Friday June 11th, 2004
Paddock Extravaganza
The paddock at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve gives the teams a chance to show off their wealth as each outfit is given an open space containing a few chairs and tables with a fence to separate it off from the thoroughfare itself then left to their own devices to spruce it up as best they can. Each team always gives their space its own makeover in a sort of 'Paddock Changing Rooms' but, due to budget restrictions on most of their rivals, Ferrari always comes out on top.
As usual, they installed flowers and hedges to make their area look the most pleasant but this year they took extravagance to the extreme when they installed a fully working three-tier water feature, some Roman columns, pottery plant pots and a wrought iron gate to make their patch look like little Italy. In contrast, fellow Italians Minardi put in a good effort but their black tablecloths looked more like bin liners while Midway down the paddock McLaren put on a similar display to Ferrari with neatly arranged bushes but, like their on-track activities this year, they were slow off the mark and were still setting up while Ferrari sat back and reaped the rewards of their early preparation.
No Limit Show
The Canadian Grand Prix organisers stopped at nothing to put on a good show in an effort to prove Formula One was right to retain the race this year. A strong support programme including the Ferrari challenge, Formula BMW USA and the Historic Grand Prix were all on the menu and assured a sell-out crowd at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. But just to make the track shine on television, a local newspaper reported, the paint sprayers were brought out to turn the grass at the side of the track from a dried out brown to a glowing green.
100 Thanks
The Grand Prix organisers recognised that their race is only on the calendar this year thanks to the kind help of its local community and duly listed 100 establishments in the official programme to thank them for their support. "The Grand Prix of Canada would like to thank the following businesses, corporations and retailers for their contribution to the staging of the 2004 Canadian Grand Prix," said the statement, before listing pubs, restaurants, hostels and hotels in Vieux-Montreal and Grand-Montreal as well as the city's tourism board and airports as people who had assisted, financially or otherwise, in convincing the teams to run an 18th Grand Prix of the season on the Isle Notre Dame. The race is run without tobacco branding and, having been dumped off the original 17-race calendar, the organisers were forced to pay the teams to tempt them back. They are confident that they will remain on the calendar in the long term now, however, and three pages later they ran an advert for the 2005 event.
Grand Prix Attack
The Grand Prix festivities burst into life on Thursday night as race fans headed into the heart of downtown to take in the usual party atmosphere. As has now become tradition in Montreal, a display of Ferraris old and new filled the busy streets and beers flowed as everyone got into the mood of one of the most popular race weekends on the calendar. But one shocking incident quickly dampened the spirits in Crescent Street - as a 50-year-old man was stabbed in the chest at 10:30pm in the evening. Local radio news reported the man had been taking photos on the street corner and was attacked after a brief build-up of aggression between him and two young men. "The person was taking photos and that seemed to start the aggression," a police spokesman told the radio station. "The attackers were captured by citizens on the scene." The rapid justice system ensured the men were in court on Friday to face charges but the man remained in critical condition in hospital after the attack.
Published at 15:19:43 GMT
(03-11-2005): 
