Time 'tight' to deliver new pits for Canada GP

Dec.29 - The City of Montreal has acknowledged that time is tight to deliver the promised new pit and paddock complex for the Canadian grand prix.

The race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is promoted privately by a company called Octane, but a new ten-year contract signed with F1 last year required the City to fund new garages for the teams at the ageing facility.

Montreal promised the delivery of the work by 2017, but the president of the city's executive committee, Pierre Desrochers, admitted that time is "tight".

"For sure the schedule is tight, but we have always worked according to this target," he told the Quebec newspaper La Presse.

"At this stage, it is our goal to do so. We work with partners and the level of discussion is good.

"We all know that as the days move forward, there are deadlines to meet," Desrochers added.

Asked if Montreal will have to compensate F1 if the work is not delivered in time, he answered: "We are not there yet."

Francois Cartier, communications chief for the F1 site venue SPJD, explained: "We are still in the design and implementation phase of the paddocks.

"Discussions are ongoing with partners about the needs and the ability to meet all of these needs."

The report speculated that talks with F1 chiefs have revealed a funding deficit, with Montreal having pledged a maximum of $32.6 million for the new complex.

"It is clear that there is an envelope of $32.6 million, but we will see how it will end," Desrochers said.

Canadian grand prix promoter Octane did not comment.

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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