No Canadian GP on 2009 F1 calendar

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The 2009 F1 calendar has no space for the Canadian Grand Prix

The Canadian Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2009 F1 calendar in a shock move as the FIA published full details of next year’s schedule.

No reason has been given for the deletion of the Montreal race, held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

The Canadian round has been plagued by problems with its surface at recent races, which were especially severe during this year’s Grand Prix.

But there had been no prior indication that the round might be dropped. The race was on the provisional 2009 F1 calendar. It was last missing from the calendar in 1987 due to sponsorship reasons.

Canada’s absence means next year’s calendar has 18 races instead of 19.

The FIA has not explained why the Canadian round has been dropped. It’s one of the most popular and well-attended races on the F1 calendar, held at a distinctive track which has been part of the F1 calendar for three decades.

Canada has loads of dedicated F1 fans and even though it hasn’t had an F1 driver since Jacques Villeneuve two years ago they’ve continued to support their Grand Prix. It’s a terrible shame Montreal is no longer on the calendar, and that F1 now has no North American round at all.

2009 F1 calendar

RndDateEventCircuit
127-29 MarchAustralian Grand PrixAlbert Park, Mebourne
23-5 AprilMalaysian Grand PrixSepang International Circuit
317-19 AprilBahrain Grand PrixBahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
48-10 MaySpanish Grand PrixMontmelo, Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
521-24 MayMonaco Grand PrixMonte-Carlo
105-7 JuneTurkish Grand PrixIstanbul Park
619-21 JuneBritish Grand PrixSilverstone
726-28 JuneFrench Grand PrixMagny-Cours
810-12 JulyGerman Grand PrixNurburgring
924-26 JulyHungarian Grand PrixHungaroring
1121-23 AugustEuropean Grand PrixValencia Street Circuit
1228-30 AugustBelgian Grand PrixSpa-Francorchamps
1311-13 SeptemberItalian Grand PrixAutodromo Nazionale Monza
1425-27 SeptemberSingapore Grand PrixSingapore Street Circuit (night race)
159-11 OctoberJapanese Grand PrixSuzuka
1616-18 OctoberChinese Grand PrixShanghai International Circuit
1730 October – 1 NovemberBrazilian Grand PrixAutodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Interlagos, Sao Paulo
1813-15 NovemberAbu Dhabi Grand PrixYas Island

2009 F1 season
2009 F1 calendar

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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96 comments on “No Canadian GP on 2009 F1 calendar”

  1. its just rubish that france gp stays and there is no canadian gp … ;/ blah

  2. nice to see Bernie’s avoiding the entire american continent now..

    well almost, we still have Brazil, but ONE RACE FOR 800, 000, 000 people doesnt really cut it does it?

  3. WHAT? This is one of the 5 best tracks on the calendar!

    I am enormously disappointed. No doubt Bernie wants more moolah.

  4. It makes complete sense of you realize how many passionate F1 fans there are in Abu Dhabi. We should have tried harder in Montreal. You know, like sell out every year. Have massive F1 parties in the street each night. Have the drivers say things like “it’s second only to Monaco”.

    Oh wait. We did all that. And more.

  5. Mark – well said.

  6. The home of the Villeneuve’s has been canned? Some of the most passionate fans in the sport? Wow. I’m actually stunned.

  7. What a shame!
    I was there this year and absolutely loved the place, the race, everything. I’m sad I won’t get a chance to do it again next year.

    Maybe I should stop going to F1 races altogether. In 2007 I went to my first F1 race in Indianapolis… They dropped that. This year, I went to Canada, they dropped that. Sorry guys!

  8. The surface was a joke this year. This is the pinnacle of motorsport. A broken surface was unnacceptable. I’ve always liked the Canadian Grand Prix, but there are other tracks in the world, and passionate fans who want to see the races. How about a street race in Cape Town, South Africa. It’ll be fantastic!

    I’m miffed that we’ll have one less race next year though!

  9. :( Really sad , I loved Montreal what a great track. Once again I feel like F1 is hitting me in the face along with helman tilke and a truck of petrodollars…

  10. Jonatas – you’re the F1 Angel of Death. Could I interest you in tickets and airfare to Abu Dhabi and Valencia? I need to make room for Montreal, and with India, Russia and Borat’s play for Kazakhstan coming, we gotta act fast.

  11. From a fans point of view I’m disappointed, I’d rather see Montreal on the calendar than the Hungaroring or Magny Cours.

    However, from a business and logistics point of view I can see why they dropped it, they couldn’t hold the race before or after the Brazilian race cause the weather would be too cold and they go nowhere near the americas at any other point in the year. It was also on at a bad time from a UK TV point of view as it clashed with Coronation Street! WT!

  12. Dammit Bernie you are an ass among all asses in the world. Last year was the first time I had ever been to a F1 event it was in Montreal, and it was hands down one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I already planned for a return in 2009, and every year there after, not anymore I guess.

    So now instead of a 5 hour car drive to get there for me it’s a plane ride and visas and all this crap!!!! This has got to be the most disappointing news so far this year. WOW I just cannot believe this is happening please wake me up when it’s over.

    Wow I keep looking at the calendar to see if maybe it will magically reappear.

  13. Vlad the Inhaler
    7th October 2008, 15:00

    I’ll miss the pikey tarmac……

  14. This is dreadful news

    I couldn’t have agreed more with Mark’s comments. I am getting quite sick of moving races to places that have the money but not the passion. Passion is what it is all about. Cam you imagine if every race was like Bahrain or Shanghai? It would be a total bore because the heart of the F1 fans is missing.

    We need places like Monaco, Albert Park, Silverstone and importantly Montreal because that is where the party and the atmosphere is. Without it, F1 would become a businessman’s sport, where the money talks that the people. We need the fans of Montreal, and not the popularity seeking, money minded folks of Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Valencia.

    And on top of all that, Montreal provided fantastic racing. What a shame.

  15. I wonder if this is Bernies way of forcing more dates into the calendar. Canada comes back on the schedule in 2010 or 2011 because the teams, drivers and public want it back, but by that point in time the other new tracks are established, so we just end up with even more dates.

  16. Why was Canada dropped? Oh, maybe something to do with Canadian Motor Clubs calling for Max’s resignation?

    The paving is fixable, the track and attendance is always great, and they have one off travels longer then N. America. So what’s the reason? See first para. above.

  17. A great shame; along with Spa and Monaco it is one of the three Grand Prix I most look forward to at the start of the season.

  18. Why was Canada dropped? Oh, maybe something to do with Canadian Motor Clubs calling for Max’s resignation?

    Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. And Msxs vindictive streak is just one reason I didn’t want him to survive a vote of confidence. Oh well.

    Really snews though, Montreal has been one of the highlights of the year for many years.

  19. bernie, you are a ****

  20. schumi the greatest
    7th October 2008, 15:52

    shame montreal always provided a good race full of accidents and events and the ability to throw up an odd result even if it never rained!its one of them tracks where the drivers cant afford mistakes or theyl end up in the wall. sadly tracks that provide entertainment and skill from the drivers are not up to it anymore.

    i mean who wants to see drivers risking all in a fight for victory in between concrete walls when we can see them driving on tracks the size of cornfields with run off the size of small islands with huge impressive yet empty grandstands??

    the formula 1 world championship…….18 races, not one race takes place in north america, where the only superpower in the world reamains, yet, how many races are there going to be in asia???

    might aswell call it the formula 1 european/asian championship

    i do wonder at times if f1 really thinks about what its doing, “yeah so bahrain pays more than canada for a gp, maybe no one will actually turn up to see the race, but what does that matter”

    going off subject slightly but i hate the bahrain track, to the untrained formula 1 fan eye it looks the ******* same as kuala lumpar, 2 long straights couple of slow corners couple of sweeping bends, all accompanied by sahara sized run off

    boo

  21. So there are now two races in Spain, and none in North America?

    What a joke.

  22. Why was Canada dropped? Oh, maybe something to do with Canadian Motor Clubs calling for Max’s resignation?

    Mmmm, another point to make clear, what Alonso said on Monza 2006… “the Formula one is no longer a sport…” first Argentina, Mexico, Indianapolis and now Montreal, what a pity decisions…

  23. I wouldn’t be all surprised if this only about money. Bernie Ecclestone is only concerned about his (Swiss?) bank account and not in the sports.

    No Grand Prix in North America then. That doesn’t do too well to Formula 1’s creditability as a ‘World Championship’.

  24. I loved montreal, great races have taken place there. Is it the begining of traditional tracks being kicked off the f1 calender for tedious tilke tracks in the far east. Well i wouldn’t be suprised, the poison dwarf only wants money for himself and a tedious race track which offers crap races. Canada has produced great races 1989 and 1998 for example. What has bahrain and malaysia produced.

    Shame on you Bernie!

  25. I’m seriously gutted about this. I’ve never been to a GP, and was seriously considering going to Montreal in 2009. Now if I want to attend a GP I’ll have to fly to another continent!

  26. Montreal is one of the best cities to hose F1. The fans love it, the Drivers love it. There better be a reason behind this, maybe upgrading the track and/or pit garages, but I’ve been attendind the race for the past 3 years and going to miss it dearly.

  27. Im so annnoyed
    i loved canada allways provided f1 with shocks
    when was the last time something major didnt happen in canada or some wacky result such a shame
    f1 is all about greed at the moment to many people thinking about their own pockets to care about whats really right- the racing
    if bernie wants f1 to be popular again and stop having people saying its boring or its all about money hes got a funy way of showing it
    why is he in charge anyway i think hes past his best get someone who cares about the racing an wants overtaking
    bring back canada and the us gp get rid of magny cours, bahrain(boring), hungary(worst track in f1 history), valencia (i thought they wernt aloud to have two races what about imola and nurburgring/hockenheim sharing deal)
    i thought it was spose to be world championship seems to me that its just europe/asia
    bernie might get more money for hosting a race in asia than in montreal but i bet he wont get as many tickets in those countrys or as many tv viewers
    he better have a reason for getting rid of it what about all the people in america there going to have to fly to another continent to watch a gp wasted generation of viewers

  28. First Silverstone, then Magny-Cours, and now its a reality for Montreal.
    I think this is Bernie’s subtle hint that things are going to happen his way and neither the teams, the manufacturers, the FIA or the fans can do anything about it.
    Why does he need such old fashioned, crumbling, dangerous circuits around when he’s got Singapore, Valencia, Istanbul, Bahrain and now Abu Dhabi?
    But I think its wrong of him to totally ignore North America, and who knows, maybe Brazil is on the blacklist too?

  29. Really sad and awful news. Canada leads the way with Passionate fans and a superbly run event that is nearly always sold out. All for what – an F1 theme park in the desert which will be empty.

    F1 will lose a lot of it’s soul soon if it keeps dispensing with “proper” race venues.

    The circuit was a very challenging event and one I personally looked forward to very much.

    I really look forward to rounds two and three – Bahrain and Spain – Two tracks that nearly always produce nothing worth talking about. Where as Canada created more excitement in nearly 1 lap than in those two race tracks.

  30. All – There is no point in lambasting and lamenting.End of the day its all about who coughs up Big Monies to the Small Man .

    And to be honest, safety situation at Montreal for last two years was apalling.Having said that, Bernie wouldn’t have cared less if drivers had complained about safety issues.

    Alas where on calendar will we see Drivers jumping red light at pit exit now :(

  31. Will Robert Kubica miss it?

  32. Too Good the reason we are

    lambasting and lamenting.

    is because as you quite rightly put it, it is not about benefit of the sport long term or the majority of F1 fans, more for money, which disappoints a lot of F1 fans.

  33. wtf? Why would they drop Canada and yet keep the absolute awful spain tracks?!? that no one passed on at all. FIA has lost it.

    or this is Bernie’s way of getting Canada to pay more money for the gp./

  34. That’s fine,, I’ll just go to the other North American and Central American F1 races.

    NO,, wait, I can’t do that.

    Fine, then I’ll just watch it on network television like people in the rest of the world and,,,

    No, can’t do that.

    Then I’ll watch replays on youtube and,,,

    No,, can’t do that.

    If I was an F1 sponsor I’d be HEAVILY ANGERED about my brand Euros not reaching the worldwide audience I was promised. Call your local Bernie and Max and tell them. Only you can prevent the short uber rich from angering entire continents.

  35. HounslowBusGarage
    7th October 2008, 17:13

    I thought Bernie was saying recently that he thought 20 races per season was about right. Next year there will be 18. Does that mean that one more race will suddenly appear in the four week gap between Hungary and Valencia?
    And wasn’t India going to get a race in 2009, or were they promised one for 2010?

  36. This just gets stranger. The Canadian Grand Prix organisers say they weren’t informed of the FIA’s decision to drop the race beforehand: story.

    I wonder if the FIA has unilaterally taken the decision to drop the race and not consulted Ecclestone on it.

  37. There’s something dodgy going on here….

  38. I’m suprised that in this era where racing is being lamented for not being exciting enough, the only one real race which has provided exciting racing year after year is dropped. Nice decision FIA.

    Oh well, i suppose we still have the Valencia street circuit =)

    And wow that is strange about the fact there was no notification.

  39. Way to go Bernie you arrogant pompous ***, like you don’t have enough money already. I have attended the Canadian GP for the last 3 years and it was a fantastic venue! This is nothing more than a pathetic old man proving he can do whatever he wants with the sport of F1, I hope you rot in hell Bernie!

  40. Keith, As posted by other posters, This development definitely has connection with the American Motorsports bodies not backing Spanky, in the vote of confidence. But by that logic Germany should have been off the calendar as well.

    And what about Constructors keen for “American Races” as they have sizeable market in this continent that they really care for.

  41. What’s going on here? Cancelling a successful event for no stated reason? Not telling the organizers about it? It’s like something out of the Twilight Zone. I just don’t get it.

  42. This is a scandal! Bring back the Canadian GP now. Why are the decent circuits all being modified to rubbish or dropped. Who’s starting the online petition?

  43. Canadian GP is good EVERY year. I can never remember I bad one. Why not stop the crap boring race tracks like Hungary which never produce good racing

  44. definitelly something does not smell right here … how glad I am I went to Canada for the race this year instead of waiting for the next season …

    this can’t be real … I want to believe the race will be back on the calendar next year, but with the way the calendar looks now, there does not seem to be any room for it, unless another reshuffle takes place …

  45. I just can’t believe the Montreal GP F1 has been taken out… I’m from Quebec Province and I go to the GP F1 every year since 1996.

    A huge disapointment for the Quebec Fans as well as other fans around (like Toronto, North of the US, etc.)

    Brigitte

  46. did anyone tell Bernie in advance ? would be inetresting to hear what he has to say about all this …

  47. But by that logic Germany should have been off the calendar as well.

    Patience my friends, ADAC, the German motor club is under strong attack by Max, it’s only a matter of time before the German GP is gone as well.

  48. We don’t need online petition.. lets give Max what he likes (Lots of Spanking)and that should suffice :D.
    Now for the dreadful part – We need some volunteers to see spanky’s “Back”

  49. BMW Sauber is gonna be ******!!! Now they have nowhere to have spectacular crashes and/or win races.

  50. Also ADAC controls Hockenheim and not the Nurburgring.

    Someone needs to go and kick Max’s teeth in because Montreal is one of the best tracks in the world both to race and watch! I am sure this has to do with the Canadian motor club voting against Max than anything to do with Bernie. Think about it why would Bernie want to cancel it anyway? It has nothing to do with money just an old sick ******* getting his revenge on the Candian motor club!

    Hopefully the press can blast the FIA over this as that’s the only thing left for F1 fans to be hopeful over.

  51. I have a feeling there will be major fallout from this.

  52. Great to see my favourite track go.

  53. What would it take for Mr. Eccelstone to lose his job?

  54. Scootin59 – To answer you question, Nothing. He has already sold his rights over F1 to CVC and now fleecing F1 as CVC paid employee.

    As I mentioned before, If I am organizer whose event has been recently dropped by Bernie/FIA. I will be relieved that the Mafias have left :).

    What is an emotional attachment to the fans, is just business for Bernie/FOM/FIA ( and most team owners as well)….

    Love of sport,its tradition, etc doesn’t permeate the thick skin of the parties mentioned above

  55. I know, who is to blame for it. Me!! Every race that i plan to attend bites the dust that year. Last year i vowed to attend this year’s US GP after moving closer to Indianapolis!! Then I vowed to go to Champ Car’s cleveland Grand Prix!! This year i vowed to go to the next Canadian GP. :(

  56. Ecclestone and Mosley’s time to go can’t come too soon…

  57. Canada has been one of the few races over the past couple of years to consistently produce an exciting race in the dry – and for this very reason should be one of the FIRST tracks on the calendar, not dropped off the end. Partly due to the surface, partly due to tyres not reacting as expected and mostly due to the close proximity of the walls.

    But no worries, Valencia can entertain us instead.

    BAH.

  58. Pedro, thats not going to happen, Max’s deputy quitting soon (read last para). Which mean a new puppet will take his place and Max will continue for another term under pretext help the Deputy protect interests of Motor Sports

  59. I know, who is to blame for it. Me!! Every race that i plan to attend bites the dust that year. Last year i vowed to attend this year’s US GP after moving closer to Indianapolis!! Then I vowed to go to Champ Car’s cleveland Grand Prix!! This year i vowed to go to the next Canadian GP.

    Uppili: fancy a trip to either Magny-Cours, Catalunya or the Hungaroring? Just promise me you’ll never plan to go to Spa :-D

  60. MotoGP has three races in Spain, and still manage to maintain interest all over the world with races in Europe, North America (2 of them), Middle East, Asia, and Australia. And next year even in Africa, I think I read somewhere. I don’t know where this F1 circus is heading at the moment. OK, Singapore were alright for me, but Shanghai, Hungaroring, Bahrain, Catalunya and Magny-Cours are really boring tracks that sparks no F1 passion at all. Is this the official “screw U.S.” from Bernie, or are there any hope for a world wide F1 again? I know there are different opinions about the U.S, but a motor sport series without any presence at all over there is not truly world wide.

  61. Don’t think it’s Mr M this time.

    Following my theme of commenting on the machinations of our Bernie Boy, I’ll repeat what I implied in the ‘clowns’ thread… He really is only interested in big bucks. History ? Historic Driver Associations ? Spectacular Locations ? Stunning Track designs ? Bernie’s not remotely interested. Silverstone….huh? Nurburgring Nah ! American Market Nuts ! Montreal Ditto ! Melbourne Ditto….. Get the picture.

    Time somebody from Mezzo-Giorno region sent some of da boys round… give hime somma friendly advice…maybe an offer he can’t refuse heh….. ?

  62. In the brazilian press, this fact was commented as a result of F1 cutting-costs measures, because, once the US Grand Prix was dropped, it became to expensive to head to North American for an one-off race in the middle of the European season… have you heard anything about that?

  63. In the brazilian press, this fact was commented as a result of F1 cutting-costs measures, because, once the US Grand Prix was dropped, it became to expensive to head to North American for an one-off race in the middle of the European season… have you heard anything about that?

    Certainly seems in agreement with the analysis of grandprix.com – the loss of Indy meant the two tracks couldn’t share the freight burden, and combined with the credit crunch/financial times has just made it too expensive for Canada…

    Of course, Bernie/FOM could drop the demands a bit in order to have a North American race – but they won’t.

  64. Finally, Bernie has gotten what he couldn’t get in ’06 and obviously has found a new and sordid way to line his pockets with UAE green (or gold)! By removing the Canadian GP without giving an excuse makes it quite clear to this Canadian that the FIA is a sanctimonious group of malcontents bent on making too much money and not delivering a decent product to its (North American) fans.

    RIP Gilles, a bientôt mon ami!

  65. Sucks big time. Great track, generally liked by the drivers. Oh well at least we have Valencia to take its spiritual place??? :\

    Maybe the invisible (to some) traffic lights were the nail in the coffin?

  66. Wow I am still in awe of this news, I cannot believe this happened. Damn the FIA, damn Bernie, damn Max. This is just plain BS man. I want to know what the people from Montreal think of this stupid, greedy and very sad news. They will be losing millions if not more in tourism because of this. This is an outrage!!!!!!

  67. If the teams/FIA/FOA wanted to restore a summer break, I’d vote for killing the race in Turkey instead of dropping into Canada’s slot in June.

    I guess Bernie gets to save some air freight. I’m so angry about this.

  68. To say I experienced absolute shock when I read the news on this subject today is an understatement- I had always presumed Montreal was safe, and Bernie’s comments at Spa gave me a good feeling that F1 would soon be returning to the U.S. and the North American markey was perhaps set for an F1 resurgence…..

    Now, the only question is who to blame for what I can only see as a deliberate attempt to kill off the North American market and fanbase. If Bernie really wanted to give the teams their 3-week break, he could have started or ended the season a week earlier or later. Instead, he chose to use the occasion to get rid of another GP that has been on his chopping block for some time now, and in turn demonstrate his intentions to further isolate the Canadian/American fanbase.

    As it stands now, many parties lose out. While the teams got their precious 3-week break, they must surely be furious over the complete loss of exposure in North America. The drivers get robbed of a great track that has in the last two seasons seen the maiden wins for two of the sport’s budding stars. The Montreal area now mourns along with their friends in Indy at the loss of millions in revenue that the GP broguth in. But in the end, no one loses more than the fans, as now the hundreds of millions of potential followers here in Canada and the U.S. have exactly ZERO races to attend on home soil.

    Looking ahead, I think Mexico may have a shot at getting a date, as Max has a good buddy in the FIA hierarchy who is pushing for it. But for the upper 2/3 of North America, the only other option I can see is a Vegas street race where the backers pay straight into Bernie’s pocker a la Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

    Indeed, a sad day for Formula 1.

  69. F1 is losing it’s roots,U.S. GP,France is going,now Canada,Silverstone,it is all about money!That sickens me.One of the reasons that I got passionate about F1 was its strong and interesting history.

    No North American GP….I am never going to see a live F1 race at this pace……..bite me FIA.

    BRING F1 BACK TO THE U.S.A.!!

  70. I am a stunned and disgusted as everybody here on this site at the news of the loss of the Canadian Grands Prix, and the anger expressed on here today is completely justified, however, I think it is too early to come to any conclusions.
    In the world of Bernie Ecclestone, it would suit him to have as many grands prix as possible, and a longer championship, as it would mean more money. However, I have often wondered how the teams, and drivers, have felt on this subject, and the limit to how long an F1 season should be.
    With the sudden influx of new venues since 2004, it was inevitable that certain, well established races would face the axe. Silverstone and Magny Cours are too well known examples, but Canada always appeared to be safe.
    One conclusion that I can draw from this situation, is a return in some form of an United States grands prix for 2010, which would fall within the twenty race limit, that many feel is the cutoff point.
    I was interested in reading an article recently concerning Giancarlo Fisichella’s opinion about F1 extending the calender beyond twenty races in a season.
    I was quite surprised that he was so dead against more races than twenty, saying that it would be beyond the teams and drivers capabilities to go beyond twenty races.
    That, to me atleast, is poppy cock! If this view is shared by the other drivers, and the teams, then this is indeed very interesting. They should be more concerned about what the fans want, and the sports future, than their own ends.
    The ‘off’ season for Formula One is five months. Five months is an awfully long time for the fans to go and plenty of time to add more races. Plenty of testing occurs in the summer months aswell as the winter ones, so I cannot see a problem running say 20 to 23 races a year!
    More back to back races would also help. Say pairing Australia and Malaysia or Japan and China within one week of one another. And cancelling the three week break in the summer, and adding a race inbetween.
    If certain drivers and personalities cannot handle that, then maybe they should retire now and makeway for some young buck who can!!

  71. How do the Sponsors feel about this slap in the face to North America? First Indy, now Montreal. As an avid North American fan who has attended both races, I am appalled at the snub to this market. Honda, Toyota, BMW and Mercedes will be hurt in their sales and support. If expenses were an issue, they should have ADDED America and not DROPPED Canada. This will affect my next auto purchase!

  72. A few things about this development strike me as particularly odd:

    1. There was no sign the Canadian Grand Prix’s position on the calendar was under threat when Bernie Ecclestone first proposed the 2009 calendar. No asterisk saying ‘subject to approval’, nothing.

    2. The FIA has not given any indication why the race has been dropped.

    3. The teams have been pushing for the United States Grand Prix to come back precisely because they want more exposure for F1 in North America.

    Which leads me to wonder: is this Ecclestone’s doing, or Mosley’s, or both?

    Some have pointed out that the Canadian Automobile Association signed the letter urging Mosley to resign over ‘spankgate’. Is Mosley pursuing a vendetta against them? At the same WMSC meeting the FIA annoucned it was investigating both the German motor clubs, one of which (the ADAC) also signed the letter. Who’s leading the investigation? Mosley’s close ally Alan Donnelly.

    (Incidentally, the other motor clubs that signed the letter which belong to nations which hold F1 races are JAF (Japan), CCB (Brazil), MAK (Hungary), RACC and RACE (Spain), TCB (Belgium), AAS (Singapore), FFA and FFSA (France).)

    A lot of people are criticising Ecclestone for this development. I want to know for sure he did it, and what his explanation for it is, before reaching that conclusion.

  73. I really think the manufacturers are gonna be pretty livid over this. Racing in Canada was probably the only consolation for BMW, Toyota, Ferrari, Honda, etc., after the US GP was dropped.

  74. Keith, good point. I really think Ecclestone stinks but Mosley’s stink is the most putrid in F1. He is a canker in the sport and while his vile presence is in it, F1 is doomed. I don’t think there has ever been such a malevolent presence in a sport as Mosley’s.

  75. – Wesley, as you may imagine, I fully share your anger and displeasure at this development and the others that have seen Formula 1 move away from our shores. While we all have a right to be angry, I would say to every fan in North America that the best way to keep the fire going is to keep our strong interest in the sport- otherwise, It’s just going to prove the critcs right when they say that we don’t appreciate F1.

    – Keith, I agree with everything you have written in #72. I’ve always thought that Bernie has the final say on what races stay or go, so I lumped him in there by force of habit- especially when the slot for the Canadian GP was replaced with Turkey, where Bernie has some ownership in the venue I believe. In terms of the teams, sponsors, and manufacturers wanting more of North America, I agree completely- I took the meeting at Spa as a very positive development, and would never guess that something like this would happen.

    – Uppilli, I had also considered going to Montreal this coming season, but was waiting on hearing some firm word about the U.S. in either 2009 or 2010 before doing anything, so perhaps I’ve got some of the blame to share on this one!

    Seriously, the loss of both Canada and Indianapolis dose rob fans in both countries of the chance to see a GP not only in their own country, but also in a neighboring nation. In the world that Bernie and Max live in everyone flies around the world in first class, but out here in the real world many of us can’t easily punch out the funds for a trip overseas to catch some of the F1 action, so we’re all getting cheated on this one.

  76. I agree with george k. This is the bill of Max Mosley with interest rates included for calling for his resignation. But I beleive it will be back.

  77. Why does F1 make it so hard to be a fan of F1 in North America! We just fought for our race two years ago.

  78. Looking at it from another angle, and one that has not been mentioned is could the Montreal Grand Prix have been withdrawn by the organisers?

    Considering that Normand Legault (promoter) had a contract secured until 2011 it seems a bit weird for it to be called off, surely he could sue the FIA/FOM/CVC for breaching a contract? Unless of course its on the grounds of track safety but then surely 1 year is enough to repair the track?

    According to the National Post Normand Legault will be making a statement later today.

  79. I wonder if the track has been removed due to tarmac repairs as keith speculated here:
    https://www.racefans.net/2008/06/13/canadian-grand-prix-circuit-may-change-for-2009-but-will-it-be-necessary/

    I’m also wondering if Bernie will tinker with one of the 3 week gaps if there is some kind of deadline for the repair work to be done thereby a late inclusion into the calender, might be wishful thinking on my part :(

  80. Rabi, I for sure do not have all the details but from the reports I read, the promoters and circuit staff at CGV had no idea that their race was being dropped before they heard about it through the same media channels you and I use. As such, I think we can rule out any chance that they pulled the plug on their own race- if they did, then this is one heck of a cover job!

    On the race surface, clearly there were some issues this year with it breaking up- here in the Northeast U.S. the asphalt surfaces suffer greatly from the winter cold and I would imagine it would be much worse up north in Montreal. However I would be suprised if that was the reason for today’s developments, as Bernie and Max have had plenty of time to pepper the promoters with their usual threats and barbs since the GP was held in June.

    We will see what emerges about this issue in the days and weeks ahead, and I’m sure we’ll all be watching our respective nation’s TV coverage of the entire GP weeeknd in Japan- let’s see if Peter Windsor presses Bernie on this as well as he did on the 2010 USGP rumours a few weeks back. Also, let’s see what comes out from the team bosses and directors, particurally Honda’s Nick Fry. who has been an adament defender of the North American market for some time now.

  81. Daniel #62: In the brazilian press, this fact was commented as a result of F1 cutting-costs measures, because, once the US Grand Prix was dropped, it became to expensive to head to North American for an one-off race in the middle of the European season… have you heard anything about that?

    Thats a fair point, it does seem a bit of a waste of money to go all that way for one race – but wait, couldn’t a race or two in the USA help with that? A little positive thinking from Bernie and Max might be useful here…..
    And if its too expensive to travel to Canada, is Brazil really worth it? Or even Austrailia?
    Keith, it would be good if you can track down whether this has come from Bernie, or Max, or both, or even their various opponents, before we go too far….
    And why all the gaps in the calendar? Are there going to be late announcements about India or Qatar?

  82. I don’t buy that cost-cutting theory. MotoGP can go twice to the U.S. and twice to Asia in a season. It’s all about who can build the biggest paddock. The quality of the track, the atmosphere, the tradition has nothing to do with it anymore. I see a future were F1 travels back and forth between night-races at Playstation-like tracks and temporary street circuits in Southern Europe, Middle East, and South-East Asia. No way Brazil, Australia, France, UK or Belgium will host a race in the future. Just look at it now. Two races almost at walking distance from each other on the Malacka peninusla, and none at all in North America,

  83. Grandprix.com reckons the only explanation can be that the promoter did not pay the bill.

  84. Keith,

    surely if each of us readers of F1 Fanatic throw a few quid/dollers/euros into a kitty, we can start up our own racing series with classic tracks, possible overtaking and a sensible management?

    It would be waaaaay better than what F1 is clearly becoming.

  85. This is an outrage! I’ve made up my mind now: Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA are nothing more that a bunch of old fogies who only have one thing in mind: Money, money, money! Montreal is one of my favourite F1 tracks, past and present, and I can’t help but wonder, what’s next off the calendar? Monza? Melbourne? Or, God forbid, Spa? And, is the threat of a breakaway series about to become a reality? In my view, like the tarmac at Montreal this year, F1 is crumbling and breaking up. And it’s only a matter of time before someone spins off and crashes.

    On a lighter note, I for one support ajokay’s idea of our own F1 Fanatic championship! I’d have Adelaide or Bathurst on that calendar, please! :D

  86. This decision by the FIA is absurd.

    A Vegas street race wouldn’t cut it when Bruton Smith has enough property to make his training school road course into F1-spec. They’d just build new grandstands, pit complex, and paddock areas with that track that Skip Barber uses. SMI (Bruton’s company, NYSE : TRK) has enough property to turn his club track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex (there are five tracks — full speedway oval and stadium road course, drag strip, small tarmac oval, small dirt oval, and club road course that’s over FIA minimum length). But Bernie and Bruton wouldn’t see each other well because he’d want another Neon Garage style paddock and Pit Boss (the track’s pair of dice mascot) hanging around the paddock.

    The pavement problems at Montréal are also a byproduct of last year’s NAPA Pièces d’Auto 200 presentée par Dodge, where pavement breakup became an issue headed towards the hairpin with the 1,500kg Nationwide Series saloons. The pavement was reworked after that incident. Martinsville Speedway in the 1970’s went to concrete turns to solve a similar problem with their hairpin-tight turns — the concrete lasted nearly 30 years before it started to break up.

    Sponsors aren’t happy about dropping Canada. ING has a huge investment in North America, last year buying Sharebuilder, an online discount brokerage. Santander was interested in Wachovia before the current bidding war happened and has minority interest in Sovreign Bank in Pennsylvania. RBS has a few sponsorships in the same state (Citizens Bank Park). AT&T is based in San Antonio, TX. And of course, you have Vodafone, which owns 40% of Cellco Partnership (mobile phone company with Verizon). Exxon Mobil is based in Dallas.

  87. If fly away costs to Canada are a rationale for dropping the venue, then Brazil must be next in line as well.

    I still say it’s Spanky getting back at his “enemies”.

    Time for corporate governance as opposed to Max who treats the sport as his personal play pen, sans hookers.

  88. Bobby, that’s a bunch of great info- thanks very much for the insights!! I had never considered the Skip Barber idea before now- it makes sense but if Bernie is indeed going to go to Vegas, I don;t know if he could resist the allure of trying a Valencia/Singapore-style deal with allt hsoe fancy casinos in the background. I also never knew Santander has a minority stake in Sovreign- that bank was founded by a fellow Wilkes Univeristy alum who now has his name on the business school.

    Depressing article from Grandprix.com- there are of couse many similarities to Indy, but it seems very odd that if the GP was in financial difficulties, that it would just suddenly fold up and disappear with no warning given to the promoters. I don’t know how much of a role either Bernie or Max had in the whole thing, but from what I can see the teams had been rininging Bernie’s bell on two issues recently….

    1. The importance of the North American market
    2. Keeping the 3-week break and reducing/limiting the number of races

    Putting those two factors together, Bernie probably cooked up a way to spite the teams and said “Hey, I’ll be a nice guy and give you your break back. But there’s no free lunch in my cafe, and you’re going to play by my rules, which means I put one of MY races in to replace the last obstacle to me taking F1 away from the uninterested North American market”

    At the end of the day, you’ve got two of the world’s leading industrial, political and military powers- both members of the G8 group of nations- who have both lost their GPs in successive seasons, and the entire Western hemisphere is left with one- ONE- GP!! I’m sure this wekeend in Fuji you’ll see a group of team reps- led by Nick Fry and Dr. Mario- kick down the door to Bernie’s hospitality unit and demand answers about the whole deal, but I doubt it will produce any real change now that the deal is done for 2009.

  89. As amusing as ‘Spanky’ is as a name I think ‘Der Führer’ more appropiate?

  90. I think this statement from another F1 fan sums it all up!!!!

    F1 leadership seems to be convinced that it doesn’t need North America. No drivers, no teams, and now, no races. Admittedly, with NASCAR, they are facing stiff competition. Soccer (football) seems to do just fine without a significant presence here, so the authorities may be right. Compounding things is F1’s reputation state-side…start with the Indy debacle, the perceived “elitist” attitudes, the lack of passing on track, and the shoddy treatment of Scott Speed. Those are a lot of negatives to overcome. Perhaps too many.

    Nevertheless, you’d think that the manufacturers would have a little self-interest in mind. Sure, Ferrari will sell every car they send to the US, but how about BMW and Mercedes?

    I think that we need to lean more on BMW and Mercedes in letting them know how we feel in North America. They have a web site that people have been leaving comments all day http://www.bmw.com.

  91. Ludicrous – the most watched, best attended and probably most fun stop on the tour is lifted “sans explination”.

    It’s pathetic Bernie.

    If you want a better track, then say so. If you want more money, then say so. If just don’t want the “hassle” of a trip across Atlantic, then say so. Just quit acting like a spoiled child. Seriously, grow up and start acting like a man.

  92. Gman suggested that the N Americans should keep up their interest in F1 to prove critics wrong. This I do not agree with. There is not a single race on next years calendar that comes on at a decent hour. I have to wake up early morning on Saturday and Sunday to watch a GP. Many times I have to fight away sleep because nothing happens. I say **** it. If they don’t want to race in N America why should I go out of my way to watch other GPs? I like F1 a lot but its become more of a chore than entertainment.

    I was going to pack my car next year and take a drive to the Canadian GP, this axe really makes me mad!

    One thing that wasn’t mentioned is F1 responsibility to the host nation/city. Imagine how many small businesses in Montreal rely and plan on the Canadian GP that had a valid contract to 2011. It’s outrageous for F1 to just cut a venue with no heads up! This should stir up a lot of outrage, even from parties not directly involved. Other venues need to take notice and put some pressure on Ecclestone and FIA

  93. The teams are trying to get Canada back on the schedule: story.

  94. Wow. I didn’t see that coming at all. And not happy about it.

    Might this be the impetus we need for the break away series we keep hearing about, but never actually seems to happen?

  95. Polak, you make some very good statements with your last two paragraphs, but in reference to my point, what I mean is that someday, God willing, a different attitude will prevail among those who make the decisions on what nations get GPs. I wish Bernie a long and healthy life, and hopefully the change I speak of will come in the form of him realising the importance of North America and Europe, and therefore brining some events back here- he showed a sign of that at Spa and hopefully both the Canadain and U.S. races will be back. But in any event, hopefully someday the tide will shift back to our shores- the teams and sponsors demand it, and hopefully they will get their wishes soon. When it dose, the good people who visit sites like this will be here waiting for it- very simple issue.

  96. blinking marvelous i was planning trip to see relatives over there at that time,to visit gp

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