The latest offer from Canada will not have been enough!

Gérald Tremblay, the mayor of Montreal, finally confirmed that the last attempt to save the Canadian Grand Prix in 2009 has failed.

Bernie Ecclestone was demanding too much, which is the reason for the end of the talks. The race was removed from the calendar on October 7th. The last offer from Canadian authorities for a rescue plan in 2009 amounted to 20 million Canadian dollars (nearly 13 million euros), but Ecclestone was demanding 175 million Canadian dollars over five years (more than 113 million euros). The Quebec government could not meet this demand…

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Tremblay revealed that the Quebec government could raise a total of 110 million Canadian dollars over five years (more than 71 million euros), along with a percentage of the race’s profits. However, the Formula 1 treasurer demanded 175 million Canadian dollars, which was simply too much for the government. The final offer of 110 million had been made on November 4, and Tremblay had insisted that it was the maximum he could do to save his beloved Grand Prix.

« We have done everything that was humanly and financially possible, » said Tremblay in the Gazette de Montréal.

I am very disappointed for the people of Montreal, for Quebec, and for Canada. The Grand Prix gave us international visibility. I am also disappointed for the Formula 1 fans.

So it remains an act of goodwill on Ecclestone’s part to see the Canadian Grand Prix on the 2009 calendar, which will be made official on December 1. With the US GP also absent next year, the future calendar will see no races in North America, a first in the history of the Formula 1 championship.