Image credit Jussi T
Grandstand 46 at the Montreal Grand Prix offers some of the cheapest reserved seating at the Canadian F1 race weekend.
Whilst the view may not be the best from this grandstand, it does offer a good value way to watch the GP.
This article provides a full guide to Grandstand 46 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It includes a seating chart, examples of the view, information on tickets and tips on getting the best seats.
Contents
Grandstand 46 Montreal Grand Prix Location
Grandstand 46 at the Montreal Grand Prix is located on the outside of the circuit near turns 11 and 12.
It’s located a short way after the hairpin at Turn 10 and sits along the Casino Straight, right at the start of one of the DRS Zones on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. It’s directly opposite Grandstand 47.
Grandstand 46 tickets - Canadian Grand Prix
Tickets for the Montreal Grand Prix Grandstand 46 sell almost straight away on the official Canadian Grand Prix site.
So I’d recommend buying them through Stubhub.
I used Stubhub for F1 tickets numerous times last year and had great experiences each time. Their FanProtect guarantee gave me enough confidence to buy, and they currently have a very big inventory of tickets for sale for the Canadian GP.
Grandstand 46 details
Cover
This grandstand is completely uncovered. There’s no roof or protection from the sun or rain, so make sure you bring suitable clothing!
Seats
The seats are bleacher style bench seats with no backrest. Your ticket will give you a reserved space on these.
TV Screens
There is one large TV screen directly opposite this stand, just the to right of Grandstand 47 on the other side of the track.
This screen was new for the 2023 race and the video below shows it in action on the left side of the shot, with Grandstand 46 on the right hand side.
The track is narrow here with little run-off on either side, so it means the screen is very close to the stand and easy to see.
Grandstand 46 Seating Chart
Below is the seating chart for Grandstand 46 at the Montreal Grand Prix.
In previous years the stand has only had 7 sections and the two sections on the right were only half height. For 2024 however it’s expected that the stand will be increased in size, as shown on the seating chart above.
There are now 8 sections within this grandstand. Section 1 is the closest to the exit of the hairpin, Turn 10. Section 8 is the furthest along Casino Straight.
The seat numbers increase from left to right (as you stand on the track and look at the stand). They start from 1 at the beginning of each section.
The rows are lettered. The front row lowest down is AA, the second row is BB and that continues until row KK (row 11). After that the next row up is row A, then row B, all the way to row Z highest up at the back.
Grandstand 46 Montreal Grand Prix views
The map below shows the sections of track that are visible from Grandstand 46 highlighted in pink.
As this grandstand sits parallel to the little kink in the track after the Turn 10 Hairpin, unfortunately it means that is doesn’t actually have a view of th Turn 10 Hairpin itself. There are some trees directly to the right of the stand that block the view of Turn 10.
This video shows the trees to the right of the stand blocking the view of the Hairpin. This was taken from section 2, somewhere between rows 15 and 20 up (rows D-H).
If you sit higher up you stand a better chance of seeing over the barrier in the middle of the track to get a brief view of the cars as they are about the enter the chicane.
However, sitting higher up means the trees will block your view to the right more.
The video below was filmed from section 5, around row 10 – 15 (JJ – D), and shows that you can see a little more over the barrier in the middle of the track and can see the cars as they’re about to enter the Hairpin.
Sitting lower down in the stand will mean you can’t see over that barrier so easily, but it will give you a better vantage point to see around the trees a little more.
The video below was filmed from section 3, row CC (row 3), seat 1.
As the cars comes past you in the stand from right to left you’ll be able to see them as they head through the little kink in the Casino Straight. The further left you sit in the stand (the higher your section number) the longer you’ll be able to see them once they go round that kink.
Best Seats in Grandstand 46
Unfortunately, wherever you sit in this stand you can’t see the Hairpin at Turn 10 which is where most of the action would happen at this part of the track.
So the best seats are about maximizing what you can see. If you sit in the front few rows you’ll get a better angle to see around the trees to the right of the stand, but you won’t be able to see over the barrier in the middle of the circuit.
If you sit higher up you can see over the barrier and watch the cars as they’re about to enter the Hairpin, but the trees will block your view more.
I’d hedge my bets and try and get seats in the middle of the stand. I’d aim for section 4 and rows in the lower middle, somewhere around A – D.
Is Grandstand 46 a good place to sit at the Montreal Grand Prix?
You don’t get to see much exciting racing from anywhere in this stand. As you can’t see the Hairpin, all you get to see is the F1 cars accelerating along the long Casino Straight. Great if you want to hear them at full throttle, not so great if you want to see some overtaking.
The saving grace of this grandstand is its price. At just $50 CAD more than a general admission ticket in 2023, it’s worth the extra 50 bucks just to have somewhere to sit for the weekend.
If I had a choice I’d pay a few extra dollars and get a seat in Grandstand 34. That has a wonderful panoramic view of the Hairpin.
Nearest entrance
The nearest entrance to the Grandstand 46 at the Montreal Grand Prix is the Cosmos entrance gate.
From there you can take a short walk towards Turn 9 and use the pedestrian bridge to get to the inside of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. You can walk across the infield and use the next spectator bridge to cross back over to the outside of the track. That second bridge puts you right next to the grandstand.
See our guide to all of the the Canada GP entrance gates for more information.
For details on getting to the circuit for the Formula 1 race weekend, check out our full Canada F1 travel guide.
Other Canadian GP Grandstands
Check out our guides to all of the other Canadian Grand Prix grandstands as a comparison:
A few strange stories have popped up on reddit about 46 and 47 where some GA holders take advantage of more lax security coverage, sneak in right at race time, park in a seat, and are just obstinate enough during the race to annoy everyone in the vicinity and force weird compromises. If you’re in 46/47 it might be a good idea to park for an hour beforehand or so.