FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Canada GP promoter says no animosity with Liberty

Canada GP promoter Francois Dumontier insists there is "no animosity" between the Montreal race and F1 owner Liberty Media.

Start, Canadian GP 2018
© RV Press

Canada GP promoter Francois Dumontier insists there is "no animosity" between the Montreal race and F1 owner Liberty Media.

That is despite the fact that the majority of the promoters like Dumontier recently signed a letter condemning Liberty's current management of the sport.

Not just that, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt has revealed a dispute between Dumontier and Liberty over differing official spectator numbers for the 2017 and 2018 events in Canada.

Writing in Forbes, Sylt said Dumontier did not respond to a request to comment.

But on the issue of the Liberty versus Formula One Promoters' Association dispute, Dumontier played down that controversy.

"There is no animosity between F1 and its promoters," he told Le Journal de Montreal.

"The discussions were frank, with everyone having their position."

Dumontier was commenting after the Liberty-owned Formula One Management and FIA officials visited the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to check on progress of the track improvements for 2019.

"These people did not hide their satisfaction," he said.

"They were impressed by the progress of the work despite the rigors of our climate."

(GMM)