F1 declines to comment on media report of Canadian GP cancellation

Formula 1 says it is not yet in a position to comment on a report that the Canadian Grand Prix has been cancelled due to COVID-19 issues in Montreal.

This year’s race has been uncertain for a number of months due to the need to push ahead with preparations on the semi-permanent Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in advance of the event. However, in the past week a number of officials stated the race could take place behind closed doors, as long as certain criteria were met.

While many of those criteria were already standard protocols adopted by F1 wherever it races at present -- including private testing, charter travel and isolated accommodation as part of its bubble approach -- the sport was requesting an exemption from the need to quarantine on arrival as it was traveling directly from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the previous weekend and so could not arrive any earlier.

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Radio-Canada now reports that the June 13 race has been cancelled as the Montreal public health court deems it too high a risk to allow race participants to enter the country from abroad without strict quarantining, but F1 will not confirm the report.

“We are continuing our discussions with the promoter in Canada and have no further comment,” an F1 spokesperson told RACER.

Should the race be cancelled, the Turkish Grand Prix is an option to be added to the calendar in its place.