F1 calendar move ‘breathtakingly disrespectful’

Verstappen, Canada, Red Bull, 2024, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 calendar move ‘breathtakingly disrespectful’

The Canadian GP will clash with Indy 500

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 13 June 2025 12:57

F1's newly-released 2026 calendar has been described as 'breathtakingly disrespectful' amid a key date clash.

F1 announced the 2026 schedule earlier this week, with the Madrid street circuit being added for the first time, replacing the historic Imola Grand Prix.

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However, this was not the only change, with the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix swapping positions, in a common sense move to keep all of the European races together to minimise travel and the effects on the environment.

The Canadian GP will take place at the end of May in 2026, while Monaco kicks off the European section of the calendar at the beginning of June, before the sport heads on to Barcelona in what could be the track's final year on the calendar.

That move does, however, mean that the Canadian GP will clash with IndyCar's historic Indy500 race, with both races kicking off at the same time.

The Indy500 usually takes place on the same day as the Monaco GP, with two of motorsport's illustrious triple crown events kicking off on the same day, but the differing timezones meant that they didn't directly overlap.

Motorsport analyst Jeff Gluck has pointed out how, with the Canadian GP and Indy500 taking part on the same continent, there will be a direct clash in 2026 which may lead to lower viewing figures for both events.

"F1’s 2026 schedule features a breathtakingly disrespectful move: a direct head-to-head conflict between the Indianapolis 500 and the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal - seemingly at the same time, on the same day, on the same continent," Gluck wrote in his piece for The Athletic.

"The Indy 500 typically has a start time of 12:45 p.m. ET and runs for about three hours. This weekend is, coincidentally, the Canadian GP in Montreal. It has a start time of 2 p.m. ET, and a typical F1 race lasts about 90 minutes to two hours.

"If those time slots remain next year, they’ll directly overlap for the entirety of the F1 race."

The Indy500 is one of the most hotly-anticipated events on the motorsport calendar

Will F1 change Canadian GP start time?

Of course, there should be an easy solution to this. Push one of the races forward or back so that audiences can watch both races.

But both IndyCar and F1 are stubborn. IndyCar will say that 'the Indy500 has always run in that slot so why should we change it', while F1 are trying to make the Canadian GP accessible for all those around the world to watch it.

For example, this weekend's 2025 Canadian GP gets underway at 7pm BST, a perfect way for Brits to end their weekend.

If that was moved back even two or three hours, many Europeans would have to miss the spectacle due to work and school commitments on the Monday morning preventing them from staying up to watch the full race.

So, it's unlikely either side will budge, meaning May 2026 will likely be a fight between motorsport lovers as to which race to have on the TV. Prepare for some remote wars!

F1 IndyCar Imola