F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix schedule: Sprint weekend practice, qualifying and race times

Henry Valantine 21 May 2026 9:30 AM

A wide angle show as the F1 pack rounds the hairpin during the Canadian Grand Prix.

Session and start times for the 2026 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

The F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix is at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal, with the event featuring a Sprint weekend.

Here is the full F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix schedule, with session start times for practice, Sprint qualifying, the Sprint, qualifying and Sunday’s race.

F1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix session times

All times are Montréal local (UK time in brackets).

Friday 22 May

FP1: 12.30pm-1.30pm (5.30pm-6.30pm)
Sprint Qualifying: 4.30pm-5.14pm (9.30pm-10.14pm)

Saturday 23 May

Sprint: 12pm (5pm) – 23 laps or 60 minutes
Qualifying: 4pm-5pm (9pm-10pm)

Sunday 24 May

Canadian Grand Prix: 4pm (9pm) – 70 laps or 120 minutes

Follow the weekend live

Follow live coverage throughout the weekend in Montréal, including timing, reports and live updates.

Canadian Grand Prix weekend explained

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is 4.361km long and hosts a 70-lap race.

As a Sprint weekend, there is one free practice session on Friday before Sprint Qualifying later in the day.

Saturday features the Sprint and Qualifying session, which sets the grid for Sunday’s race.

Sunday concludes the weekend with the Canadian Grand Prix, one of the most popular events on the Formula 1 calendar.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a fan favourite for its mix of long straights and heavy braking zones.

Tight chicanes and unforgiving walls leave little margin for error, with mistakes often punished immediately.

Nowhere is this truer than the infamous ‘Wall of Champions’, christened so in 1999 when three different World Champions had a run-in with the wall on the exit of the final chicane.

The wall has developed a superstitious reputation over the years, with drivers such as Jenson Button crashing there before later becoming World Champion.

F1 records and statistics

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