Canadian Grand Prix axed by Formula One

Bad news for local petrolheads, but some small welcome relief perhaps for the environment. The Canadian Grand Prix was chopped from Formula One’s calendar for 2009, leaving north America without a race.

The race in the United States was taken off the list last year. This will be the first time since 1987 that the Canadian GP, which was first held in 1967, hasn’t appeared on the F1 schedule. Unfortunately, the race’s official site still has links for ticket info for next year on its home page.

The inaugural race in Abu Dhabi takes the Canadian GP’s place on the calendar released today by the the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the sport’s governing body.

Here’s the 2009 Formula One calendar in full:

March 29: Australia
April 5: Malaysia
April 19: Bahrain
May 10: Spain
May 24: Monaco
June 7: Turkey
June 21: Great Britain
June 28: France
July 12: Germany
July 26: Hungary
August 23: Europe (Valencia/Spain)
August 30: Belgium
September 13: Italy
September 27: Singapore
October 11: Japan
October 18: China
November 1: Brazil
November 15: Abu Dhabi