F1 announces Canadian GP date move to “rationalise” 2026 calendar

Montreal date change means it can be linked with Miami and avoid short spring criss-crossing of the Atlantic from 2026 F1 season

Formula 1 has formally announced that from 2026 the Canadian Grand Prix will move to earlier in the calendar to “rationalise” the schedule with an expected link with Miami.

In a statement issued on Monday, F1 said that the Montreal race is “planned to be scheduled on the third or fourth weekend of May each year”, rather than mid-June as it has typically been held in recent seasons.

The move follows last week’s news that the Monaco GP is also shifting from what had become its traditional slot at the end of May to the first weekend of June from 2026 onwards, as part of its contract extension to 2031.

This had been expected to allow space for the Montreal round, which is also contracted until 2031, to shift forwards and more logically be twinned with the Miami race that has been held in early May since it joined the calendar in 2022.

In 2025, the season will start with an Oceania-Asia leg from Australia to Japan via China, before heading to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

The last two races have typically opened the season in recent years but they have moved to later in 2025 due to the timing of Ramadan.

Even if they were to move back to starting the season from 2026, a Miami-Canada leg would remove a problematic standalone Atlantic crossing for all the teams from their European bases and create a single season in Europe through the continent’s summer months.

F1’s statement said this move is part of its “efforts to rationalise the race calendar and make it more sustainable by hosting the event earlier than has been the practice in recent years”.

This includes moving Japan from its previously traditional end of season slot towards the start, with Baku going in the other direction and Qatar now being twinned with Abu Dhabi after being an earlier standalone in 2023.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “I am incredibly grateful to the promoter and all of the government stakeholder partners involved in the Canadian GP, from the local, to the provincial and national government.

“We applaud the tremendous effort from all involved to accelerate the temporary build of the event, to be ready to host the F1 community earlier than in the past.

“The change will make the future flow of our calendar not only more sustainable, but logistically more sensible for our teams and personnel.

“Our Net Zero by 2030 commitment continues to be a priority for us as a sport and it is thanks to changes like this that we are on track to hitting our goal.”

Previous suggestions that the Montreal race should be run earlier in the year and link up with Miami have raised concerns about cold and wet weather in the region impacting the build-up to the event.

This is held on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence river and so has limited access for the infrastructure set-up, which likely explains why the suggested slot for the 2026 Canada round is not earlier in May.

“This change in the schedule is a major step in our commitment, as well as Formula 1s, toward a more sustainable future,” said Jean-Philippe Paradis, CEO of race promoter the Octane Racing Group.

“It demonstrates our desire to combine sporting performance and event organisation with environmental responsibility.

“We are determined to offer our fans, our communities, and our loyal audience a unique and enriched experience, in addition to extending the summer season for Montreal.

“The date change thus fully integrates into the dynamic strategic vision put in place by our team, with the collaboration of our stakeholders, which is fully focused on delivering an amazing Canadian GP experience in a more sustainable and inclusive environment.”