A group of youth from the Montreal area got to chat with a Formula 1 driver ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, as well as with a race car driver and a former track and field athlete from Quebec.

George Russell, who drives for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 team, attended the Driving Your Future event for youth from Big Brothers Big Sisters. He was joined by Quebec’s own Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Mikaël Grenier and former Canadian international track & field athlete Stevens Dorcelus.

The event was hosted by Mercedes-Benz Canada at the newly renovated Mercedes-Benz Silver Star dealership in Montreal.

Russell spoke with the young people and encouraged them to get in the driver’s seat and steer their lives toward their goals, a news release from Mercedes-Benz Canada says.

“We are proud to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters on Driving Your Future and to support initiatives to ignite the potential of Canada’s young people,” said Andreas Tetzloff, CEO, Mercedes-Benz Canada, in the release. “It’s an honour to present such an inspiring, star-studded lineup. By sharing their stories and experiences, we hope to empower young people to set positive goals and work toward achieving even brighter futures.”

Grenier, who is from Quebec City, signed as a Mercedes-AMG driver in 2023. He’s one of only two people from North America on the roster.

“Achieving my dream of being signed by Mercedes-AMG as a professional driver didn’t come easy. As a driver from Quebec without many connections in the world of motorsport, there wasn’t really an obvious path for me to follow to get here,” Grenier said in the release. “I forged my own because I am truly passionate about racing. I hope sharing my story will encourage kids to identify what drives them. Success takes persistence, and that persistence comes more naturally when you care deeply about something.”

Mercedes-Benz Silver Star, 7800 Decarie Blvd., is a 36,000-square-foot facility that will soon be home to an AMG Brand Centre, the second such facility in Canada. The first opened in Toronto earlier this year.

The Canadian Grand Prix happens in Montreal June 7 to 9.