Canadian Grand Prix CEO confident about event's future after successful weekend race
The spotlight stayed on the track this weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
That's probably what Jean-Philippe Paradis appreciated most after a 2024 edition marked by access and evacuation issues on Ile Notre-Dame, water damage in TV studios and communication problems with the city's transport agency.
Paradis took over as chief executive officer and president of Octane Racing Group, the Canadian GP promoter, after longtime executive Francois Dumontier stepped down last summer following 30 years on the job.
Paradis said organizers didn't feel added pressure to deliver at this year's Canadian GP but acknowledged his team was eager to make the Formula One event shine.
"There was something where people wanted to make it different. We want to bring Canada to a top quartile GP," he said. "There's a path for us to get there, and we wanted to showcase that there is some improvement."
Paradis noted that event organizers rolled out the first phase of a three-year plan this year.
Hospitality tents for F1 teams doubled in size and now include a second floor. The entire paddock area was redesigned to also feature a Canadian touch.
Paradis wants to recreate the feel of a downtown Montreal street festival in the paddocks for F1 personnel and VIP guests.
Teams were also able to enter the site via the previously inaccessible Victoria Bridge, avoiding the traffic that disrupted 2024 and previous years.
Paradis hopes this year's race will serve as a springboard to making the Canadian GP one of the most beloved stops on the F1 calendar.
"If you ask me, why do you wake up every day in the morning? It's to try to make the race really amazing," he said. "Each time, I will improve the fan experience, the personnel experience."
Focus was on successful 2025 event
The Canadian Grand Prix is under contract with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) until 2031.
Paradis denied a rumour suggesting the FIA could terminate the deal as early as 2029. As for a contract extension, he noted many tracks only have one- or two-year deals.
"What we wanted to focus on is making sure 2025 is an amazing success we can build on," Paradis said. "As we get success, I'm sure things will fall into place."
On Tuesday morning, however, Paradis will join Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, Tourisme Montreal President and CEO Yves Lalumiere and several city officials at Ile Notre-Dame for a news conference "relating to the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix."
Paradis and his team will have a little less time to prepare for the next year's edition of the Canadian GP.
In the 2026 F1 calendar released last week, the Montreal event is set for May 22 to 24, a few weeks earlier than the traditional June slot.
The race will now directly follow the Miami GP, scheduled three weeks earlier. The change helps make the calendar more geographically logical and reflects F1's goal of reducing travel and becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
Paradis doesn't expect the calendar change to affect ticket sales or fan willingness to travel to Montreal for the race.
"The month of May might have been a little bit colder this year," he said. "But historically there's about a 1.5 to two C difference."
Most F1 drivers and team principals weren't overly familiar with Montreal's climate beyond their annual grand prix visit, but said they're used to unpredictable weather.
Race won't 'drastically' change with May date
"Even when it's the same time of year here, the weather is quite unstable," said Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu. "You can have a dry race, wet race, really changeable conditions. So, I'm sure teams are fine with it being a different time of year.
"I don't think it's going to be drastically different. But I think it's very good for everyone to look at how they can optimize travel logistics."
Williams team principal James Vowles said he has visited Montreal in the winter.
"I definitely don't want to race here in winter. It's freezing cold," he said. "But I think May is perfectly fine."
Paradis also said a scheduling conflict with the Indianapolis 500 won't reduce the number of American tourists coming to the event.
He expressed the same confidence despite the growing number of Grand Prix races in the United States -- now at three since Las Vegas was added in 2023 -- when Montreal used to be the only North American stop.
"Canada is a huge market, right? It's 40 million people," he said. "There's obviously a huge economic market. We serve really well the Northeast of North America. It's an iconic race.
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