F1’s growing popularity resulted in massive footfall and huge ticket sales for the 2023 Canadian GP. Due to this, two F1 drivers had to abandon their cars before reaching the track and make their way to their destination on foot.
Organizers reported an attendance of over 338,000 in this year’s Canadian GP weekend across all three days. Almost all of the spectators were traveling by car from Montreal, which is one of the largest cities in Canada. In addition to this, many fans from other cities in the country, and also the United States traveled to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
This caused a major traffic jam as the roads leading to the circuit were clogged with traffic. It was a hindrance for most people, but for some F1 drivers, things could have gotten a lot worse. In fact, they might have not reached the track on time before the start of the race!
Canadian GP traffic caused 2 drivers to leave cars behind
The traffic situation ahead of the Canadian GP caused a lot of problems for AlphaTauri’s Nyck De Vries and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. They were the two unlucky drivers who got caught up in Montreal’s traffic.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is located on Ile Notre-Dame, an island on the Saint Lawrence River. There are only 3 bridges to reach the racetrack by road, and all three routes became choke points with thousands of cars lined up to reach the venue on time.
Magnussen and De Vries were present in the traffic jam. As the time ticked by, both drivers were forced to abandon their cars and reach the circuit on time.
BBC Reporter Andrew Benson shared the two drivers’ plight on Twitter. Both drivers were forced to ditch their vehicles in a nearby rowing basin and made it to the paddock on foot. It was a hectic start to an unfruitful race for the duo.
How did Magnussen and De Vries fare?
Both Nyck De Vries and Kevin Magnussen should have reached the track much earlier owing to the lengthy pre-race debriefs the drivers are subject to. Both drivers were starting at the back of the grid and thus, some extra preparation time would have come in handy for them.
Magnussen and De Vries qualified P14 and P18, respectively. In the race, the former even brushed the wall causing him to lose further positions. After an uneventful 70 laps, De Vries and Magnussen wrapped up the race in the last two spots, claiming P18 and P17.
The Canadian GP is regarded by many as one of the most exciting races on the calendar. Although we saw plenty of on-track action, this year’s race was a straightforward victory for Max Verstappen.
Verstappen clinched his 41st race win matching Ayrton Senna’s win tally by leading every single lap of the race. He was joined by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, who finished 3rd and 2nd respectively, after a lengthy duel on track.
