After a blast of a race at the Circuit dé Barcelona-Catalunya where Mercedes emerged as a new force in contention for the World Championship, fans are eager to see more such performances from the Silver Arrows. While the first five races of the 2023 Formula One season did not turn out to be as Mercedes had predicted, their customer team Aston Martin took full advantage of the situation and climbed to the second spot on the Constructors’ Standings, thanks to their star driver Fernando Alonso’s brilliant skills. And completely overshadowed by Nando’s performance is the scion of the Aston Martin Racing Team, Lance Stroll.
Lance, who is the only son of AMR owner Lawrence Stroll, has had a difficult time in F1 lately. Fans have pointed out time and again that the Canadian’s poor results are dragging their team down even though Fernando is trying his best to excel at every opportunity. At the Monaco GP, Lance Stroll crashed and had to retire from the race with zero points to his name while Fernando Alonso got the P2 finish. Thus, Lance Stroll is now desperately in need of a chance to prove his worth, and what better way to do it than getting a podium at his home race, the Canadian GP, slated to take place in two weeks’ time.
But as luck would have it, Lance Stroll’s home race might be cancelled from this year’s F1 calendar altogether. Recent reports have suggested that the Canadian Grand Prix is now at risk due to a natural disaster after the Imola tragedy caused Ferrari’s home race to get scrapped. In the northwestern part of Quebec, one of the largest provinces in Canada, dangerous wildfires have made the entire area covered in a thick layer of smog, compromising visibility.
As Montreal, home to the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit, is a part of Quebec, smog warnings and air quality alerts have been issued there as well. Amidst these conditions, organizing an F1 race is a near-impossible task, and thus the Canadian GP might be cancelled.
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Deteriorating air qualities in Montreal can cause a health hazard amongst the F1 personnel
Canadian weather agency ‘Environment Canada’ is concerned about the particulate matter and smog that are currently causing the air quality in northwestern Quebec to deteriorate. The agency’s statement official statement on this threat mentioned, “Smog especially affects asthmatic children and people with respiratory ailments or heart disease. It is therefore recommended that these individuals avoid intense physical activity outdoors until the smog warning is lifted.”
Earlier this season, the Imola GP saw a sudden cancellation due to the floods which endangered the lives of the local people there. In fact, AlphaTauri’s headquarters in Faenza faced the brunt of the destruction, with their recruit Yuki Tsunoda helping the crew clean up after the natural disaster. Now, it remains to be seen whether the authorities governing the Canadian GP will be able to hold the race despite the weather conditions or Lance Stroll’s home race will be cancelled as well.
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