The F1 Canadian Grand Prix has a new start time today as organisers move to avoid major clash

Canadian Grand Prix

The F1 Canadian Grand Prix has a new start time today

The race will begin two hours later than normal

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Sunday 24 May 2026 09:35

The F1 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal has a new start time today (Sunday May 24) as organisers move to avoid a major scheduling clash in 2026.

In previous years the 70-lap spectacular has traditionally got under way at 2pm local time, which is 7pm in the UK and 8pm in Central Europe.

But this year lights out at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been moved to 4pm local (9pm UK, 10pm CET) as F1 looks to avoid clashing with the other huge race in North America this weekend - the Indy500.

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Schedule shift means Indy500 clash

The reason this is an issue all of a sudden in 2026 is thanks to the fact F1 has also moved the date of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. The race previously took place in June, but now moves up to late May.

The reason for the shift comes from the ever-increasing push for sustainability, as it allowed the teams and F1 to 'move home' to Montreal direct from the recent Miami Grand Prix - rather than heading to Europe and back again.

Monaco makes way for Montreal

The other knock-in impact of this scheduling change is the Monaco Grand Prix losing its traditional late May slot on the F1 calendar, and moving back two weeks to early June. Race weekend in the principality is Friday June 5 to Sunday June 7.