Canadian Grand Prix moves to May 22-24 in 2026, same day as Indy 500
Motorsports
Formula One fans, mark your calendars: the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix will be held May 22 to 24, weeks earlier than usual, according to the official schedule released Tuesday.
Montreal will be the seventh Grand Prix of the 2026 season, which will include 24 events.
The Montreal stopover at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, however, may have to share the audience of motor racing fans, because the race will take place on the same day as the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 will start at 12:45 p.m. ET, while the Canadian Grand Prix will start at 2 p.m., as usual.
The promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix, Octane Racing Group, had already announced that the race would move from its usual June slot to the 'third or fourth weekend in May' starting in 2026.
This change is intended to consolidate the European portion of the season into a single period, it was explained.
'With 24 Grands Prix spread across five continents, this season (2026) will reflect the true nature of our community, while improving the geographical fluidity of our calendar will demonstrate our commitment to making our championship more efficient and sustainable,' said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Currently, the F1 tour travels to North America for a single race in June, in Montreal, before returning to Europe. It was scheduled to do the same for the Miami Grand Prix in early May.
But next year, the new calendar means that the teams will travel only once for these two races, as the French Grand Prix will follow the Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for May 1 to 3.
The Monaco and Spanish races, which preceded the Canadian Grand Prix this year, will instead be held in June to be grouped with the other European races.
'Starting in 2026, we will enter a new era in Formula One, which will see the introduction of new regulations, new cars, and new engines powered by 100 per cent renewable fuels,' F1 president and chief operating officer Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.
'We are delighted to welcome Madrid to the calendar and to see major car manufacturers such as Audi, Cadillac, and Ford join the F1 grid,' he added.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, which also took place between the Miami and Montreal races, will be replaced by the Madrid Grand Prix in September.
The announcement of the 2026 calendar comes as Formula One is in Montreal this week for the Canadian Grand Prix, from Friday to Sunday.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM.
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