I sat in Grandstand 31 at the Montreal Grand Prix last year. The grandstand gives fans a view of Turns 8 and 9 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This is a fast but tricky right-left chicane that often sees drivers making mistakes.
In this article I’ll provide my review of this stand, plus videos of the view from various seats, a seating chart, my tips on picking the best seats and ticket info.
Contents
Grandstand Location
Grandstand 31 is located on the outside (left-hand side) of the Montreal Grand Prix circuit between turns 8 and 9.
The grandstand is facing back up the track, looking towards the braking zone for Turn 8. There’s a large run-off area on the outside of Turn 8 and the grandstand is at the other side of that.
The track turns to the right and then sweeps past the left hand side of this stand.
Tickets for Canadian Grand Prix
Tickets for Grandstand 31 at the Montreal Grand Prix sell out almost as soon as they’re released for sale on the official Canadian Formula 1 website.
So if you’ve left it a bit last minute, like I did, then I’d recommend buying tickets through Stubhub because they have tickets for sale right up until the last minute even if they’re sold out elsewhere, and you can pick from 1, 2 or 3-day ticket options for more flexibility.
I’ve bought my tickets for this Grandstand through Stubhub about 10 days before the race, and for a Friday-only ticket I paid just $34 for a seat in this grandstand which was crazy cheap! So check them out for some bargains as well.
Their FanProtect guarantee seems very robust and kept my money fully protected which gave me extra peace of mind when buying. Plus they have a massive inventory of Canadian GP tickets available for sale most of the time, at very competitive prices.
Grandstand details
Cover
Grandstand 31 at the Montreal Grand Prix is completely uncovered. There’s no protection from the weather so make sure you bring suitable wet weather clothing, sun screen or both!
Seats
The seats are bleacher style benches. These are not very comfortable, especially if you’re sat on them for a long time, so bring a small cushion or something soft!
TV Screens
There’s one large TV Screen visible from this stand. It’s on the other side of the circuit on the inside of the track just after the apex of Turn 8.
Because of the large run-off area the screen is actually quite far away and hard to read, especially from the rows further back in this stand. Bring a pair of binoculars to help you see it and read the text / timings on the screen a little more easily.
Check out my video lower down this page to see where the TV screen is.
Grandstand 31 Seating Chart Montreal Grand Prix
Below is the seating chart for Grandstand 31 at the Montreal Grandprix.
As the chart shows the stand is made up of three sections numbered 1 to 3.
The front row lowest down in the stand is row AA. The second row back is row BB and that continues all the way up to row ZZ. After that the next row is row A and the single letters go all the way to top row which is row Z at the very back.
The seat numbers increase from left to right (as you look at the stand from the circuit). They start from 1 at the beginning of each section. Each section is 25 seats wide.
Example views
The map below shows the areas of the track visible from this grandstand highlighted in pink.
From wherever you’re sat in the stand you’ll be able to first see the cars in the braking zone for Turn 8. You’ll have a great view of them through turns 8 and 9 and then will lose them out of sight as they pass on the left hand side of the grandstand.
Sitting on the left or right hand side of the stand will change how much of the entry to Turn 8 you can see. If you sit on the left hand side (as you look at the circuit) in section 3 you’ll be able to see less of the braking zone. If you sit on the right hand side in section 1 you’ll see more of the braking zone for Turn 8 where the odd overtake happens.
If you sit on the extreme left hand side of the stand – seat 25 in section 3 – you will be able to turn to your left and see the cars for longer as they pass by the stand. The last clip in my video below shows this.
I’ve filmed videos of the views from a number of different seats, rows and sections to give you an idea of what sitting in this gradnstand is like. The video below contains clips showing the views from the following seats:
- 00:11 – 00:25 Section 1 Row FF Seat 1
- 00:25 – 00:38 Section 1 Row C Seat 11
- 00:38 – 00:54 Section 1 Row X Seat 16
- 00:54 – 01:06 Section 2 Row R Seat 6
- 01:06 – 01:21 Section 3 Row P Seat 1
- 01:21 – 01:28 Section 3 Row ZZ Seat 25
Pan around the 360 degree image below to get a feel of the view from section 3 row C seat 16.
Best Seats in Grandstand 31?
There’s two contenders for best seat areas in this grandstand.
The first is on the far right hand side in section 1, with as low seat numbers as you can get. If you go for the lower-middle rows you’ll get the best view of the cars in the braking zone for Turn 8. Go too high up and the bridge on the approach to Turn 8 will block your view more. I’d aim for seats in the middle of the stand, around rows PP to K.
Secondly, you could try and get high numbered seats in the very back row (Row Z) of section 3. There’s a gap in the trees behind the stand which allows this specific section to be able to turn around and watch the cars disappear down the following straight.
Is this a good place to sit at the Montreal GP?
Turns 8 and 9 are a tricky pair of corners. In the 2023 Montreal Grand Prix George Russell got them wrong and ended up hitting the wall on the exit of the corner, which spectators sat here would have been able to see.
Last year Kimi and George had a couple of near misses here, with Kimi trying to pass George and then cutting across the grass.
In 2017 Fernando Alonso’s McLaren expired at this part of the track. He parked the car and then went up in to this grandstand, much to the admiration of all the fans sat there.
The straight leading up to Turn 8 is one of the Canadian Grand Prix overtake Zones but it’s only a short straight and it’s still not easy for cars to overtake here. So overtaking isn’t unheard of at this part of the track, but it’s not that common either.
If you want to go somewhere where you’re likely to see some more overtaking action try one of the grandstands around the Hairpin at Turn 10. For roughly the same price you could sit in either Grandstand 15 or Grandstand 34.
If you want one of the most exclusive experiences possible then check out the Paddock Club tickets. This VIP package costs over $10,000 CAD and offers views right above the pit lane, but often includes luxury hotel and transfers from the airport.
Nearest entrance
This grandstand is most easily accessed from both the Cosmos and Concorde entrances at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. These are in slightly different places around the site.
From the Cosmos bridge entrance you can turn right and walk about 400 metres until you reach the stand.
The Concorde bridge entrance will take you to the inside of the circuit. You can then use the pedestrian bridge that crosses the track just after Turn 9 to go back to the outside of the circuit where the grandstand is only a few metres away to the left.
See my guide to the Canada GP entrance gates for more info.
For details on getting to the circuit 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 Montréal F1 grandstands as a comparison:
