Everyone I know was delighted to hear last Friday’s news that the Canadian Grand Prix will return to Montréal’s le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2010. A five-year contract has been agreed thanks to a combined annual investment of CDN$15 million. The Government of Canada and Tourism Montréal will both contribute CDN$5m, while the Government of Quebec will pay CDN$4m per year and the City of Montréal will add a further CDN$1m to the annual pot. In return, the four partners will receive 30 per cent of the revenue from ticket sales.
The Canadian GP delivers more economic impact to the country’s tourist industry than any other sporting event. The race produces CDN$89m in annual income to businesses in the city of Montréal and the province of Quebec, including 75,000 overnight hotel stays. One quarter of the race’s 300,000 spectators come from outside Quebec.
Since its debut in 1978, the GP has run every year save 1987 and last year, both times because the race promoters were unable to make a deal with Bernie Ecclestone. Now the national, provincial and city governments have stepped up to underwrite the costs to help safeguard the race’s future. There’s no other venue in Canada capable of hosting or bankrolling a modern Grand Prix, so we can only hope the next five years prove profitable for all concerned.
With Canada back on the Formula 1 calendar, what chance that the United States will follow? The financial aspects of the equation are much more difficult in the USA because there’s zero possibility of the federal or any state governments putting up a dime to support a race. Ecclestone’s financial demands will have to be met entirely by commercial support and that will not be easy to find in a country where F1 is such a marginal sport, with relatively tiny fan interest and negligible media coverage.
I’ve reported a few times in this space that Long Beach GP founder Chris Pook has been working hard to create a new United States GP. Pook refuses to reveal any details about the venue other than admitting that it’s in California. In recent years, Chris has become a successful property developer and it’s believed his latest F1 site will be part of a new development somewhere in the Golden State.
This week Pook (below) confirmed that he’s getting close to a deal with Ecclestone. “We continue to make progress towards a 2011 date pursuant to Mr Ecclestone’s instructions,” he said.
With so many competing forms of motor sport in America, from NASCAR to Indycars, ALMS, Grand-Am and NHRA drag racing, there are no race tracks or street circuits that could begin to pay for an F1 race. And with much more conservative management replacing Tony George in control of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there’s equally little likelihood of F1 returning to the Hoosier State.
It’s down to Pook to make it happen in California. Let’s hope he can pull it off.
all I can say is the US is a huge country and a race in California does not interest me as much as one east of the Mississippi River for logistic and personal financial reasons. Looks like I’ll be going to Montreal.
i’m getting rather disgusted at the amount of money circuits are being browbeaten into paying just to host a motor race these days. This isn’t a ‘real’ cost such as building grandstands, improving safety standards or developing local infrastructure it’s just an arbitrary (and ever increasing) number pulled out of the air by bernie to satisfy his insatiable greed.
The older i get the more i wish the business of F1 would die and let the fans enjoy the sport again.
Great to see canada back though and great to see venues other than the mickey mouse track-in-a-golf-course at indianapolis are being considered for USA.
I would love for F1 to come back to the US… However, I don’t want it if it is some street circuit garbage…. No more Detroit, Dallas, and Vegas parking lot, street races… that was garbage racing. Indy is the bets site period… it is a boring track but built for racing and has the proper facilities.
We are very happy to have Montreal back. Usually a good race with happy results. Nice venue, great city and affordable by F1 standards.
The US issue is harder ground to plow. Economically they are mired.
Date should on the heels of Canada to do both in one trip.
Indy, if better than I thought as a site, stil lousy racing often and frankly F1 anti-cultural.
Laguna Seca tweaked a bit, seems ideal, but very far way from Montreal, logistics sticky.
Phoenix, never more, appalling.Vegas, a freak show, there is a better America.
Elkhart Lake. Lovely venue and great race track. The Americanization of Brands Hatch if you will. Population centres none too near, and it may be too quaint.
Long Beach redux then, eh?
Be wonderful, great media, population hub. Queen Mary and a legit legacy, more so than Abu Dhabi, Bahrain or any other Tilke doodle. Date is the issue, March worked very well.
Can’t judge how any US venue works based on Indy car events. We have an Indy car race here, a popular event. The racing is “paint drying on a wall” boring. I don’t know if there was a single pass last year. Life long fans were muttering “never again” to the exits.
Spec series at the top levels are rubbish, need the individuality aspect.
Very happy to see Canada back on the schedule where it belongs. One note though – the 300 000 spectators are actually 100 000 counted for three days.
Fantastic about Canada. Have been many times and enjoy the race, the city, everything about it. The US needs a race, most likely in CA. Bernie should have never screwed up Long Beach, but that’s a whole other story. Southern CA makes the most sense for many reasons.
HOWEVER, it is simply wrong for Bernie & Co. to take such gigantic piles of money from promoters, states, countries, whatever. Contrary to his current beliefs, money does not count for everything. Somewhere, sport must have some value.
It’s great to have Montreal back in the F1 calender. I wish Chris Pook all the best for a Californien F1 race hopefully sooooooon, I’ll be there !
The Canadian Grand Prix was first run at Mosport Park in 1967.(I was there). It was moved to Montreal in 1978. Just a small point.
Me too, Gary. I was fortunate to attend all the pre-Montreal Canadian GPs at Mosport and St. Jovite. I always remember Jim Clark coming out to practice at Mosport in the green & yellow Lotus 49. The race was run in pouring rain. The Canadian GP ran at St. Jovite in 1968 and ’70 and at Mosport otherwise, ’til ’78 & Gilles’s historic win. Actually, the Canadian GP originally was a Group 7/Can-Am-type sports car race at Mosport starting in the fall of 1961 through 1965 and was a round of the first Can-Am series in ’66 so the race is approaching its 50th anniversary.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Ecclestone could publicly admit, just for once, that he’s made a total mess of the US GP ever since he dropped Watkins Glen and Long Beach, and that the reason he’s been so dismissive of the need to be America is because he’s embarrassed at his lack of success there?
Nah…
Even though it’s been explained many times about the corrupt management that prevailed in 1980 there, I will never understand for the life of me why the F1 circus since 1980 has gone to countless places with less to offer than Watkins Glen and the Finger Lakes area. Remember TI? How about Detroit? Are there really that many five-star hotels near the Istanbul circuit? Was the Mexico City experience any better than upstate NY?
I went to the last 4 GPs at he Glen……they were all great events. I thought the ‘bookends’ at Long Beach and the Glen would last a long time…..but Bernie’s need for lots of money to satisfy CVC take us all over the third world now to nations with too much cash and a desperation for exposure. Matters not that the stands are empty…..
Personally, I think Bernie should just do a deal with either Watkin Glens or Road America, It would sell out quickly.
Going to a new venue in California does not interest me unless it is Long Beach with the Linden Avenue drop…
Gordon and I were in our prime when we watched Moss, Bonnier, Gendebien and a fine line up of North American drivers at the First Canadian GP at Mosport.June 1961
Prior to that in 1957 we watched the first US Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen where the few Grand Prix cars were augmented with midgets driven by the likes of LLoyd Ruby, AJ and Co. The race was run in the rain and it was my introduction into a great life of Motorsport…….That was indeed an inocent time. I hope Gordon and I can watch a few more races including a US Grand prix with an American driver at the sharp end.
Actually, the attendance has been over 100K for each day at the track for the past years. Its is one of the best attended races on the calendar!
So pleased to see Montreal back on the calendar. Two friends and I will attend for sure.
In re. a possible US F-1 race, forget about Indy. The infield “golf course” section was completely disadvantaged by an utter lack of any grandstand seating!