Image credit Norris
I sat in Grandstand 1 at the Montreal Grand Prix on my trip to the race last year. This is my review of this grandstand, and my guide to help you understand the views from here, help you pick the best seats and more. It also includes a full seating chart.
It’s also one of the most expensive grandstands at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but is it worth it? The answer, I think, is yes and no.
Contents
Grandstand 1 Location - Montreal Grand Prix
Grandstand 1 is located along the inside of main straight at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
It’s on the right-hand side of the circuit and sits directly opposite the pit lane, pit garages and pit buildings. It’s also directly adjacent to the newer Grandstand 17 (the Alpine grandstand), which is to the left of this stand.
The right-hand end of the stand is also directly in front of the start / finish line, and the ‘Salut Gilles’ wording that is painted on the track directly next to the start line. It’s also opposite the podium, so if you’re in the right-hand end you can watch the podium celebration from your seats, which is amazing.
The other end of the stand is closer to the exit of the final corner, Turn 14, where there’s the Wall of Champions. But regardless of where you sit, you can never see the final chicane because everything to the left of this stand blocks your view of it.
Grandstand 1 tickets at Canadian Grand Prix
Tickets for Grandstand 1 at the Montreal Grand Prix sell out straight away when they’re released on the official Canadian F1 website as this grandstand is one of the most popular choices at the event.
So you can do what I did and buy tickets through Stubhub because there’ll be tickets available there right up until the last minute before the race. And you’ll be able to find them in 1, 2 or 3-day options, giving your more flexibility.
I’ve used Stubhub for Formula 1 tickets multiple times in the last 18 months, including for this trip to the Canadian GP, and have had great experiences each time.
Their FanProtect guarantee is very robust and will always keep your tickets and money protected, plus they have always have a great selection of Canadian GP tickets for sale.
Grandstand 1 details
Cover
This grandstand is uncovered. It’s completely exposed to the elements so make sure you bring suitable clothing and prepare for the sun, rain or both.
Seats
The seats are chairs with folding seat bases and a backrest. If it rains the chair base will get wet so bring something to sit on and keep your backside dry!
This is and the Platine grandstand are the only two grandstands at the circuit that have actual chairs. All the others are bleacher benches which are pretty uncomfortable in comparison.
TV Screens
There are 3 TV screens visible from this stand. These are attached to the top of the pit lane building opposite the grandstand and are spaced out pretty evenly, so wherever you sit you’ll be able to see at least 1, if not two TV screens.
See the video lower down this page for an idea of TV screen visibility.
Grandstand 1 Seating Chart Montreal Grand Prix
Below is the seating chart for Grandstand 1 at the Montreal Grand Prix.
As the chart shows the grandstand is split up in to a number of different sections. The start line and podium are directly in front of section 1. Sections 13 and 14 don’t exist, it goes from 12 to 15.
The rows begin AA at the front and increase in double letters – BB, CC, DD etc – as you go up the stand. Then they change to single letters as they get higher up.
Sections 1 to 6 are the tallest, going up to Row K at the back.
Sections 7 to 10 are slightly lower. The double letters stop at Row OO, then it goes to Row A, then up to Row K as the back row.
Sections 11 to 15 are the smallest, going up to Row MM.
The seat numbers increase from left to right as you stand on the track and look at the stand. The numbers start from 1 at the beginning of each section.
Grandstand 1 views
On the map below I’ve highlighted the areas of the circuit than can be seen from Grandstand 1 in pink.
From this grandstand your view will predominantly be of the part of the start / finish straight directly in front of you and, depending how high you sit you, will should also have a great view of the pit lane, pit stops and pit garages too.
As the circuit curves around to the right before Turn 1, unfortunately it means that you don’t ever have a view of the first two corners on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. There’s a large hospitality building to the right that blocks your view of the first corners, sadly.
In my video below I walked along the whole stand and filmed clips from loads of different seats, rows and sections to give you an idea of how the view changes. The seats that this video shows views from are as follows:
Section 1 Row AA Seat 1
Section 1 Row LL Seat 1
Section 1 Row G Seat 1
Section 2 Row D Seat 16
Section 3 Row WW Seat 3
Section 3 Row AA Seat 19
Section 4 Row GG Seat 7
Section 4 Row J Seat 15
Section 5 Row C Seat 13
Section 6 Row VV Seat 11
Section 7 Row DD Seat 18
Section 8 Row NN Seat 20
Section 9 Row K Seat 28
Section 10 Row D Seat 2
Section 10 Row FF Seat 19
Section 11 Row JJ Seat 7
Section 12 Row LL Seat 1
Section 15 Row MM Seat 1
Best Seats in Grandstand 1
As my video above shows, if you want the best view of the podium and start line then you need to sit in the lower sections, ideally section 1 – 3.
If you want to be able to see in to the pit lane, pit garages and have a view of the pit stops then ideally you need to be in quite a high row. I’d go for Row MM and above, but the higher the better.
Personally, I think the best seats in Grandstand 1 at the Montreal Grand Prix are those in Sections 3 and 4, rows A and above. These are right next to the start line, so you’ll see the cars and drivers lining up on the grid before the race. They have a large TV screen directly opposite, the pit garages are opposite and you have a great view of the podium so you’re in a great place to see the winner lift the Canadian GP trophy at the end of the race.
Is Grandstand 1 a good place to sit at the Montreal Grand Prix?
If you want to witness some close racing and overtaking then this is not a good place to sit. The view of the track is very limited and you’ll watch most of the race on the TVs. Not worth the money from that respect.
If, however, you want to be able to spot some F1 drivers and team managers, watch the pit stops take place and be as close as possible to the podium then this is the spot to be in.
For those interested in seeing some racing, check out Grandstand 11 instead. This is on the outside of the first two corners, has views the whole way up the start / finish straight and puts you in a spot where you’re guaranteed to see some action. Plus it’s cheaper!
If you want something covered your only option is the Platine Grandstand, but that’s even more expensive.
Nearest entrance
There is now a new entrance at the Montreal GP called the Victoria Bridge entrance which goes from behind Turn 2. That’s the closest option. See my full guide to the Canada GP entrance gates for more info.
Other Canadian GP Grandstands
Check out my guides to all of the other Canadian Grand Prix grandstands as a comparison:
Best info on the web right here! Nowhere else have I seen detailed info on section and row numbering/lettering, and what blocks the view from various sitting positions. Good stuff!
Thanks Eric, glad it was useful. Spread the word!
They may have changed the lettering, I was in Row K of 7 for Friday, and I was the top row.
Yup, I just bought Row K, Section 6 seats and the girl said it was the top row. Nobody behind so you can stand up no problem.
we have sec 7 row jj…which iss in the middle. im guesig they start with AA at the bottom, go to JJ in the middle, then go a,b,c up to K at the top row.
Yeah as the seating plan shows, AA is the front row up to ZZ, then A, B C towards the top etc
Hello, may I ask which team’s garage section7 corresponds to？
which would make sense with what the author posted. the bottom is AA, the middle is ZZ, then a, b, c, etc up to the top. which is K.(also, sometimes they skip letters, like II, which some people read as LL….)
Yep you’re right Rob
In GS1 this year- since I know this info is hard to find, fyi the tallest segment in section 10 goes to row k (I’m in GS1, section 10 row G), so I think the row information by section above is slightly off.
Thanks Angela, hope you had a good race, I’ll update the info above. Any more info you can share?
Not much! I can say section 10 is at about pit garage 4/5, depending on where you’re located. I was across from Mercedes in seat 9 row g, but the shorter part of the section was more aligned with Aston Martin.
Hi Andrea, were you able to see the podium from this section?
Hi Alex, I noticed in your article it says: “Sections 7 to 10 – 23 rows (back is row WW)”
Does that mean sections 7-10 don’t have single letters?
Hi Kaiwen, that was the information from last year. This year they may have changed the layout of the grandstand slightly, I’m not sure? I’m going to the race so will update this info soon after.
My tickets are for section 9 Row D, That means they have changed the seating.
Thanks Milan. I’m going this year so will update the seating afterwards. Hope you have a great race