Promoter claims Canada GP health plan 'was not even read'

Jul.27 (GMM) The promoter of the Canadian GP has hit out at local authorities for not supporting his push to bring Formula 1 to Montreal amid the corona crisis.

After F1 announced that all races on the American continent – the US, Canada and Mexico – have been scrapped for this year, Francois Dumontier called it a “missed opportunity” for Montreal.

“What I find unfortunate is that we worked for weeks to flesh out a plan, after consulting with American and European organisations, but we did not receive any local support,” he told La Presse.

“What I really regret is that as of today, no one called me back to tell me that the plan was good or not, or to make any recommendations or not,” Dumontier added.

He also told Le Journal de Montreal that the “very comprehensive health plan” was jointly compiled with Formula 1 and the FIA and tipped the scales at 100 pages.

“I don’t want to blame anyone in particular, but I think our plan was not even read. I had no feedback from public health. No one called us back,” said Dumontier.

He said Montreal desperately needs a boost amid the pandemic, making the “missed opportunity” of a Formula 1 race hurt even more.

“There are no activities in downtown Montreal, the hotels are practically empty,” he said. “I believe a race in October could have put us back on the map.”

Dumontier is now hoping Montreal will resume its place on the 2021 calendar with a June date.

“I hope the situation will improve with a vaccine or a drug,” he said. “Yes, it’s for 2021, but everyone will have to work together.

“If the borders remain closed for a year, we would be in the same situation and that is not what we want.”

Reports suggest organisers in Brazil are furious with F1 for cancelling their race, but Dumontier said the sport needed the plans for all three American races to come together.

“It was not worth it for F1 to come to this side of the Atlantic for just one race,” he said.