brownstein: how all the grand prix magic happens

we’re about to cross the famed, feared hairpin turn on the circuit gilles-villeneuve, and my heart is almost pounding in anticipation.mercifully, we’ve made it through unscathed. of course, we are in a golf cart, hitting max speeds of 15 km/h.trusty driver maxim berthiaume can only fathom what that might feel like for f1 drivers negotiating that turn at around the 300 km/h range. then factoring in a g-force (g is for gravitational) of between 5 to 6 — making the drivers feel about six times heavier than usual — and even lead-footed city nitwit motorists should realize this is far dicier than speeding on the décarie expressway in their souped-up hondas.

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

on this afternoon, there is no racing. but the grand prix site is a beehive of activity. for much of the year, the f1 team is comprised of about 40 full-time employees, but in the weeks leading up to the three-day event, the site morphs into a mini-city of 5,000 workers, painting signs over the track, assembling grandstands and delivering everything from flowers to ferraris.we often make much ado about the glitz and parties and celebs hitting montreal during grand prix weekend but overlook the massive organizing the race entails.“some forget that without the race, there would be no parties or tourists coming to town in droves,” wryly notes grand prix publicist philip vanden brande.

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

“there are so many small details, involving months of planning,” points out berthiaume, who in addition to driving a golf cart is also the media liaison for the 100 press folk from around the globe descending upon the circuit this weekend.nor is the grand prix fixated only on the lewis hamiltons, max verstappens and george russells of the f1 world here this weekend. the event also hosts the aspiring drivers’ f2 and all-female f1 academy races as well.this year, there will also be entertainment at day’s end throughout the weekend at the new stage area on the site: an all-canadian musical series with matt lang at 7:30 p.m. and simple plan at 9 p.m. on friday; dean brody at 7:30 p.m. and bryan adams at 9 p.m. on saturday; and the beaches at 7:30 p.m. and alessia cara at 9 p.m. on sunday.

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

what is often lost in the equation is that montreal is the only city on the global grand prix circuit that has to endure the joys of a polar winter. and with this year’s race taking place three weeks earlier than previous events, this meant that preparation work on everything from the stands to the track to a new hospitality suite and entertainment space had to begin in the fall of last year. further complicating matters was that winter lingered longer than usual.“and then as soon as it’s all over, we have to pretty much take everything down, restoring parc jean-drapeau back to its usual site,” berthiaume says.

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

sandrine garneau is up for the f1 challenge. ever-smiling, garneau, the chief operating officer of the canadian grand prix, appears unfazed by the frenetic action taking place around her on the track. a fireplug in her own right, she may well be powered by ferrari.garneau is nothing if not frank. the beaconsfield native concedes she didn’t grow up an f1 aficionado.“but i have become a big race fan,” she says in her office overlooking the site.“i have to say that this was something not necessarily on my docket. i was much more an olympics kind of person. but when this opportunity presented itself back in 2013 for the first time, i remember telling the man who recommended me for an internship here that i didn’t have a clue about the f1. i knew who michael schumacher was, but that was pretty much the extent of my f1 knowledge.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

garneau is clearly a quick study. she was in her last year of university when she got the internship and she was hired a year later, working her way up the ranks, from public relations to coo with specialization in brand strategy with a speed and alacrity that would have dazzled a schumacher. no small feat in a once so-male-dominated sport for a 36-year-old like garneau.“i wouldn’t say i’m intimidated. i think there’s a healthy dose of anxiety in everything to keep you on your toes and make sure to stay sharp. i think from the moment where you become too comfortable, that’s the moment you become too complacent and start making mistakes.“this is an industry i have begun to know well and it keeps on evolving. it’s important to stay sharp.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

the canadian grand prix was started in montreal in 1978. it has been mostly soaring ever since, save for covid shutting it down in 2020 and 2021 and other misses. in 1987, the race was dropped as a dispute between labatt and molson dragged on. another stoppage took place in 2009, when it was cancelled because of a breakdown in contract negotiations and disputes between local race promoters and formula one management, led by tight-fisted f1 boss bernie ecclestone, who demanded steep hosting fees and control of trackside advertising. when our municipal, provincial and federal government backers were unable to comply to these demands, the race was removed from the f1 calendar that year. however, a settlement was reached later that year and the race returned to the circuit gilles-villeneuve in 2010.the canadian grand prix — acquired by bell from the montreal-based octane racing group in 2021 and now officially branded as bell gpcanada — has grown exponentially over the years. in its early days, crowds attending the event were a tad under 80,000. last year, it is estimated that the entire event took in about 352,000 spectators. with additional seating this year, total attendance is expected to be somewhere between 355,000 to 360,000.

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

although the world is in a more volatile state, particularly with events and tourism being impacted by war in the middle east, garneau remains optimistic.“our preliminary numbers are showing that canada is very strong and that europe is tracking pretty much the same,” she says. “the u.s. is very much present and still a dominant market for us, but i don’t think they had yet realized  we were now in may and on the same weekend as the indy 500. so there is a shift we’re seeing on those numbers.“the political climate of the world has for us changed our landscape in the sense that we were now able to accommodate f2 this year, which we wouldn’t have been able to do in 2027 had it not been for (races) cancelled in the middle east. our hearts go out to those local promoters, because having our f1 being cancelled twice to covid, we know how hard that is.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

nothing drives up our local economy more than the grand prix, fuelling our economic engine like no other event in the city and estimated to be generating around $100 million annually in revenues. add to that the current habs run, and this could be a particularly lucrative ride for the city — which could really use it — this year.garneau is content with the race moving up three weeks on the f1 calendar.“when we were in june, we would start most of our build in march and go straight through. now we have to start in september with a lot of our scaffolding and grandstands going up in the fall. we planned to keep going to december, but it started snowing mid-november. so we spent most of the winter readapting our plans so we didn’t end up with a last week of scramble. there will always be a scramble when the teams show up with their cargo but our responsibility here is to deliver a site that is ready.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

garneau wears “a lot of hats” in the grand prix organization. one deals with the concert series, which not only provides entertainment to spectators but also — from a security and mobility standpoint — helps keep people on site longer and facilitates a smoother exit out at the end of each night.there is plenty on garneau’s plate — from dealing with the transportation logistics of spectators to the actual races to the fan experiences off the track. all of which would seem to belie her calm demeanour. the pressure has to be overwhelming. just dealing with one aspect of her job in such a tight timeframe could trigger a breakdown for most mere mortals in her sneakers. the buck stops with her.“i do recognize that. it does keep me alert. but i have to say that if i did not have in place the team i have now, i would be in a completely different mindset … and trust me, i haven’t always been this calm.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

garneau is well aware the world she has entered is not one where women often found themselves in top positions, where male chauvinism ruled and rarely bent.knowing exactly to who i’m referring, gareau responds: “i have a story about bernie (ecclestone). i actually worked with him, when he was still the head of f1.  bernie’s public and private personas are two different things. he was extremely respectful. but he was also close-minded about many things, thinking the internet was just a faze and that marketing was useless. but he had never been anything but a gentleman to me, which i can’t say about all in the industry.“later i went to a general assembly meeting and i remember having a come-to moment while looking around. it was all middle-aged white men in blue suits. we were from 20 different countries. but i remember there was also vanessa maes, who had just taken over from her father running the belgian grand prix. there was ariane frank-meulenbelt, who had just taken over from her father in hungary. and there was me. we were the only women in that room.“now we have two general assemblies a year and the landscape has changed completely. emily prazer is now head of the vegas grand prix. and there’s katharina nowak running the miami grand prix and she’s 28. it’s just incredible.”

dave sidaway / montreal gazette

true to her word, garneau is not content to remain complacent. she is focused on moving forward.“the biggest challenge we have now is that we’re growing rapidly on a very quick timeline. i want us to fall on a cycle where we are able to deliver this event while being six months ahead in our planning and knowing exactly where we’re going for 2027. we have a three-year and five-year plan, and we know where we want to be in that cycle.”and has she become a speedy driver while observing the fastest on the planet?“no sir, i respect all the rules and regulations of the road,” she shoots back with a grin. “and the speed limit on the circuit is 30 km/h when the f1 is not happening. but i did do a hot lap at tracks in texas and at silverstone and couldn’t hold my head because of the g-forces. i was like a bobblehead. as much as i think that racing is phenomenal, the physical form you need to have is beyond.”and when the race weekend wraps, garneau returns to something more serene:“i will just lay down in the grass and go back to my roots. i am actually a very down-to-earth person … content to simply be making sourdough and reading.”