"Formula One is back in Montreal

After a two-year break, the Grand Prix is once again gathering racers and fans.

Football World Cup Canada will host it for the first time in four years, but the annual World Championship of Circuit Racing has been held in Canada since 1967. At that time, "Formula 1" was not even called "Formula", then it was just a world championship for racers. The modern name appeared in 1981. "Formula" is a set of technical characteristics that the cars must meet.

To participate in the championship, teams build their own cars — special single-seat cars capable of reaching speeds of over 300 km/h. That is why there are two first places in the competition: the best driver and the best design team. The races, called Grand Prix, take place throughout the year in different countries, for each race pilots and teams are awarded points — and at the end of the season the results are summarized.

The first Canadian Grand Prix were held at Ontario — for almost 10 years drivers competed on the Motorsport circuit. For two years, 1968 and 1970, the Grand Prix was held at the Mont-Tremblant circuit in Quebec, but the circuit was deemed too dangerous and was no longer used.

An artificial island was built for the 1967 World's Fair in Montreal, and for the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, the Isle of Notre Dame racing circuit was built there. The track was named the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in 1982, in honor of the Canadian driver who died during the Belgian Grand Prix.

An island with a driving range in Montreal

The track has hosted a total of 40 Formula 1 races, and this year will be the 41st. At the beginning of 2022, statistics were published: on average, 66% of spectators come from outside Montreal and 52% come from outside Quebec. The city is now home to many tourists — hotel occupancy rates are up more than 97%. Montrealers call the Grand Prix the biggest sporting event in Canada.

June 17-19, 2022 is the 9th round of Formula 1 in Montreal. The final race will take place on Sunday from 14 to 16 hours. The length of the track is 4.361 km. The drivers will drive 70 laps. Prior to the final race, there are free heats, aka practice, and qualifying sessions. This is done to reduce the number of participants in the final race: those who reached the finish line last are eliminated from the competition.

Before the Montreal Grand Prix, there will be several more races: