Montreal mayor Denis Coderre has confirmed that the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix will take place at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, following a period of uncertainty around the popular event.
Although the race featured on the 2017 provisional calendar released by the FIA a couple of months ago, it was listed as ‘subject to confirmation’ along with the German and Brazilian Grands Prix.
Coderre tweeted on Tuesday that “[we have] an agreement in principle with FOWC [Formula One World Championship] and Octane [the race organisers].
“There will be a Grand Prix of Canada in 2017.”
Entente de principe avec FOWC et Octane. Il y aura Grand Prix du Canada en 2017. À suivre
— DenisCoderre (@DenisCoderre) 22 novembre 2016
Octane Racing Group president and CEO François Dumontier has also confirmed the news in a statement.
“Montréal and Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve produce one of the most exciting Grands Prix of the season,” he said. “In 2017, everyone will have even more good reasons to be there since we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
“Not only it will be an anniversary year for our event, we will have the great pleasure to see on track for the first time this very talented young Canadian driver who is Lance Stroll.
“We are pleased to offer fans an opportunity to come in large numbers and be part of this great tradition, a Formula 1 race that happens to be always very exciting and that has written history so often over the years.”
Canada will have a representative in F1 for the first time since 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve left the sport in 2006, as 2015 European Formula 3 champion Stroll prepares to make his series debut with Williams next year.
The final 2017 F1 calendar is set to be confirmed at the next meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.
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