MIAMI | “It’s rare that I can attend a Grand Prix in three hours of flight. And François Dumontier displays a big smile. Sure he is impressed by the facilities of the Miami Grand Prix.
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Everything is new, everything is big. But he also knows that the Montreal Grand Prix is of a different caliber. A history dating back to 1967, a European F1 tradition, an extremely challenging track, a vibrant city five minutes away…
Potholes camouflaged in flowerpots…
And then, François Dumontier does not see the Miami Grand Prix as a competition. On the contrary: “I have often deplored the fact that the Montreal Grand Prix was the only one in America. Next year, America will be entitled to four races. Miami, Montreal, Austin and Las Vegas. These are four markets which do not compete with each other, but which will contribute to talking about Formula 1 for many months”, explains Dumontier.
Indeed, it is easier to send columnists and journalists to Miami than to Spain. And Quebecers recognize themselves in the turquoise extravagance of Miami.
KEEP THE NOBILITY
Still, there are many veteran European journalists who fear that a certain nobility in Formula 1 will disappear. NASCAR is big beer, F1 is champagne.
Not so obvious, replies Dumontier: “The people at Liberty Media have done a colossal job from their offices in London. And the new chairman, Stefano Domenicali is a former Ferrari and was chairman of Lamborghini when he accepted Liberty’s offer to preside over the destiny of Formula 1. With him, we are certain that the highest standards will be protected. , he said.
Besides, Carey Chase, his mustachioed predecessor, made some important decisions. Bernie Ecclestone could not have done better. F1 has traveled to many countries with a very tight COVID protocol. If Montreal was canceled, the rest of the world continued to vibrate for races presented in exceptional conditions.
THE NETFLIX EFFECT
All tickets are sold in Miami. Same thing in Montreal. Moreover, in Montreal it was necessary to add sections to accommodate thousands of additional spectators. And Formula 1 has never been so popular among women and young adults. Perhaps the Netflix effect?
“No doubt, underlines Dumontier. This one, I didn’t see coming. Our internal polls during ticket sales coincide with polls from other promoters around the world. The Netflix effect is estimated at 30%. Especially in women and young adults. The fact of having access behind the scenes and sometimes to the personal lives of the pilots has caused incredible enthusiasm. It’s become that we ask for a parade of the team managers because the fans got to know them by Drive to Survive “says Dumontier. And he adds with a smile: “And this documentary series, I am convinced that Bernie Ecclestone would never have authorized it. Liberty Media executives understood that Netflix would promote the sport and contribute to greater popularity. It is beyond our expectations,” he said.
“It’s F1, it’s our sport that has grown the most in the world. We are living in fabulous times, and Montreal is benefiting from it like the others,” he said.
FROM OWNER TO PRESIDENT
It seems cruel that François Dumontier finds himself president and general manager of a growing Grand Prix when he was the owner before the pandemic. During his last presentation in June 2019, when the Netflix effect had not yet been felt, the promoter was called François Dumontier. Not Bell Canada. Then the health emergency was imposed. Two years.
He only flinches for a few seconds. And seems to remain calm: “I was the promoter since 2010. With good years and difficult years. With very tough conflicts and negotiations. I think I had reached a limit as an entrepreneur, I needed a major partner. Bell’s offer has arrived. But I say it without embarrassment. I work as before, as if it were my Grand Prix, as if I were still the owner. I devote the same passion to my work, the same enthusiasm. I know that I have free rein and that I can make the decisions.
“When I started with Normand Legault, I was excited and I gave it my all. It hasn’t changed. And then, it will be three years since we presented a Grand Prix in Montreal. I am feverish. I can’t wait and I know that we are going to be up to it, ”he continues.
RESILIENCE
But all the same, letting go of a company that you have carried at arm’s length, it must be heartbreaking. Otherwise the guts. At some point, you have to sign the damn contracts. And after the last signing, it’s over. Nope ?
“I discovered something important about myself during those difficult years. I learned that I was a resilient person. Able to take the hits and keep going. When things got too loud, I went to see Jacques Ménard at his Lac Écho residence and he listened to me. He comforted me and reassured me. He kept telling me that I was strong and that I would get through it,” recalls Dumontier with a gleam in his eye. Pride or sadness, impossible to say…
But the memory must still be alive. The interview took place on Friday, May 6. Without my even asking the question, Dumontier smiled: “I’m thinking about it. I sold the Grand Prix exactly one year ago today. May 6, 2021”.
LAFLEUR MORE THAN VILLENEUVE
François Dumontier is still very young. He is of the age of the Canadian Grand Prix. 55 years. He was therefore 15 when Gilles Villeneuve killed himself in Zolder. He remembers?
” Yes of course. But I was not in motorsport. My idol was Guy Lafleur. But afterwards, I realized everything Gilles had done for motorsport. Not just in Montreal, in everyone. Then we must not forget that he gave us a son, Jacques, who realized his father’s dream. He became world champion. There is a succession that cannot be forgotten. It’s moving,” says Dumontier.
He says these words as he prepares to leave the air conditioning for the furnace. It is almost 38°C in Miami. In six weeks, it should be good and just very warm on Île Notre-Dame. He has a joke: “It will be less hot at home. We come home after three years. I am as excited as at my first Grand Prix”.
The rest of us too…
Valerie Plant at Miami
Photo courtesy, Sandrine Garneau
François Dumontier all smiles in front of the “false marina” set up on the edge of the Miami GP circuit.
Valérie Plante spent a few days in Miami to take part in discussions on public transit and urban densification.
Before Miami, the mayor agreed with the REM project. This is what she would have informed the leaders of the Caisse de depot. In any case, that’s what the president said.
After Miami, after her return to Montreal, she had taken off her flight jacket and flushed out the project.
What was said during these meetings? What did she see in Miami?
You can get an idea by reading an interview given by the smiling mayor to Denise Dumont in The Florida Sun.
To quickly sum up, two words: Nikita Khrushchev.
Khrushchev, not Kucherov.
IN THE NOTEBOOK
It’s funny to meet a financial adviser from Laval at the head of the Canada-Florida Chamber of Commerce. But his name is Éric P. Tremblay. And the P must be for Tremblay Picotte. Me, it’s Tremblay Cornette.