Jonah Presser, a Lance Stroll lookalike, poses with fans.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
An army of 360,000 fans marched onto Montreal’s Île Notre-Dame last weekend to witness the 2026 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
They came wearing official jerseys of their favourite teams – Ferrari red, Red Bull blue, Mercedes black – all covered with corporate logos for crypto, artificial intelligence, banking and gambling sponsors. Fans wore hats signed by their favourite drivers, hats topped by a miniature F1 car and team jackets that look just like the ones drivers wear. And all this merchandise doesn’t come cheap. Official fan gear is expensive, with a team jacket sometimes $500 or more, jerseys more than $300 and ball caps ranging from $70 to $135.
Official merchandise on display in the Paddock Club.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
They also carried enough gear for a camping trip: folding chairs, coolers, flags, backpacks, cameras, water bottles, rain ponchos, portable radios, seat cushions and snacks to sustain them through the long days. Some had their faces painted. And at least one fan arrived in full Lance Stroll cosplay, racing suit and all, a spitting image of Canada’s only current F1 driver.
Those 360,000 racegoers in Montreal are all part of F1’s rapidly growing fanbase. Spurred on by the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive show and last summer’s Brad Pitt blockbuster F1,, the fanbase has ballooned by 63 per cent since 2018 and totals 827 million fans worldwide as of 2025, according to F1 numbers.
As F1’s popularity grows, so does the value of seeing and being seen at a Grand Prix. It’s more lucrative for F1 teams and major sponsors, but it’s also more expensive for fans.
Jonah Presser, the fan who was Lance Stroll’s doppelgänger, lives in Montreal and has been watching F1 since he was six years old.
“Every year I always see this group of people around me, and we always find a way to hang out every year. It’s so nice to be able to make friends every time I get to the circuit,” he said.
Five years ago, his ticket cost $495. This year, for the same seat in the grandstand at the circuit’s action-packed hairpin turn, he paid $840.
“[Ticket price] is a discussion that we have every year. It’s starting to get out of hand. I just hope that, in the future, fans who want to be able to attend don’t feel priced out,” Presser said.
Prices for 2026 Canadian Grand Prix tickets rose by 20 to 26 per cent compared to 2025, according to GPDestinations, an F1 travel site. Despite significant increases over the last several years, Canada is still the 12th cheapest race out of 24, according to the site’s rankings. (Miami and Las Vegas top GPDestinations’ most expensive F1 ticket list.)
Jeff Lambert, director of brand and communications for the race organizers, wrote in an e-mail that “in an environment where the costs associated with delivering a world-class event continue to rise year over year, pricing adjustments are sometimes necessary to maintain the high standards of quality, safety and innovation that fans expect.” He also noted that the sport is booming, as evidenced by the record-setting 360,000 spectators.
Emma Lustigman travelled from New York for the Montreal Grand Prix. She’s seen F1 races in Austin, Tex., and Las Vegas, but thinks the Montreal fanbase is far superior. However, during this, her third visit to the Canadian race, she noted that prices have increased significantly. She paid $1,300 for a grandstand ticket, compared to $350 (resale) two year ago. But, she added, this race is still much cheaper than the US$1,600 she spent on the Las Vegas event.
Kim Luong in the Fan Zone, an area at the track with viewing screens, shops and concession stands.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Kim Luong, who has been following F1 since 2020, came from Toronto to see her first Grand Prix.
“I know F1’s big but I didn’t expect it to be this massive,” Luong said. “I felt like it was a little niche. Before, it was like, ‘Oh you follow F1? What’s that?’ But now everyone knows what it is.”
She and her boyfriend bought general admission tickets – F1’s most budget-friendly entry option – each paying around $300. All told, the pair spent between $2,000 and $3,000 on the Grand Prix, including the costs to drive from Toronto and to stay at an Airbnb.
General admission tickets lack assigned seating, requiring fans to arrive early and rush inside as soon as the venue opens to stake out prime viewing spots by the fence.
“I saw this analogy,” Luong said. “It’s like The Hunger Games. You’re just watching all the people from District 12 run.” She added that she understands why the sport is so expensive, especially considering all the science, technology and travel involved.
Further to The Hunger Games analogy, the Paddock Club would represent The Capitol – home to the wealthiest and most privileged – where tickets can cost more than $10,000 for the weekend. They’re the best seats in the house, right above the pit lane, and offer all-day gourmet catering and open bars with free-flowing champagne. In one area of the Club, at an array of trackside screens, experts provide live interactive commentary and insight into the race for guests through headsets. Think: all-inclusive luxury resort, except it overlooks a racetrack instead of a beach.
Nicholas Curtis, a parts manager at a Kia dealership in Albany, N.Y., earned his free trip to Montreal and ticket to the Paddock Club by being the No. 1 Pirelli salesperson in the region.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
There I met Nicholas Curtis, a parts manager at a Kia dealership in Albany, N.Y. His prize for being the No. 1 Pirelli salesperson in the region was a ticket to the Paddock Club and an all-expenses paid trip to Montreal. Watching those F1 engines roar down the track for the first time gave him goosebumps and he said he hasn’t stopped smiling since.
Many people in the Paddock Club didn’t pay for it themselves. They were invited by companies including Mastercard, Lenovo, Audi, Salesforce and Pirelli, who invited Curtis. (Disclosure: I was also invited by Pirelli.) The atmosphere exudes the opulent exclusivity of a corporate box at any big sporting event.
One young fan, overheard exiting the Paddock Club after the race, said he couldn’t imagine how his F1 experience could’ve been better.
F1 experts provide commentary and insight into the race for Paddock Club guests through headsets.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
The upside to more expensive tickets and the sport’s increased popularity is that this has triggered a wave of fresh capital into F1 from more car companies and motorsports suppliers. In the long run, that’s good for the sport.
Mercedes’ Formula 1 team was last year valued at US$6-billion, making it worth more than most NBA teams and every NHL franchise. Audi and Cadillac spent untold millions to join the sport with their own teams in 2026, racing against other car companies: Alpine, McLaren and Ferrari.
Pirelli has been the sole tire supplier to F1 since 2011 but Dario Marrafuschi, head of Pirelli motorsports, wouldn’t put a dollar figure on the brand’s investment. He said the brand awareness, as well as the research and development work resulting from F1, benefits the company and its consumer products.
“I wouldn’t be able to quantify the investments and quantify the payback of these investments,” Marrafuschi told The Globe and Mail at the Canadian Grand Prix. “I just look at the annual reports and see that our sales are increasing every year.”
Andrew Hanna and his wife Marina Fam flew in from Toronto for the race. They spent around $2,000 on grandstand tickets and another $1,200 for three nights in a hotel outside of downtown Montreal. They recouped $200 selling their Friday tickets to other fans on a Facebook group.
“I’m the last person I thought would be into this, but here we are,” Hanna said. There’s great camaraderie at the races; F1 is addictive, he said. “It’s loud, rowdy. It’s fierce competition, but friendly.”
The couple is already planning their vacations around F1. Next up? The Hungarian Grand Prix in late July.