Fresh from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, I would like to share my GP experience with Atlas F1 readers.

The first thing I want to say is that the organizers of the Montreal race should be congratulated, once again they staged a fine event. This year they managed people in a way not like the past. In past years it has taken me up to two hours to get to my car at the Longueiel Metro Station (the one on the other side of the river), this year I was at my parents' home and watching the tape of the race within two hours... actually, it was less than 90 minutes! This is also a credit to the fans who were quite well behaved in the slow procession from Grandstands to the metro stop on Ile Ste-Helene.

I should add that there was one thing that made me uncomfortable: the preponderance of billy-bat toting security guards. I don't know if a person is really mean just because they look mean, but many of them looked like they would take pleasure in wielding that weapon. And I wonder if that kind of security force is really necessary. All this because fans got onto the track in 1995? It seemed a bit like a Foucaultian nightmare being under such constant scrutiny.

While the weather might have seemed horrible--and it was really cold--there are some positive sides to it. Having not sat and melted in 85-degree sun like past years, I did not feel so exhausted I could drop at the end of the day. Sure, my hands got cold, but once the action was on I quickly forgot about the air temperature. And it seems less people drank as much beer (plus it affects people faster in the heat), contributing to the fine behaviour of the fans.

The support events that I saw were quite exciting. The Toyota Formula Atlantic race was action, action, action; the Ferrari Challenge was pretty good at turns 6 and 7 (from my vantage point in Grandstand 33); and the Formula Ford race was just plain fun. The winner power sliding his way around corners to the delight of the cheering fans. Most of these races provided minor offs into the gravel in front of GS 33, much to the delight of the crowd.

I missed Friday this year, but was in attendance for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning I hoped to find a good spot to stand near the hairpin to snap some photos but the small area there was very crowded even at 7:30 AM and the spot I stood last year, in front of Grandstand 15, was no longer a spot as the fences were covered over with billboards.

I made it to my seat before the F1's hit the pavement, though, and enjoyed every minute of it.

One thing that never fails to impress me is how much prettier most of the cars are up close as opposed to on TV. As always, the Ferrari is the prettiest car of the lot. The Jordan looks quite nice up close, as does the Arrows. I think the Benetton looks quite good too. Some though, like the Williams and the Minardi are overburdened by sponsor logos (maybe the Williams crew could lighten up the car by taking off a few pounds of stickers ). The McLaren is sharp too. But that goes without saying.

Saturday morning was pretty calm at turns six and seven, with only Damon Hill losing it (twice), once ending up atop the Zepter logo on the grass inside turn six, marring the logo a bit. Generally the Goodyear shod cars were much more skittish coming into turn six, and Frentzen's front end looked like he could lose it any time--yet he was fastest on the laps when he seemed to come closest to that thin line of losing control. Jacques Villeneuve managed to lock up his front left at turn six more than the rest of the field put together, never really getting a grip on the corner. Of all the Goodyear runners, Michael Schumacher was smoothest at this point. Jean Alesi was good sometimes, but both he and Herbert managed to do a fair bit of locking up too.

Qualifying was much more entertaining than it was in 1997 at CGV. Last year there was not a car on the track until about 15 minutes into the session; this year it was action for the whole hour, with many drivers running two hot laps at a time rather than what seems to be the customary one (personally I would like to see the qualifying lap limit raised a bit, maybe to 18). The real fun of watching at this corner from the left end of the grandstand (from seated perspective--on the right if looking from the driver's point-of-view) is that we can see the cars swoop around turn five as well, so we can enjoy the hard braking as they approach. This is never better than in qualifying.

There was no really close moments at turns six and seven during the one hour session, and even the cars that seemed skittish in the morning were a bit more stable.

In the hour after the F1's called it a day, the Formula Atlantic drivers stormed around the track, managing passes at turn six, the occasional ride through the gravel (but none got stuck), and one failed out-braking maneuver that ended at least one race right there.

Sunday morning the F1's came out to a damp track. While it was notably damp at turns six and seven, it was not "wet". There were not as many lockups early in the half-hour session as I might have expected--more in the last five minutes when the road was dry and drivers were pushing harder. But none of the sliding off like at the hairpin.

I was intrigued to notice that the Zepter sign, marred by Hill's trip through the grass the day before, was freshly painted, leaving no trace of tire marks. I was impressed with the crowd turn out for the morning session. In past years there have been fewer people that early on. But today's crowd was excited for racing action.

After the F1 warm up, the Ferrari Challenge, North American version, ran a forty-minute race that ended with Tom Papadopoulous repeating his 1997 CGV win. A number of cars had minor offs in this race. Early on one car (there were over thirty of them) made a trip though the gravel throwing a good amount of pebbles onto the track. Midway there were a couple drivers who ripped up some sod, putting a bit of dirt and grass onto the racing line, but nothing bad enough to cause other cars to lose control.

Forty-two Formula Fords followed the Ferrari's onto the circuit putting on a 13 lap show almost as exciting as the Formula Atlantic's did on Saturday. There were many trips through the gravel and grass, and even a couple of retirements at turn six, but no really damaging offs. One driver simply had his front left suspension break under braking; that was the biggest spectacle of the event.

Fans were thrilled with the first drivers parade I have seen at CGV--this was my tenth Canadian GP since 1988. All twenty-two drivers sat in convertibles as they were paraded around the circuit. Only Mika Hakkinen did not sit up on the rear deck to wave to the fans (the closed circuit radio announcers joked that perhaps Hakkinen did not want to catch a cold). Of course Jacques Villeneuve received the most vociferous welcome at turn six. Damon Hill was well received too, as were the Ferrari drivers (Montreal is known for its support of Ferrari).

We all know about the tumultuous first laps of the race, in both starts. It was a bit of a disappointment the second time around, but none were surprised to see Ralph Schumacher had not made it around either time. None of this drama transpired near us; we were content to hear the announcers describe the scenes.

Unlike the support races, the F1's did not manage passing at turn six. There was one pass, but it was a lapped car moving aside for a faster car on the lead lap. Not really a pass, or at least not one that proved entertaining to the crowd. Pedro Diniz was still training a fair among of sod when he passed by, dropping some at turn seven, and leaving a trail of dirt as he drove past.

Late in his second tank of gas, whilst setting fastest lap, Michael Schumacher made a few slides at turn six, but never lost it. His tires chattering loudly as he managed to hold the reins, keeping the prancing horse headed the right direction.

After the third Pace Car session, the fans went wild when it seemed Jacques Villeneuve had taken the lead. So loud were the cheers, though, that the report of his then going off course was missed until he came by far down, and with a broken rear wing. All were pleased to see him back in the race five laps later--on his extended test session for the revised Williams. It seemed too, that he had less angle on the new rear wing than he did the first. And later in the race, he managed to run several laps without locking up on his way into six.

The latter half of the race was more of a procession.

Jan Magnusson and Shinji Nakano were so close as to be one for most of the way. But the Japanese driver could not quite make it past. On the cool down lap a jubilant Magnusson slowed, then power slid his way through turn six, waving to the crowd as he did. I though for a second he was going to pull an Alex Zanardi-style 360 spin. Giancarlo Fisichella caught up to Michael Schumacher on the cool-down lap at turn six, and they nodded and waved to each other before saluting the cheering crowd.

And there it was. Another Canadian GP at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

I would also like to point out that this year the circuit radio was much better. Last year the speakers were poorly connected, or something that made them have a lot of static.

Having been to every race but 1991 since 1988, I think this year was one of the most enjoyable I have attended.

I certainly hope other Atlas readers who attended the race enjoyed it as much as I did. See you all at CGV next year!