The Gilles-Villeneuve circuit in Montreal, Canada, will be having a minor make-over. A government grant has been given to the track to reconstruct the paddock area with work due to be completed before the Canadian Grand Prix in June.
Last year, Bernie Ecclestone said that work needed to be done to the circuit s facilities to bring it up to scratch, a view which many drivers and press delegates agreed with. The major complaint was that the area was too crowded because of the narrowness of the paddock.
“I am happy to announce that the letters are ready and that all is confirmed,†Raymond Bachard, the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism explained. “Right from the start, when I knew that Bernie Ecclestone had made a sine qua non condition of it, I took the decision: we had to give a hand to the Grand Prix. It’s the most important tourist attraction in Québec and Canada.â€
The revised paddock area will see floating platforms installed in order to increase the square footage of the area. The media centre will then be relocated, making room for a new press cafeteria. Some of the smaller generators that currently feed power to the paddock will be removed and replaced with a single, large generator, freeing up even more spave.
