Did the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal really set a record attendance? The official figures contradict Formula 1 data from 2017
The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal has proven to be a crowd-puller for many years. According to Formula 1 figures, more fans than ever before are expected to come to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2024. However, this claim does not tally with previously published figures from the recent past
There can be no talk of a “spectator record” of 350,000 visitors in 2024 when 360,000 fans watched the race weekend in Montreal live on site in 2017.
At that time, Formula 1 owner Liberty Media announced specific data for all Grands Prix, but the media company has since backed away from this. One example: Official figures for this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah are still not available, despite repeated requests to the local organizers, to whom Formula 1 refers in this matter
The 2024 trend continues in Canada
The 350,000 spectators in Canada fit perfectly into the picture of the 2024 Formula 1 season so far, with an increase in spectators at practically every race track. Only Jeddah (no figures) and Monaco (at the previous year’s level) have not reported an increase; Shanghai and Imola are to a certain extent out of competition here because there is no comparison with the previous year due to no races in the 2023 season.
For Sachir, Melbourne, Suzuka, Miami and Montreal, the increase in spectators compared to the previous year is in the range of 500 to around 10,000 people per race weekend.
However, it is important to know that the published total number of Formula 1 fans at a Grand Prix does not correspond to the number of people who were actually there. This is because at major events such as Formula 1, spectators are counted daily and then added together. So if you go to the track on all three race days, you are counted three times in the spectator statistics
Complaints after the 2024 Canada Grand Prix
However, not all visitors were satisfied with their on-site experience in Montreal in 2024: The heavy rain over the weekend left its mark on the infrastructure of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, not to mention the fans in the many uncovered grandstands. These are just as much a point of criticism after the Grand Prix as the lack of permanent toilet facilities.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA), in turn, criticized the lack of safety precautions after fans entered the track shortly before the end of the race. The FIA is threatening to impose a hefty fine if these incidents are repeated
