The Canadian Grand Prix is just over a week away, which will take place on June 18th in Montreal, on the track named after Gilles Villeneuve. However,, The forest fires that broke out in Quebec have put cities in the region in difficulty, including Montreal itself, where the sky was covered in smoke so much as to create a permanent pall that dyed the sky red. A disturbing scenario but one that worries above all for the air quality for citizens. Local authorities have begun to take the first measures, recommending residents not to go out and to use respirators. If the situation does not improve, Formula 1 could therefore risk another very heavy outing in the calendar, after the China, and Imola.
Fires out of control
The fire season already seems to be out of control in Canada where around 414 have been recorded. More than 226 thousand hectares of territory have been destroyed. Of these, 239 are out of control and many concern the region of Quebec. The smoke from the 150 forest fires active in the region in the last two weeks has reached the cities and as of Tuesday the situation is truly complex. Local authorities have issued high-risk air quality warnings for millions of people, the BBC reported. “The high concentrations of fine particulate matter caused by the forest fires in Quebec will lead to poor air quality in many areas,” explained the meteorological agency Environment Canada.
More than 10 inhabitants would already be forced to leave their homes due to the 113 out-of-control fires. A situation that Prime Minister François Legault defined as "extremely difficult"With fires, in particular the one around Rivière Moisie which require time (we are talking about weeks) and resources to put out.
Air quality is at the alert level throughout the East Coast, including in the United States. The wind blew the smoke up New York. The city is surrounded by thick reddish smoke, and it is difficult to distinguish the many skyscrapers that make up the city. But the alerts also continue in other states such as New England, Illinois, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Minnesota.
Grand Prix at risk?
Il Canadian GP is back on the calendar in 2022 after two years of absence due to the pandemic. However, the race weekend comes at one of the worst for the country, embroiled in the many fires that are making the cities around Montreal literally hell. Canceling another race would mean a huge loss for the organizers but the priority is people's health. If Imola has taught us one thing, it is that man can do little in the face of the unstoppable fury of nature but he can do so much for people, helping them, protecting them. In the case of Imola and Emilia Romagna, Formula 1 was a good example, as were the drivers, teams and volunteers who did everything they could to help.
Again, people's health is extremely important. Formula 1 has not yet released any statement regarding the situation in Canada, but is certainly monitoring it. If the air quality does not improve in the coming days, the organization could be forced to make another difficult decision which would further reduce the races on the calendar. As with China, for Imola, it is difficult to think of a replacement race or a postponement.
In the absence of press releases, the uncertainty surrounding the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix is therefore increasing waiting to have a clearer picture - and above all a sky - on the current situation around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Source statements: FormulaPassion
