F1 Practice Today: Canadian Grand Prix 2026 start times, schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

The 2026 F1® Canadian Grand Prix weekend gets underway today (Friday, May 22) at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, so here's everything you need to know about the one and only practice session of the event.

After a sprint weekend kicked off the 2026 calendar resumption in Miami last time out, F1 fans will once again be treated to a jam-packed sprint programme in Montreal.

Mercedes will return to the track as favourites and as leaders of both the drivers' and constructors' standings thanks to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who, at 19 years old, still leads the championship.

After claiming a third consecutive victory in Miami, Antonelli now has a 20-point advantage over his team-mate and title rival.

Russell will be hoping to bounce back and prove he can still lead the fight with the Silver Arrows, who are also bringing their first major upgrade package of the season.

Will Toto Wolff's outfit continue their display of dominance this weekend or will McLaren and Red Bull be able to build on the progress they showed off earlier this month? Oh, and what time is practice taking place? Let's find out.

To celebrate the Canadian GP, the F1 Store is offering 25 per cent off selected lines until 5pm BST on Monday, May 25, with code: CANADA25. No luck finding the item you’re after? GPFans have you covered with an exclusive reader discount. Use code: GPFANS17 to get up to 17 per cent off all lines.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen 2027 green light as Horner makes paddock return

F1 Practice Times - 2026 Canadian Grand Prix

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will only host one practice session this weekend, and unlike Miami last time out, Friday's FP1 session will not be extended.

Drivers and teams were able to make use of a 90-minute practice in Miami in order to blow away the cobwebs following the five-week enforced spring break, but the usual programme will resume in Montreal with just a single hour of practice taking place.

FP1 will kick off the Canadian sprint weekend on Friday, May 22, at 12:30 ET (17:30 BST) before sprint qualifying takes place at 16:30 local time, or 21:30 BST.

Find the practice session start times converted to your local time zone below:

Canadian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 1 (FP1) - Friday, May 22, 2026

How to watch the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix practice live on TV today

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:

Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region

* - A free seven-day trial of Apple TV is available for fans in the US, allowing them to watch F1 for free this weekend.

F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.

Please note if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.

READ MORE: McLaren bringing F1 monster to fight Mercedes at Canadian Grand Prix

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography