Canada Grand Prix Needs Revamp says Ecclestone

May 10, 2012

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned Canadian Grand Prix organisers that major construction needs to take place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve or risk losing the race.

The racetrack will host a F1 race until 2014 after a new deal was made after it was left out of the 2008 calendar.

One of the logistical problems of hosting the race on the man-made island is a lack of space – each year floating platforms are brought onto the St Lawrence River to extend the paddock.

Reports in Canada suggest that around £9.3million will need to be spent on giving the circuit a face-lift if they are to have a chance of retaining the race, cheap with pressure coming from state-of-art venues in the Middle-East.

“It is important to note that there are two years to run on the current contract with Formula 1 Management,” race promoter François Dumontier told Canadian newspaper La Presse.

“Given the fact that permanent structures at the circuit, such as the control tower and garages, are nearly 25 years old, it is likely that the rebuilding of these will be an important element in negotiations for an extension to the current agreement.”