Formula 1 is doing things in a big way. At the Canadian Grand Prix, racing cars exceed 300 km/h. The Montreal track is equivalent to a very intense 305 km competition over 70 laps. The crowd has already included Rihanna, Al Pacino, Penélope Cruz and Tom Brady. Last year, a record number of 345,000 spectators gathered at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
But perhaps the biggest – and most expensive – feature of this weekend is the fact that private jets ferry many of the thrill-seeking visitors.
About 115 business jets will land in the Montreal region between Friday and Sunday, which represents an increase of 50% compared to the daily average of the previous month, according to projections provided to The Canadian Press by the analysis company WingX .
Last year, 139 business jets arrived from the United States, Canada and as far away as Italy during the event weekend, an increase of 43% compared to 2019 and in line with the growing demand for private air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carbon dioxide emissions are also expected to increase, due to the race itself, but especially the aerial activity surrounding it.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The car of Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during the first free practice session of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
“Private jets obviously have an outsized impact, because a private jet carries very few people on board, and very inefficiently,” said Thomas Green, climate policy advisor at the David Suzuki Foundation.
“And it can be even worse if the private jet goes to the event with certain people and then returns empty to pick up other passengers, if it is chartered. »
In fact, around twenty business jets made several landings in Montreal during last year’s Grand Prix weekend. After landing, some likely took off without passengers in order to bring more people over the next few days.
It can be difficult to put a precise figure on the carbon dioxide emissions of a group of private jets. But in general, these expensive planes are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, according to the Brussels-based advocacy group Transport & Environment.
A private jet can emit two tons of carbon dioxide in a single hour, the organization claims. In comparison, data from the Canadian Energy Regulator indicates that the average resident of Quebec emits less than nine tonnes annually.
“When we look at global emissions from aviation passengers, just 1% of people are responsible for 50% of emissions,” said Thomas Green.
“There are a lot of super-rich and a lot of the business class who take a lot of business class flights or, for some of them, private jets. And their numbers are growing quite rapidly. »
A “red carpet” experience
This class includes the champagne-drenched world of F1, where big-budget sport mixes with European aristocracy in a spectacle rich with competition, seduction and ego.
Although seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton sold his cherry red Challenger – made by Bombardier – for environmental reasons, current champion Max Verstappen travels the world in a private Dassault Falcon purchased from billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. Some teams, including Scuderia Ferrari, have partnered with companies such as VistaJet for private flights.
Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba’s transportation institute, says the role of private planes in promoting business relationships, economic activity and tourism should be taken into account when calculating their impact overall.
Time is money. You must meet in person to negotiate, but also to personally see how a factory is doing. You can’t do that with Zoom.
Barry Prentice
Formula 1 marks the unofficial kickoff of Montreal’s summer festival season, as pedestrians admire luxury cars and explore F1-themed kiosks on downtown’s Crescent Street before the Maxim Grand Prix party on Saturday evening.
“It has become the Montreal red carpet experience,” says Jean-Paul Mouradian, vice-president of Feldman Entertainment Quebec, which is promoting the unofficial F1 event, organized in a former Canadian Pacific train station. .
Tickets range from $260 to $20,000, with guests this year including tennis pro Eugenie Bouchard, American social media sensation Sommer Ray and Moroccan-American rapper French Montana.
“We learned from the airports –– Saint-Hubert, Montreal, Mirabel – that many private jets were landing,” said Mr. Mouradian, referring to the three main airports surrounding the city.
Crowds downtown have only grown since a documentary series increased F1’s popularity starting in 2019.
” It’s the Drive to Survive from Netflix, he explains. It made things so frantic. »
F1 teams, crews and other personnel, some of whom arrived on board business jets, will number nearly 3,000 this weekend, according to the Canadian Grand Prix.
“The Netflix team is actually quite small. It generally has fewer than five people,” said Sandrine Garneau, brand strategy manager.
Amid all the excitement around elite motorsport, Thomas Green argues that any approach to business jets must be based on stricter regulation.
“It’s great when someone shows leadership and changes their lifestyle to reduce emissions, but we can’t count on that,” said the environmental defender, referring to the sale of Lewis Hamilton’s private planes as well as pop star Taylor Swift’s purchases of carbon credits.
“We need policies that help reduce emissions across the economy,” he insisted. These small planes don’t pay proportionately and they have an outsized impact on emissions. »