F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Race starting grid with penalties applied

Verstappen in Red Bull F1 hat looking annoyed in front of Canadian GP F1 themed red and white track background — Photo: © IMAGO

Canadian Grand Prix

F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Race starting grid with penalties applied

The starting grid for the sprint in Montreal

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 23 May 2026 08:53

Here is the F1 starting grid for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix sprint race TODAY (Saturday, May 23).

While Lewis Hamilton tried to take the fight to Mercedes during sprint qualifying on Friday, it was ultimately George Russell and Kimi Antonelli who secured the front row of the grid for the sprint race.

Russell responded to his team-mate's hat-trick of wins perfectly by claiming sprint pole in Montreal, while McLaren's Lando Norris completed the top three.

Article continues under video

Oscar Piastri set the fourth fastest time and Ferrari continued the sprint grid's Noah's Ark, with Hamilton faster than Charles Leclerc.

Here is the full starting grid for the sprint race at the Canadian Grand Prix.

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

F1 Starting Grid - Canadian Grand Prix sprint

Canadian Grand Prix Sprint Starting Grid
Position	Driver	Team
1	George Russell	Mercedes
2	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes
3	Lando Norris	McLaren
4	Oscar Piastri	McLaren
5	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari
6	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
7	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
8	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull
9	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls
10	Carlos Sainz	Williams
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi
12	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi
13	Franco Colapinto	Alpine
14	Esteban Ocon	Haas
15	Ollie Bearman	Haas
16	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin
17	Sergio Perez	Cadillac
18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin
19	Pierre Gasly	Alpine
20	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac
21	Alex Albon	Williams
22	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls

F1 Race Times - Canadian Grand Prix sprint

Lights out for the Canadian Grand Prix sprint is today (Saturday, May 23, 2026), at noon local time (ET) at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

In the UK, that means lights out is at 17:00 (BST).

Find the race start time converted to your local time zone below:

Canadian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Sprint Race - Saturday, May 23, 2026

Location	Time
Local time (ET)	12:00 Saturday
British Summer Time (BST)	17:00 Saturday
Central European Summer Time (CEST)	18:00 Saturday
United States (CT)	11:00 Saturday
United States (PT)	09:00 Saturday
Brazil (BRT)	13:00 Saturday
Australia (AWST)	00:00 Sunday
Australia (ACT)	01:30 Sunday
Australia (AET)	02:00 Sunday
Mexico (CST)	10:00 Saturday
Japan (JST)	01:00 Sunday
China (CST)	00:00 Sunday
South Africa (SAST)	18:00 Saturday
Egypt (EEST)	19:00 Saturday
India (IST)	21:30 Saturday
Singapore (SGT)	00:00 Sunday
Turkey (TRT)	19:00 Saturday
United Arab Emirates (GST)	20:00 Saturday
Saudi Arabia (AST)	19:00 Saturday

How to watch the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix sprint race 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

Region/Country	Broadcaster(s)
United Kingdom	Sky Sports
*United States	Apple TV
China	Shanghai TV, Guandong Television Channel, Tencent
Italy	Sky Italia
Netherlands	Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra
Japan	Fuji TV, DAZN
Australia	Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten
Spain	DAZN
Canada	RDS, TSN
Germany	Sky Deutschland, RTL
France	Canal+
Belgium	RTBF, Telenet
Luxembourg	RTL Lux, Sky DE
Mexico	Fox Sports Mexico
Singapore	beIN SPORTS
Hungary	M4 Sport
Brazil	Bandeirantes
Austria	Servus TV, ORF
Middle East & Turkey	beIN SPORTS
Africa	SuperSport
Latin America	ESPN

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

F1 Canadian Grand Prix