Canadian Grand Prix

The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve starts at 15:00 EDT (UTC-4) on Sunday 24 May. The circuit is 4.361 km long with 14 corners and sits on Ile Notre-Dame, a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River.

This is a sprint weekend. Saturday's sprint race goes at 12:00 EDT (16:00 GMT), awarding points to the top eight finishers before the full Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits on Ile Notre-Dame, a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River just minutes from downtown Montreal. Named after the legendary Quebec driver who died at Zolder in 1982, the track features long straights connected by tight chicanes, with concrete walls lining the exit of nearly every corner. The Wall of Champions at the final chicane has claimed a remarkable list of victims, including Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve in the same race in 1999.

Montreal has produced some of the most dramatic races in F1 history. Jenson Button won from last place in 2011 in a rain-interrupted classic that ran for over four hours, the longest race in F1 history. Robert Kubica took his only career victory here in 2008 for BMW Sauber. Lewis Hamilton scored his maiden F1 win at Montreal in 2007, starting a love affair with the circuit that has produced multiple further victories.

For European fans, the 15:00 EDT start translates to 21:00 CEST and 20:00 BST, a comfortable Sunday evening watch. The Saturday sprint at 12:00 EDT lands at 18:00 CEST. North American fans get an ideal afternoon slot. Australian viewers face tough timing at 05:00 Monday AEST. Asian audiences watch at 03:00 Monday JST and 03:00 Monday CST. Check Canada time for the exact start in your location.

The 2026 power units, with enhanced energy recovery from braking, should make the stop-start nature of this circuit even more strategically interesting. Lance Stroll carries the home crowd's hopes for Aston Martin, and the Montreal atmosphere on race day, mixing European racing culture with North American energy, remains one of the best weekends on the calendar.