By Adam Tate, Associate Editor
The Russian and Canadian Grands Prix have signed contract extensions prolonging deals already in place.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dimitry Kozak broke the news to Russia’s state news agency Tass that the Sochi race now has a contract in place through 2025. It is a five year extension of the original deal that ran from 2014, when the Winter Olympics were held at some of the same facilities, through the year 2020.
Canada too has announced a contract extension, an even longer one that will see Montreal and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve host the race through 2029. A chief tenet of the new contract is that the organizers update the paddock and garage area before the 2019 race. Something that had been a sticking point in negotiations between the organizers and Bernie Ecclestone, but has since been smoothed over by Liberty Media.
Some improvements at the circuit are already planned for 2017, including an expansion of the turn 1 grandstands as ticket sales are surging due to rookie Lance Stroll’s popularity. He will be the first Canadian to race in F1 on home soil since Jacques Villeneuve took to the track named after his father for the last time in 2006.
