Formula 1 returns to Montreal this week for round five of the 2026 season, with the Canadian Grand Prix set for 22-24 May at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The weekend is the third sprint event of the campaign, and it arrives with Kimi Antonelli still on top of the momentum after taking his third consecutive victory from pole position in Miami.
Antonelli’s win last time out left him 20 points clear of George Russell in the drivers’ championship. Lando Norris finished second in Miami and Oscar Piastri came home third, while Russell was fourth, tightening the sense that the title fight is already starting to take shape even before Montreal gets going.
The Canadian Grand Prix has long been one of the season’s biggest draws, and the numbers from last year underline why. The 2025 weekend in Montreal was attended by 352,000 fans, a reminder of how firmly the race has become part of the Formula 1 calendar. Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, set on a man-made island on the St Lawrence River, will again host the event as the series shifts from Miami to Canada.
This year’s timetable also carries a practical twist. The grand prix is starting two hours later than last year to avoid a clash with the Indianapolis 500, which is due to get under way at 17:30. That means Saturday’s sprint begins at 17:00 BST, while Sunday’s main race gets under way at 21:00 BST.
Before that, Friday opens with first practice from 17:30-18:30, followed by sprint qualifying from 21:30-22:14. Saturday then moves from the sprint, which runs from 17:00-18:00, to qualifying from 21:00-22:00. Race build-up begins at 20:45 on Radio 5 Live, Sounds and smart speakers, with commentary of the race also available across Radio 5 Live, Sounds and the Sport website and app.
The forecast should help the schedule hold together. Friday’s practice session and sprint qualifying, plus Saturday’s sprint and main qualifying, are expected to be dry and sunny, with temperatures between 19C and 21C. That keeps the focus on the racing rather than the weather, at least for the first two days of the weekend.
The central question in Montreal is whether anyone can slow Antonelli’s run. He has arrived with three straight wins, a 20-point lead over Russell and the confidence that comes from beating the field in Miami from pole. Norris and Piastri remain close enough to punish any slip, and the Canadian Grand Prix offers the next clean test of whether the championship picture is settling around one driver or still waiting for the season’s first real turn. For more on the wider Formula 1 conversation, Fernando Alonso says decision on Formula 1 future will wait until after August break, while a separate team-fan crossover has Red Bull Crocs set for May 21 debut in first Formula 1 team tie-up.
