The Canadian GP disappears from the 2009 calendar!

The Canadian Grand Prix has been removed from the 2009 Formula 1 calendar, leaving North America without a Grand Prix next season.

The FIA announced on Tuesday the decision of the World Motor Sport Council to remove the Montreal race. It will be absent from a Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 1987.

The board of directors confirmed the presence of 18 Grand Prix on the calendar, with the traditional summer break added thanks to the rescheduling of the Turkish Grand Prix, initially planned for August but moved to June.

It was also decided to give Max Mosley, president of the FIA, the authority to introduce radical measures to achieve a substantial reduction in costs in the championship starting in 2010.

According to an FIA statement: « In the absence of an agreement with FOTA, the FIA will implement the necessary measures to achieve this objective. »

It was also unanimously agreed to allow Formula 1 teams to equalize engine performance for 2009, pending the implementation of cost reduction measures starting in 2010.

The 2009 F1 calendar:

Australian Grand Prix on March 29

Malaysian Grand Prix on April 5

Bahrain Grand Prix on April 19

Spanish Grand Prix on May 10

Monaco Grand Prix on May 24th

Turkish Grand Prix on June 7

British Grand Prix on June 21

French Grand Prix on June 28

German Grand Prix on July 12

Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26

European Grand Prix (Valencia) on August 23

Belgian Grand Prix on August 30

Italian Grand Prix on September 13

Singapore Grand Prix on September 27

Japanese Grand Prix on October 11

Chinese Grand Prix on October 18

Brazilian Grand Prix on November 1st

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 15