With wildfires continuing to rage in Canada, and the smoke billowing down into the United States, Formula 1 officials are seeking to ease fears regarding next week’s Canadian Grand Prix.
F1 eases fears over the Canadian Grand Prix as wildfires rage in Canada
With wildfires raging in Canada, F1 believes the Canadian Grand Prix can go ahead as scheduled next week
Photo by Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Smoky conditions and deteriorating air quality led to the cancellation of numerous sporting events along the East Coast in recent days, with Major League Baseball cancelling games in New York City and Philadelphia. However, with the Canadian Grand Prix slated for next weekend in Montreal, F1 officials are looking to tamp down concern that the event would need to be canceled.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, officials believe that the Canadian GP can go ahead as scheduled. An F1 spokesperson told The Daily Mail that the event is not yet at risk. In addition, air quality in the area remains good. “We have been assured by all the relevant information that the situation in Montreal at this time is different to other parts of the country and northern US, the risk remains low and air quality is good in Montreal,” a spokesperson told The Daily Mail.
Current data supports that position. As of Thursday morning, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Montreal was 16, placing the city in the “Good” range and well below other cities in Canada, and in the eastern United States.
And while the wind currents are somewhat difficult to predict, forecasters are calling for both rain and cooler temperatures to come into Canada this weekend, which should ease conditions further.
That will be welcome news for the country and the region, as Canada has been battling a massive number of wildfires in recent weeks.
F1 has already seen two races canceled this season, a year which was supposed to be the sport’s most ambitious yet. When the F1 schedule was announced last year it contained 24 races, the most in F1 history.
However, ongoing COVID restrictions forced the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, which was slated to take place in mid-April. Then, flooding conditions in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy led to the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which was scheduled for May 21.
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