I sat in Grandstand 15 at last year’s Canadian Grand Prix. This is my review and guide to this stand for the Montreal F1. This stand offers a great view of one of the best overtaking spots on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
It’s also one of the most expensive grandstands at the Montreal GP, and I think there are other options that offer just as good views for much less.
In this guide I’ll provide my thoughts on spectating at Grandstand 15 for the Formula 1 race weekend. It includes a seating chart, videos of the views from different seats, my tips on the best and worst seats and suggestions on alternative grandstands that might be better value for money.
Contents
Grandstand 15 Canadian Grand Prix Location
Grandstand 15, also known as Tribune 15, is located on the outside of the circuit at Turn 10, the Hairpin.
The grandstand is directly in line with the Hairpin, the slowest corner on the track, and sits at the end of the run-off area on the outside of the turn.
It’s a large run-off area so the front of the grandstand is actually 250ft / 75 metres away from the edge of the circuit.
Grandstand 15 tickets - Canadian Grand Prix
Tickets for the Montreal Grand Prix Grandstand 15 sell almost immediately on the official Canadian Grand Prix website.
So I recommend doing what I did and buying them through Stubhub instead where there will be a good selection available right up until race day itself. Plus you’ll be able to find lots of single day tickets there if you don’t want to go for all three days, or if you want to try different stands on different days.
I used Stubhub for my Canadian GP tickets for this grandstand and had a great experience using them. I bought them around 10 days before the race weekend and managed to get a bargain – I bought a Friday only ticket in this stand for just $79CAD – bargain!
They also have a FanProtect guarantee which gives you full protection for your money, and they have a huge number of Canadian GP tickets for sale at great prices leading up to the race, so worth checking out.
Grandstand 15 details
Cover
Grandstand 15 is completely uncovered. It has no roof and no protection from the sun or rain, so make sure you bring suitable clothing and sun protection!
Seats
The seats are bleacher style bench seats and have no backrests.
TV Screens
There is one TV screen visible from Grandstand 15. It’s part of the Jumbotron that’s right on the inside of the hairpin, but the screen isn’t actually very big.
Plus, due to the large run-off the screen is about 450ft / 140 metres from the front of the grandstand. This can make it seem quite far away, especially from the back of the stand, and any text on the screen is definitely hard (or impossible) to see. So bringing a pair of binoculars is a good idea to help you see it more clearly.
Grandstand 15 Seating Chart
Below is the seating chart for Grandstand 15 at the Montreal Grand Prix.
As the chart shows the stand is made up of 4 different sections. Section 1 is on the side of the track where the cars enter the hairpin and section 4 is on the side where they exit the corner.
The rows in the grandstand are given letters. As the seating chart shows, sections 1 and 2 have fewer rows than sections 3 and 4.
The naming of rows in all sections starts with the front row which is named AA. Behind that the second row is named BB.
In sections 1 and 2 this naming convention continues until row LL after which it goes to row A then all the way up to row Z at the back of those sections.
In sections 3 and 4 the rows are named from AA to ZZ before going to A then all the way up to Z.
The seat numbers increase from left to right (as you look at the stand from the track). Seat numbers start from 1 at the beginning of each section.
Grandstand 15 Canadian Grand Prix views
The map below shows the parts of the track that can be seen from this grandstand highlighted in pink.
Pretty much wherever you sit in the stand your view is going to be very similar (except from a few parts of section 4 – read on). You’re always going to have an amazing view of the apex of the Hairpin at Turn 10, where you’re likely to see a lot of overtaking and wheel-to-wheel action during the Formula 1 race.
As the grandstand is so steeply tiered you rarely need to stand up to see over the people in the row in front of you.
However, I’d suggest avoiding the first few rows as the safety fencing between the stand and the track is very high, and yo end up having to look through it if you’re sat right at the front.
Aside from that, the only real difference in your view comes from sitting on the left or right hand side of the stand. If you sit on the left hand side (sections 3 or 4) you’ll be able to see a little more of the approach to the hairpin.
In my video below I’ve filmed the view from a number of different seats, rows and sections in this stand to give you an idea of how it changes. The clips in this video were filmed from the following seats:
- 00:11 – 00:23 Section 1 Row AA Seat 17
- 00:23 – 00:40 Section 1 Row A Seat 6
- 00:40 – 00:55 Seat 1 Row Z Seat 1
- 00:55 – 01:09 Section 2 Row LL Seat 12
- 01:09 – 01:19 Section 2 Row K Seat 18
- 01:19 – 01:32 Section 3 Row D Seat 13
- 01:32 – 01:43 Section 3 Row Z Seat 27
- 01:43 – 01:54 Section 4 Row CC Seat 27
- 01:54 – 02:06 Section 4 Row A Seat 19
- 02:06 – 02:17 Section 4 Row O Seat 1
The third to last clip filmed from Section 4 Row CC Seat 27 shows one of the worst views from this stand. From the front rows of section 4 your view is very compromised, so I would avoid Rows AA – ZZ in section 4.
Best Seats in Grandstand 15
Personally, I’d try and sit in a higher row (Row A and above) in section 3. That section gives you a slightly better angle to see the cars as they approach the braking zone for the hairpin, where they may start to make an overtaking move.
Everywhere else I’d avoid the front 10 or so rows to have a slighly better vantage point and to be a little further away from the safety fence.
Is Grandstand 15 a good place to sit at the Montreal Grand Prix?
This is a great grandstand for having an unobstructed view of the Hairpin at Turn 10 which is one of the most popular and common overtaking spots at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Sitting in Grandstand 15 you’ll see the F1 cars come directly towards you in the braking zone for Turn 10, take the Hairpin at 50kph / 30mph and then accelerate full throttle away from you. As it’s a super-slow corner, it means you get to see the cars for a good amount of time. Unlike some other stands where they just race past you in a flash.
As the cars are mostly coming towards you / away from you, you don’t get a feel for their incredible braking or acceleration quite the same as you would if you were sat side-on.
The biggest downside to this stand is its distance from the screen. The distance from the track might not feel so bad in real life as it does in the videos above, but definitely bring binoculars to be able to see the TV.
As a cheaper alternative, check out Grandstand 34. It’s opposite to this stand, has a great view of the Hairpin and costs a few hundred CAD$$ less. Plus you get to experience the cars coming past you on either side of that stand.
Nearest entrance
The nearest entrance to the Grandstand 15 at the Montreal Grand Prix is the Cosmos entrance gate.
Once you walk in the entrance take a left turn and the grandstand will be right in front of you in just a minute or two.
See my guide to all of the Canada GP entrance gates for more details.
For detailed on getting to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Formula 1 weekend, check out my full Canada F1 travel guide.
Other Canadian GP Grandstands
Check out my guides to all of the other Canadian Grand Prix grandstands as a comparison:
Just want to echo what you wrote in the piece, the distance issue for the race itself looks about 10x worse in YouTube videos/pictures than in person. When you’re actually at the race (I was in Sec 1 A), the view is absolute stunning, with your entire field of vision taken up by the track, and the cars seem to be a very reasonable size. Definitely go for this section if you like the hairpin.
You are 100% correct about the screen though, and your cell phone probably won’t work due to the large amount of people in the complex, so bring binoculars, especially to qualifying.
Also, logistics here are great for entry/exit, my group left as soon as the victory lap was done and we were on the subway in 10 minutes. Only negative is the area behind GS21 can get seriously backed up at peak times.
Thanks for the comments and tips!