Honda made the first step towards trying to reinstall Circuit Gilles Villeneuve into the 2009 schedule through racing CEO Nick Fry, who stressed the importance of increasing sport's popularity in North America.
'It is a problem that does need to be addressed. We are a global series and not to be performing in one of the major continents is a serious problem - even more so because it is a continent that is very important for the motor manufacturers who are involved in F1', stated Fry according to Autosport news.
'We need to look at the north American continent situation from a more strategic point of view and work out how we increase our popularity. I don't think you can just look at one race – you have to look at the whole situation there and put together a package which increases our appeal in North America. Then, the financial problems we have appearing at just one race in the continent, will go away', added Honda's Racing CEO.
As for the conditions in which Canada could make a quick return to Formula 1, the only viable solution seems to be getting rid of the championship's traditional summer break (also an idea coming from the teams) and reschedule the Turkish GP between July 26th and August 23rd.
Bernie Ecclestone is yet to explain the reasons that led to the Canadian Grand Prix not being programmed next year. Whether he will settle for a convenient agreement with manufacturers like Honda, Toyota or BMW – who clearly show great interest in the North American market – for Circuit Gilles Villeneuve returning to the F1 calendar, that's yet to be seen. Anyway, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
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