The Canadian Grand Prix was absent from the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the round should return to the calendar next year. François Dumontier, the promoter of the event, showed his confidence thanks in particular to health advances.
“I renewed my optimism thanks to vaccines and rapid screening tests” explains François Dumontier to the newspaper La Presse. “I know F1 wants spectators, and I’m confident that we will have spectators in June. Will it be the same number as usual? Hard to say. I believe 2021 will be a transitional year. “
“I’m not looking at the possibility of moving my Grand Prix to the fall, as at the moment there is a 23-race calendar and the weekends available in the fall are rather rare. The risk for us , that would be the temperature. “
“But if some countries on the calendar are not able to host a race for health reasons, we are in a better situation, and an opening is created, then yes … I will analyze it. for now, the Grand Prix is in June, and that’s what we’re working on. “
Dumontier explains that despite the crisis, Lance Stroll’s recent good results have attracted ticket orders, despite a ticket office still closed: “When the 2021 calendar came out, and when Lance got his pole, we got a lot of requests for tickets.”
“We know there is a craze, because people are going to want to leave their homes one day. So it will be somewhere in January 2021, even though I don’t have a specific date yet.”
The Grand Prix of Canada works in any case with the health authorities for the holding of the event. Despite criticisms made at the time of the cancellation of the Grand Prix, Dumontier has full confidence.
“The relationship is good. As much as I said in July, when the race was canceled, that they (the Directorate of Public Health) had not read our plan, an impression that turned out, because they confirmed to me that they had not read it, since then the communication channel is open. “
And this collaboration should encourage the coming of the public: “So I submitted my new sanitary protocol, they commented on it, modified it, so on that it is going well. I am confident that there will be spectators in 2021, so we will be called upon to work together. “
This optimism also leads to another positive scenario, that of public reception. According to the promoter, the circuit of Montreal, partially urban, will be able to receive spectators. On the other hand, there is no question of taking risks: the gauge will be significantly reduced.
“It won’t be any different as an experience for the spectators, but everything will be on a smaller scale. Here is an example of a scenario that we are considering: would the 2021 Canadian Grand Prix be reserved exclusively for Canadians? the kind of script I work on every day. It’s one of those. “
“I see a Canadian Grand Prix with spectators, and even with reduced numbers. We are working on it. I clearly explained to Public Health that even if our event is in June, we are starting to set up the stands in March. The Grand Prix is a great showcase for Montreal, and if there is an economic stimulus to do, I think it goes through the holding of the Grand Prix, among other things. “
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