After 15 years behind the wheel, the president and CEO of the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix, François Dumontier, announces that he is stepping down.
Mr. Dumontier was also at the helm of the Octane Racing Group, the promoting body of the Grand Prix.
“I am handing over the management of an event that is in very good financial health and more popular than ever,” he wrote in an open letter sent to the media, which did not explain the reasons for his departure.
Jean-Philippe Paradis will now assume leadership of the Octane Racing Group, in addition to his role as Vice-President at Bell Media. He has worked with the Octane Racing Group for the past two years to organize and promote the Grand Prix du Canada.
“I am honored to be named President and CEO of Octane Racing Group,” Paradis said in a statement. “I am very excited to lead this great team.”
“I would like to thank François Dumontier for his leadership: his impact on Canadian motorsport is immense.”
As for Sandrine Garneau, currently General Manager, Brand and Strategy at the Octane Group, she will be promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer, Brand and Strategy, effective today. Garneau has been part of the Octane team since 2014. At the beginning of her career, she was the Communications and Marketing Coordinator.
François Dumontier took over the summer event in 2009, a few months after the Grand Prix was cancelled due to a falling out with Formula 1 management. He succeeded Normand Legault, whose right-hand man he was for many years. He began his career in 1985 at the Société de l’île Notre-Dame, the predecessor to the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau. In total, he spent about thirty years organizing the Grand Prix.
“The Canadian Grand Prix is part of us, it sets the tone for the Montreal summer and ensures the influence of Quebec and Canada throughout the world. Its spinoffs benefit the entire community, we can be proud of it!” he wrote.
Under his leadership, the event had to negotiate several obstacles: protests during the Maple Spring in 2012; sometimes difficult negotiations with former Formula 1 great Bernie Ecclestone; and the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of two editions. The event site had also been transformed into a vaccination clinic at the height of the pandemic, at Mr. Dumontier’s invitation.
François Dumontier also oversaw the construction of new paddocks on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, at a cost of $59 million, inaugurated in 2019 and paid for by Montreal and Quebec, while perpetuating the event, whose survival was called into question several times during the 2010s.
Under the latest agreement signed with F1 leaders, the holding of the Montreal Grand Prix is assured until 2031.
In 2021, Groupe Octane was acquired by Bell, which chose to keep Mr. Dumontier in his role. “I see stability, and above all growth for the event. Bell still has a presence across Canada, which means we will have access to platforms and networks that we did not have access to before. So, it is very positive,” he said at the time.
The Grand Prix weekend attracts nearly 300,000 spectators to Notre-Dame Island every year.
With The Canadian Press