Canadian GP at "no risk" from Quebec wildfires, says F1
Formula 1 says there is no danger of the Canadian Grand Prix being cancelled because of intense smoke caused by wildfires.
The region of Quebec in which Montreal sits is experiencing its worst fire season on record, with more than 150 blazes having been reported.
Smoke from the fires has been drifting south across Canada and into the United States, with New York, in particular, being engulfed amid growing health concerns over the toxic air.
Tens of millions of people in the US are currently under air quality alerts, with many cities covered by a murky brown haze. Citizens have been advised to restrict outdoor activities, and anti-pollution masks are being distributed in some areas.
The situation has prompted worries that a change of wind direction could impact Montreal, which is due to hold the Canadian GP next weekend.
However, following discussions between race organisers, local government officials and the F1 Incident Management Group this week, no concerns have emerged about the event being impacted.
An F1 spokesman said on Thursday: "The event is not at risk, and we have been assured by all the relevant information that the situation in Montreal at this time is different to other parts of the country and northern US. The risk remains low and air quality is good in Montreal."
The wildfires are around 800 kilometres from Montreal, and have had some impact on the city in recent days.
A view of the bridge and city skyline from a grandstand
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
But while air quality in the city dipped earlier this week, it did not reach a level where residents were advised to stay indoors or restrict movements outside.
And while the situation for the American cities in the path of the smoke has deteriorated over the past 24 hours, Montreal's air quality has returned to more normal levels.
Early forecasts for next week suggest that the wind direction will continue to move the smoke away from Montreal, with rainfall also anticipated to further quell the spread.
The situation in Canada comes just a few weeks after F1 was forced to cancel the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix because of flooding in the local region.
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