Montreal confident about long-term F1 future

New Montreal Pit Building

(GMM) With its brand new facilities, the Canadian GP venue in Montreal looks safe for the long term.

That is the view of promoter Francois Dumontier, who played down suggestions the new pit building will not be ready for this weekend's race.

"There is no embarrassment for Montreal," he told Le Journal de Montreal newspaper.

"I cannot wait to show our new facilities to the various stakeholders of F1. They had been wanting changes for years and will be just as satisfied as the spectators."

Amid delays, a contract dispute and Montreal's harsh winter, the deadline to finish the upgrade was tight.

But Dumontier said: "I knew everything would be finished on time, and that's the case. We are ready and I am very proud of it.

"We are moving to another level. The Canadian GP is now part of the major league."

And he said that unlike many other circuits on the calendar, Montreal can feel confident about its place in F1.

"We can now think about the future," said Dumontier. "We are here for a long time. We did not do all this work to lose the grand prix in 2029.

"I think F1 needs Montreal, and vice versa. When we lost our race in 2009, everyone wanted it back the following year. And that's what happened."