I sat in Grandstand 21 at last year’s Montreal Grand Prix, and this is my review and guide to this grandstand for any other F1 fans thinking about sitting here for the Canadian F1 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
This stand overlooks the Turn 10 hairpin and is a great place to sit. In this article I’ll provide some videos showing the view from different seats, a full seating plan, information on tickets and my tips on getting the best seats in the stand for the Canadian F1 race weekend.
Grandstand 21 Location - Montreal Grand Prix
Grandstand 21, also called Tribune 21, is located on the outside (left-hand side) of the circuit at the entry to the Turn 10 Hairpin.
The grandstand runs parallel with the straight bit of track that’s the braking zone for the Hairpin. It directly overlooks the hairpin, and is surrounded by a number of other grandstands around the hairpin making the atmosphere at this part of the track really amazing.
Grandstand 21 tickets for Canadian Grand Prix
Tickets for Grandstand 21 at the Montreal Grand Prix sell out almost instantaneously on the official Canadian GP website when they’re released.
So if that’s the case I’d recommend doing what I did and buying your tickets through Stubhub where you’ll be able to find tickets right up until the last minute before the race itself. And they have a lot of single day ticket options which are cheaper and offer more flexibility.
I used Stubhub for my tickets for this grandstand at the Canadian Grand Prix and had a great experience using them. I bought my tickets around 10 days before the race weekend and got a bit of a bargain – I paid just $80CAD for my GS21 ticket for the Friday only.
Their FanProtect guarantee keeps you protected, and they have a large amount of Canadian GP tickets for sale, at very good prices.
Grandstand 21 details
Cover
Grandstand 21 is completely uncovered. There’s no roof over the top so it’s fully exposed to the elements. Make sure you bring suitable clothing and weather protection, for both rain and sun!
Seats
The seats are bleacher-style bench seats with no backrest. These can be pretty uncomfortable so bring a small cushion or something soft to sit on.
TV Screens
The large 4-sided Jumbotron screen is directly in front of this grandstand on the inside of the hairpin. It’s in line with sections 6 and 7 of the stand which will have the best view of the screen.
If you’re at the other end of the stand you’ll still have a good view just from a bit of an angle, but you’ll be able to see screens on two sides of the Jumbotron.
Grandstand 21 Seating Chart Montreal Grand Prix
Below is the seating chart for Grandstand 21 at the Montreal Grand prix, which was updated for this year’s race as they added a new section (section 6):
As the seating chart shows the grandstand is made up of five different sections numbered 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. These sections are all different sizes with a different number of rows.
The front row across all sections is named Row A. Sections 6 and 7 have their back row as Row U. Section 8 has Row R as its back row. Section 9 has Row M as the back row. In section 10 the back row is Row G.
The seat numbers increase as you move to the right of the stand (as you look at it from the circuit). The numbers start from 1 at the beginning of each section.
Grandstand 21 views
The map below shows the areas of the track visible from this grandstand highlighted in pink.
The main part of the track you’ll be viewing from here is the Turn 10 Hairpin, which often sees a lot of overtaking and has one of the Canadian GP overtaking Zones directly after it.
As the grandstand is so close to the edge of the track, wherever you sit you’ll be looking through the safety fence as the cars brake and enter the hairpin. But when you’re in the higher rows that’s not an issue, as the video below shows.
You can’t see much to the right before the braking zone as the track curves round and the other structures and trees to the right of your stand block your view.
Once the cars have left the Hairpin, if you’re in a higher row you’ll be able to see them exit Turn 10 and head down towards T11. Then you’ll lose them out of sight as they go behind Grandstand 34 which is in the middle of the two sections of track.
In the video below I’ve filmed the view from a number of different seats, rows and sections in this grandstand. The clips in this video were filmed from:
- Section 6 Row A Seat 3
- Section 6 Row U Seat 1
- Section 7 Row R Seat 6
- Section 8 Row L Seat 3
- Section 9 Row M Seat 6
- Section 10 Row A Seat 15
Best Seats in Grandstand 21?
If you want to be as close as possible to the action then go for seats in the smaller part of section 9 and 10 as close to the apex of the Hairpin as possible. There you’re right on top of the circuit, only a few metres away from the cars. But this issue with those is the rows aren’t as high.
Personally I’d chose to get seats in a section that has the highest rows to give a wider vantage point. I’d probably try and get seats in the top rows of section 6, 7 or 8 – preferably Row R or above. That’d give a slightly clearly view of the F1 cars in the braking zone for the hairpin, plus the TV screen would be a little more central. And you’d be able to see the track on the exit of Turn 10 as well.
Is Grandstand 21 a good place to sit at the Montreal Grand Prix?
This is one of the more expensive grandstands at the track, but the view and atmosphere from here make it worthwhile. There’s usually plenty of action at the Turn 10 hairpin, plus you can clearly see the huge TV screen.
There are a number of food and drinks vendors just a short walk away from here, on the steps overlooking the river behind the Lance Stroll stand. For the same money you could actually sit in that stand which is directly opposite and it has a clearer view of the cars approaching the Hairpin.
Alternatively you could look at Grandstand 15 which is at the end of the long run-off area next to the Hairpin. It’s further from the track but usually costs over $100 CAD less and has unobscured views of the Turn 10 Hairpin.
Nearest entrance
The nearest entrance to Grandstand 21 at the Montreal Grand Prix is the Cosmos entrance. When you come through the entrance take a left turn and the grandstand is only a couple of paces in front of you. It’s one of the best stands for easy entrance / exits from the park.
See my guide to the Canada GP entrance gates to get more details.
For info on how to get to the circuit for the Formula One 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:
Note: For Section 10 the back row is now G, not E
Thanks Richard