JUNE 5, 2018

Canada GP not worried about Miami

Canadian GP promoter Francois Dumontier says he is not concerned that Miami looks set to join the F1 calendar next year.

Canadian GP promoter Francois Dumontier says he is not concerned that Miami looks set to join the F1 calendar next year.

F1 chief executive Chase Carey said: "We have never hidden that we want to develop F1 in the United States and eventually we would like several races there.

"We also believe there is growth potential in China."

Following criticism of the recent Monaco grand prix, Carey insisted that races like the one in the Principality are "the foundation" of the sport.

"As far as I am concerned, Europe will always be the basis of the world championship calendar," he is quoted by La Presse.

"But we must also ensure the profitability of F1 and we cannot neglect the United States and China, the two largest markets in the world."

The arrival of Miami, however, might make Montreal's Dumontier nervous about too many local races diluting interest.

But he said: "It would be different if F1 landed in my yard, in New York for example, because then we'd be competing for the same Northeast market. But we're talking about Miami and the West Coast."

New York is on Liberty Media's wish-list for the future, but Carey at least said he doesn't want to push out the calendar beyond March-November.

"The season is very busy from March to November and we certainly do not want to extend it," Carey said. "However, there are ways to organise things differently so that the teams do not have a surplus of work to do."

(GMM)