2009 Canadian GP dropped

(GMM) The Canadian grand prix, staged at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal since the late 70s, has been left off the latest F1 calendar.

After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on Tuesday, the sport's governing body issued an amended 18-race calendar, omitting the race previously scheduled for 7 June.

Instead, the Turkish grand prix has been moved from 9 August to June, creating an August summer break.

Another significant development to come from the Extraordinary meeting is to allow "teams to equalize engine performance across the field for 2009, pending the introduction of cost-saving measures from 2010".

Meanwhile, in the FIA's row with the German racing federation ADAC, the FIA vowed to ensure that the associated authority DMSB "is truly independent of the ACAC and capable of running the sporting power in the country".

FIA president Max Mosley was also given authority to negotiate with the F1 teams' alliance FOTA and introduce "radical measures to achieve a substantial reduction of costs in the championship from 2010".

And in a Formula Two development, the top three drivers in the new low-cost feeder series "will qualify for an FIA Superlicence", the Paris based body said in a statement.