The 2025 Canada F1 Grand Prix was a great success. Held during the weekend of June 13-14-15, on Ile Notre-Dame in Montreal, the Canada F1 race did a complete 180 from the 2024 fiasco.

F1 fans can recall that in 2024, Bridges leading to Notre-Dame Island—the only access points—were shut by police on Friday and Saturday due to massive congestion, leaving fans, teams, and guests stranded for hours.

Heavy rain turned VIP parking into mud baths, flooded hospitality tents and media booths, and even caused leaks in pit-lane commentary areas. Fans were wrongly told that Friday’s practice sessions were canceled, leading many to leave. This stemmed from mixed messaging by transit authorities, police, and the promoter.

On the Sunday, after the race, spectators stormed the track while cars were still cooling down, prompting an FIA reprimand and a requirement for a safety remediation plan by September 2024. And finally, the circuit showed it hadn’t grown with F1’s scale: police and security were deemed “aggressive and unhelpful,” narrow dirt pathways became impassable in rain, and egress bottlenecks were severe.

The 2024 event was undermined by systemic operational failures—most notably in transportation, communication, infrastructure, and security—that damaged fan experience, team logistics, and the event's reputation. Organizers called it a "perfect storm" and committed to sweeping changes for 2025.

What changed in 2025

1. Smooth logistics and fan improvements.
Organizers executed a “total 180” turnaround from 2024, tackling transit bottlenecks, site access, and communication headaches. They introduced an official race app, colour-coded signage, expanded pedestrian access, waterproofed paddock areas, and ensured synchronized, centralized announcements—dramatically smoothing the overall fan experience. There was hundreds of metres of astro turf installed behind the paddock to ensure in the event of rain, the pathways would not be muddied.

2. Record‑breaking attendance & atmosphere.
The weekend drew 352,000 spectators, smashing previous attendance records. For Sunday's race, fans were told where the access points were located on the track for those wishing to walk on the track. One the race was concluded, fans had to hear the blow horn, indicating all cars have returned to the pit lane. At which point they can enter the track.

3. Thrilling on‑track action & iconic performance.
George Russell delivered a breathtaking weekend with pole position, fastest lap, and his first 2025 victory—all under sunny skies—signaling Mercedes’ resurgence The dramatic late-race collision between Norris and Piastri added fireworks to the fight for P4, further intensifying the narrative.

4. Engaging support races & fan activations.
With support from Formula 2, Formula 3, Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and the F1 Academy, fans experienced multiple tiers of racing excitement beyond the main F1 event. Fan zones, food vendors, team-branded hospitality, and interactive activations kept the atmosphere alive all weekend.

5. Massive economic impact & restored trust.
The event generated over $162 million for Montreal's economy and prompted strong confidence from F1 officials, who extended the Grand Prix through 2035. By seamlessly combining operational excellence, record turnout, edge-of-your-seat racing, multi-layered fan engagement, and strong economic returns, the 2025 Canadian GP firmly re established Montreal as one of F1’s standout venues. In addition, Canadian F1 TV rights holders, Bell Media Inc, parent company of Canadian sports channels TSN and RDS announced an extension to their F1 TV rights deal for years to come.

2026

For 2026, one huge change fans will notice is that the race will take place in May rather than June. May 22-23-24 2026 to better align with the overall F1 calendar and logistics for all teams. One thing is certain, it will be cooler.