Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on Jared Davidson's potential to improve next season. Hockey season might be the rearview mirror for fans of the Montreal Canadiens, but this week the city's sports frenzy surrounds Formula 1's annual visit to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The 2024 Grand Prix du Canada takes place on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm, with three practice sessions and a qualifying session scheduled for Friday and Saturday as well. But outside of the festivities taking place around the race track, fans have been treated to days of high-octane events throughout the city of Montreal. And some lucky members of the Montreal Canadiens got in on the action, too! Kick Sauber F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA2OTg3NzMwNDEwODA4ODAz/bottas-usatsi_23170075.jpg] Kick Sauber F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas This week, Valtteri Bottas, driver for Kick Sauber's F1 team, visited the Canadiens' practice facility in Brossard, QC to lace up his skates with Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Alex Newhook. He presented them with Bottas hockey sweaters from his home team, the Lahti Pelicans (Liiga), and also got behind the wheel of a somewhat slower vehicle to try his hand at resurfacing the ice. The other nine F1 teams and their drivers could be found popping up all over the city throughout the week as well. Mercedes AMG-Petronas even hosted a pop-up shop to sell merchandise and offer racing simulator challenges. Scuderia Ferrari jumped on the hockey theme themselves by offering up Ferrari hockey jerseys sporting the racing numbers of drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. McLaren's exhibit takes the term "constructor" to a whole new level with a lifesize deconstructed LEGO build of their F1 car. This marks the home race for Aston Martin driver, and Canadian native, Lance Stroll, who appeared at BOSS to speak to fans. Daniel Ricciardo, driver for the RB team, got in on the fun by designing a new crash helmet for the weekend featuring some deliciously sweet Canadian maple syrup. Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be looking to get back on top of the podium this weekend, after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took the top honor last time out for his home race in Monaco. Will the drivers have a dry track, or will the notorious June rains put a damper on the race this year? And more than one racing team has gone to lengths to document another frequent sight at Montreal's circuit: the groundhogs who consistently come to play on the track! Whatever the outcome, the week has been filled with fun for sports fans and the 2024 Grand Prix du Canada promises excitement! Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal [https://thn.com/montreal] for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world. The Hockey News: Pick A Free Issue! [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk3MTk4Mzc0MTE4Nzc2/hockeynewsad.jpg] The Hockey News: Pick A Free Issue!
