It’s a sweltering Wednesday in the pit lane of Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and gearheads are buzzing around to the beats of rapper Headie One at Red Bull’s Formula 1 garage.
One guy is is setting up a tool bench while another tightens the hoses attached to high-pressure air tanks that will power the wheel guns. Everyone here seems to have big biceps, tattoos or a British accent – not surprising given the squad, like most F1 teams, is based in Britain.
The six-cylinder, 900-horsepower race machine piloted by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, F1′s current points leader, is hidden behind a screen. Rivals would be only too happy to take a peek at its engine tweaks and other systems.
Fernando Alonso of the Aston Martin F1 team looks at the car of Lando Norris, of team McLaren, as it's prepped for the Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 6.Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez of Mexico and race engineer Hugh Bird prepare for the Grand Prix in the garage at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.Mark Thompson/Getty Images
We’re three days from qualifying runs for the Canadian Grand Prix and four days from the computer-controlled red-light sequence that will start the race. But for Germany’s DHL, it’s all about hours and minutes now. Every case and container DHL has shipped to Montreal has to be unpacked and off the pavement by nightfall, when the paddock goes on lockdown ahead of the first test run.
DHL is a global freight giant, with 395,000 employees and annual revenue of nearly US$90-billion. It’s been F1′s official logistics partner for two decades, and this season, it’s charged with moving cars, fuel, broadcasting equipment, hospitality furnishings and thousands of pieces of additional gear to 24 races in 21 countries on five continents.
It’s an enormously complex task – 1,400 tons of cargo is transported to each race – and anything can go wrong. Planes can be delayed and trucks stuck in traffic. Prickly customs agents can hold up paperwork. Even a seemingly innocent oversight – such as not changing the pounds/kilograms settings on a weight scale – can wreak havoc, says Mathieu Levasseur, motorsports event manager at DHL Global Forwarding.
No matter what happens, DHL has to find a way to deliver. Because if it doesn’t, the show can’t go on.
“We know the game,” Mr. Levasseur says. “And I think we’re going to be here for a long time.”
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, front, takes a turn at the Senna corner ahead of Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez during the first practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal on June 7.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
1. The big picture
The first wave of cargo arrives in Montreal by ship (bulky stuff such as overhead gantries, hardware, wiring and corporate material to dress each team building). Another wave comes by truck and train, with all race-critical equipment transported by plane (including the cars and spare parts, and the computers that plug into docking stations). DHL uses eight chartered cargo jets to feed every race (all Boeing 777 or 747 freighters), including two just for all the TV and broadcasting equipment.
Within Europe, DHL also transports other “essentials” for each team – including San Pellegrino water and pasta for Scuderia Ferrari, and English tea and HP Sauce for the Brits. Those kinds of items aren’t brought into Canada or the United States because of potential customs delays, but a deal is in place with Quebec’s liquor control board for the big-bottle celebratory Champagne for whoever wins the Montreal Grand Prix.
Globetrotting circus–2024 FIA Formula One
World Championship
The season kicked off in Bahrain in early March, and drivers
will cross the finish line on the ’24 season in Abu Dhabi on
December 8th.
9
12
15
17
22
4
23
1
19
6
14
5
20
24
2
11
18
13
16
7
8
10
21
3
World race
European race
1.
Sakhir, Bahrain
9.
Montreal, Canada
17.
Baku, Azerbaijan
2.
10.
Barcelona, Spain
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
18.
Singapore
19.
Austin, U.S.
11.
Spielberg, Austria
3.
Melbourne, Australia
20.
Mexico City
4.
Suzuka, Japan
12.
Silverstone, U.K.
21.
Sao Paolo, Brazil
13.
Budapest, Hungary
5.
Shanghai, China
14.
Spa, Belgium
22.
Las Vegas, U.S.
6.
Miami, U.S.
7.
Imola, Italy
15.
Zandvoort, Neth.
23.
Lusail, Qatar
Monaco
8.
16.
Monza, Italy
24.
Yas Marina,
Abu Dhabi
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCES: GRAPHIC NEWS; F1
Globetrotting circus–2024 FIA Formula One
World Championship
The season kicked off in Bahrain in early March, and drivers will cross
the finish line on the ’24 season in Abu Dhabi on December 8th.
9
12
15
17
22
4
23
1
19
6
14
5
20
24
2
11
18
13
16
7
8
10
21
3
World race
European race
1.
Sakhir, Bahrain
9.
Montreal, Canada
17.
Baku, Azerbaijan
2.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
10.
Barcelona, Spain
18.
Singapore
19.
Austin, U.S.
11.
Spielberg, Austria
3.
Melbourne, Australia
20.
Mexico City
4.
Suzuka, Japan
12.
Silverstone, U.K.
21.
Sao Paolo, Brazil
13.
Budapest, Hungary
5.
Shanghai, China
14.
Spa, Belgium
22.
Las Vegas, U.S.
6.
Miami, U.S.
7.
Imola, Italy
15.
Zandvoort, Neth.
23.
Lusail, Qatar
Monaco
8.
16.
Monza, Italy
24.
Yas Marina,
Abu Dhabi
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCES: GRAPHIC NEWS; F1
Globetrotting circus–2024 FIA Formula One World Championship
The season kicked off in Bahrain in early March, and drivers will cross the finish line
on the ’24 season in Abu Dhabi on December 8th.
9
12
15
17
22
4
23
1
19
6
14
5
20
24
2
11
18
13
16
7
8
10
21
3
World race
European race
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
1.
Sakhir, Bahrain
2.
3.
Melbourne, Australia
4.
Suzuka, Japan
5.
Shanghai, China
6.
Miami, U.S.
7.
Imola, Italy
8.
Monaco
9.
Montreal, Canada
10.
Barcelona, Spain
11.
Spielberg, Austria
12.
Silverstone, U.K.
13.
Budapest, Hungary
14.
Spa, Belgium
15.
Zandvoort, Netherlands
16.
Monza, Italy
17.
Baku, Azerbaijan
18.
Singapore
19.
Austin, U.S.
20.
Mexico City, Mexico
21.
Sao Paolo, Brazil
22.
Las Vegas, U.S.
23.
Lusail, Qatar
24.
Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCES: GRAPHIC NEWS; F1
2. The route
By the time the season ends in early December, DHL will have hauled F1 gear a total air distance of 127,000 kilometres, to famous circuits such as Silverstone and Suzuka. And the clock is always ticking: Even as the current race is under way, non-critical gear for coming races is in motion on sea freighters, and transit times can vary from 15 days (between Europe and Canada) to 50 days for longer routes (such as Europe to Australia). Time at port for ground transport and other considerations also have to be factored in. To be safe, DHL works to set gear off on ships one to three months in advance of when it’s needed. As soon as one season ends, logistics preparation for the next season begins.
Canadian Grand Prix
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc return to Montreal buoyed
by recent emotional race victories which have ignited hopes
of an unexpected title fight between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari
MOST WINS
9
JUNE 9: CANADA, MONTREAL
CIRCUIT GILLES
VILLENEUVE
2
DRS
3
DRS
detection
Timing sector
1
Distance: 70 laps – 305.27km
TEAM SPIRIT: WINS BY CONSTRUCTOR
2023 PODIUM
Other
Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso
Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull
Aston Martin
Mercedes
8
Mercedes
McLaren
13
4
Red Bull
4
4
Brabham
Ferrari
12
7
FASTEST LAP 2023
Sergio Perez, 1:14.481
Williams
the globe and mail, source: graphic news; getty images
Canadian Grand Prix
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc return to Montreal buoyed
by recent emotional race victories which have ignited hopes
of an unexpected title fight between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari
MOST WINS
9
JUNE 9: CANADA, MONTREAL
CIRCUIT GILLES
VILLENEUVE
2
DRS
3
DRS
detection
Timing sector
1
Distance: 70 laps – 305.27km
TEAM SPIRIT: WINS BY CONSTRUCTOR
2023 PODIUM
Other
Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso
Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull
Aston Martin
Mercedes
8
Mercedes
McLaren
13
4
Red Bull
4
4
Brabham
Ferrari
12
7
FASTEST LAP 2023
Sergio Perez, 1:14.481
Williams
the globe and mail, source: graphic news; getty images
Canadian Grand Prix
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc return to Montreal buoyedby recent emotional race victories
which have ignited hopesof an unexpected title fight between Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari
MOST WINS
JUNE 9: CANADA, MONTREAL
9
CIRCUIT GILLES
VILLENEUVE
2
DRS
3
DRS
detection
Timing sector
1
LAP RECORD
Valtteri Bottas, 1:13.078 (2019)
Distance: 70 laps – 305.27km
TEAM SPIRIT: WINS BY CONSTRUCTOR
2023 PODIUM
Other
Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso
Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull
Aston Martin
Mercedes
8
Mercedes
McLaren
13
4
Red Bull
4
4
Brabham
Ferrari
12
7
FASTEST LAP 2023
Sergio Perez, 1:14.481
Williams
the globe and mail, source: graphic news; getty images
3. The venue
The Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (named after the Quebec racing phenom who drove six seasons for Ferrari before dying in a crash in 1982) is a unique challenge because of the tight quarters at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Notre-Dame. The public site – owned by the City of Montreal – can only be used for the race during a specific window each June. The only permanent fixture on site is a new three-storey paddock complex and media centre, which has more than doubled the capacity of the loges above the team garages to 5,000 people.
Almost everything else has to be brought in. As soon as the snow melts in spring, the grandstands start going up, and as soon as the race is over, they come down. More than 100 cargo containers, each 40 or 53 feet long, have come to Montreal by truck or train from the previous North American F1 race, in Miami. That same kit will then move to Austin, Mexico and Las Vegas. Another 20 containers have come by sea. Pirelli – F1′s exclusive tire supplier – sent eight temperature-controlled containers filled with tires to Montreal from Italy weeks ago, with each team allotted 13 sets for race weekend. There’s also urgent last-minute freight coming in by commercial flight right until Saturday.
4. The parts
Each team brings three chassis to a race and enough parts to build five cars – each one is made up of an estimated 30,000 parts. Teams pack their own disassembled cars and critical gear, with foam-lined boxes and other packaging shaped specifically for the parts, and then hand them off to DHL for races outside Europe. (Within Europe, teams transport much of their gear themselves.) When teams arrive at a track, the garages are empty shells that must be built from scratch.
In Montreal, each team has just seven hours after the checkered flag to decamp, and DHL starts loading trucks with air freight at midnight on race day. Soon after that, sniffer dogs will check each load before it’s trucked to Mirabel airport, about 75 minutes away. Non-air cargo gets packed up after that, and within about a week, everything will be gone.
Lando Norris of Great Britain goes for a trial run at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 7. Last year's Canadian Grand Prix drew 170,000 spectators to Montreal over four days, about half of them from out-of-province.Chris Graythen/Getty Images
5. The impact
In 2023, the Montreal race drew 170,000 spectators over four days, about half of them from out-of-province, according to Tourisme Montréal. Add in hundreds more team employees, plus volunteers, officials and media representatives, and you’ve got a lot of people pumping money into local hotels and restaurants. In all, last year’s race added $67.4-million to Quebec’s GDP and $17-million in government tax revenue.
Still, you have to spend money to make money. Researchers at Montreal’s Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques calculate that $400-million in public funds will be spent over 20 years to 2029 to support the event – a “totally absurd” sum they say should be more thoroughly debated given the race isn’t without its negative effects, including pollution. F1 is working hard to cut its environmental footprint but it’s still a carbon-intensive affair. Its emissions in 2019 were about 257,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent. That’s more than the entire country of Central African Republic generated that year.
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin Aramco
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Born: Oct. 29, 1998, Montreal
Debut: March 2017, Williams
Teammate: Fernando Alonso
Height: 182cm
Weight: 79kg
Races / wins:
Podiums:
Pole positions:
143 / 0
3
1
0%
2.1%
0.7%
2023 season
74pts
10th
Retirements:
5
Aston Martin AMR24
as of start of 2024 season
the globe and mail, source: graphic news
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin Aramco
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Born: Oct. 29, 1998, Montreal
Debut: March 2017, Williams
Teammate: Fernando Alonso
Height: 182cm
Weight: 79kg
Races / wins:
Podiums:
Pole positions:
143 / 0
3
1
0%
2.1%
0.7%
2023 season
74pts
10th
Retirements:
5
Aston Martin AMR24
the globe and mail, source: graphic news
As of start of 2024 season
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin Aramco
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Born: Oct. 29, 1998, Montreal
Debut: March 2017, Williams
Teammate: Fernando Alonso
Height: 182cm
Weight: 79kg
Races / wins:
Podiums:
Pole positions:
143 / 0
3
1
0%
2.1%
0.7%
2023 season
74pts
10th
Retirements:
5
Aston Martin AMR24
the globe and mail, source: graphic news
As of start of 2024 season
6. The economics
American billionaire John Malone’s Liberty Media Group bought F1 in 2017 for US$4.4-billion, kicking off a resurgence in popularity. Part of that is thanks to the behind-the-scenes Netflix docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which made its debut in 2019 and now has 643,000 viewers. .
All told, around 70 million viewers worldwide watched each F1 race in 2023, and F1 claims to have more than 700 million fans. In 2023, F1 had its biggest season attendance – six million people – with 12 Grand Prix races setting attendance records. And half of the 10 teams on the grid are now profitable – a stark change from barely five years ago, according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
7. The cost to play
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, F1′s governing body, introduced a spending cap in 2021 meant to help level the playing field. For the current season, it’s set at about US$140-million. But that tally excludes a few major costs, including marketing, driver salaries (Ferrari will reportedly pay Lewis Hamilton US$100-million in 2025 to defect from Mercedes, where he was making about half that per year) and compensation for the three highest-paid staff members, such as technical directors. In years past, top teams such as Ferrari and Mercedes would routinely spend north of US$400-million in a single season.
From left, Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez of Mexico, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany, and Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll of Canada, during the drivers' news conference at the Canadian Grand Prix.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
8. The payoff
Prize money is awarded according to finishing position within the Constructors’ Championship, and this is usually reflected in the bonuses paid to team staff at the end of the year. Drivers themselves don’t get money for winning, though the team will likely pay them a nice sweetener on top of their base salary. (And salaries vary wildly: No. 1 driver Max Verstappen, who races for Red Bull, is being paid US$55-million this season, while his teammate, Sergio Pérez, currently ranked No. 5, is earning US$14-million.)
No one talks much about the numbers, but Red Bull, which won the 2023 championship, earned an estimated US$140-million in 2023. The lowest-ranked team, Haas, won roughly US$60-million.
The Ferrari team practice pitstops ahead of the F1 Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. About 75 people from each squad make up the race team, handling setup, running and repairing the cars, among other crucial tasks.Chris Graythen/Getty Images
9. The people
F1 is frequently called the “travelling circus” – each F1 team can employ anywhere between 300 and 1,200 people, and about 75 people from each squad make up the race team, including mechanics, race engineers, tacticians, data analysts, commercial directors and, of course, drivers. Piles of other people are involved as well, from cooks to guest guides to security personnel. As for DHL, it typically has between 20 and 35 people at every race, from customs specialists to truck drivers to forklift operators.
10. The ticket
F1 ticket prices have continued to climb at most 2024 races, according to F1Destinations.com, on top of significant appreciation over the past few seasons. The average three-day F1 ticket is now US$498, a 2-per-cent increase over the U.S.-dollar average. But ticket prices are on average 8.5 per cent higher year-on-year in 2024 when measured in local currencies. The Chinese Grand Prix is the cheapest: US$199 for a three-day ticket. Las Vegas is the most expensive, at US$1,617. Montreal tickets ranked eighth cheapest at US$336.
Sources: DHL officials and website, Formula 1 press office, F1 Explains podcast, F1destinations.com, Motorsport.com, Tourisme Montréal, Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomique, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research.