket sales. Garneau said grandstand tickets are sold out, with limited space left in hospitality clubs and general admission. She says there are still some tickets left for a new concert series, after organizers added capacity.<\/p>\n

Garneau says the organizers have learned their lessons from the 2024 event, which were marred by congestion and flooding.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The challenges forced organizers to change \u201cprobably 70 to 80 per cent of our business,\u201d she said, including doubling hospitality tents for F1 teams, redesigning the paddock area and increasing access points to the island to improve circulation.<\/p>\n

She said the 2024 issues also helped to mobilize organizers to close a \u201cgap\u201d that had developed between the Canadian Grand Prix and others during the COVID period, when the\u00a0Montreal\u00a0events were cancelled for two years running in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we\u2019re able to say that we are competing with other Grands Prixs, and our objectives with (promoter) Bell GPCanada are very clear. We want to grow, we want to be competitive, we want to become a top tier Grand Prix.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Canadian Grand Prix\u2019s president, Jean-Philippe Paradis, described the event to the chamber of commerce crowd as \u201cthe most impactful tourism event in Canada,\u201d with over 350,000 spectators and 100 million television viewers last year. He said some 5,000 people are involved in putting on the event, including medical staff, traffic controllers, volunteers and security.<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s race, he said, is unique due to the city\u2019s vibrant atmosphere and the track\u2019s proximity to downtown. Paradis said he hopes to leverage the city\u2019s strengths in the coming years, aiming to increase attendance to over 400,000 and adding a festival and possibly a charity gala.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe may not have the same financial means (as other cities), but nobody can beat our culture, our city, what happens here, our gastronomy,\u201d he said onstage.<\/p>\n

Organizers can also plan for the longer term, after the promoter announced a four-year contract extension with F1 last year that means the race will stay on the calendar until at least 2035.<\/p>\n

The earlier race date, however, raises the possibility of an overlap with the National Hockey League\u2019s Stanley Cup playoffs, if the Canadiens advance past the Buffalo Sabres to the Eastern Conference Final.<\/p>\n

Garneau says she\u2019s hoping as a fan for a deep Habs playoff run, but admits that having both events in\u00a0Montreal\u00a0at the same time would raise logistical challenges.<\/p>\n

Those include the possibility of getting less media coverage for the Grand Prix, given that most sports media is focused on the Canadiens. Major events in the city also share many of the same suppliers for everything from fencing and temporary toilets to security personnel, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur agents that operate our paddock are also the same agents that operate the Bell Center, and then the police, obviously, they need to keep the city safe,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving everything that goes on daily in the city plus what\u2019s going on with the\u00a0Montreal\u00a0Canadiens plus what\u2019s going on at \u00cele Notre Dame with Formula One \u2026 my hat goes off to them because we\u2019ve got a very hefty weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said there are currently \u201cdiscussions\u201d happening with the NHL around potential playoff scheduling. She said that it would be \u201cwonderful\u201d if hockey games could take place just before or after the biggest race days, but acknowledged that race organizers have limited influence on the NHL calendar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re during the same weekend, we\u2019ll be ready,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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