The Canadian Grand Prix will move to a new position on the Formula 1 calendar from 2026 onwards as part of the sport’s latest calendar re-shuffle.
Images: © F1Destinations
Formula 1 and organisers of the Canadian Grand Prix have agreed that the Montreal race will move to a new, earlier slot on the calendar from 2026. Currently held in mid-June, the Canadian Grand Prix will move to May as part of the F1 calendar’s latest rationalisation.
In a press release, F1 said that the Canadian Grand Prix will take place “on the third or fourth weekend of May each year” in future calendars. It means that in future seasons, the European season will run without interruption from the Monaco Grand Prix in early June through to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in September.
Why is the Canadian Grand Prix Moving to a New Date?
Formula 1 has set itself a net zero target for 2030. Air travel by the F1 community is one of the biggest environmental concerns for the sport. With the Canadian race moving to May – and likely taking place back-to-back with the Miami Grand Prix – the latest tweak to the calendar eliminates a needless additional transatlantic journey in June.
It is believed that F1 has previously requested for the Canadian Grand Prix to move to the May slot but the race promoter had been unwilling to make the switch. Speaking about the latest development, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thanked those involved with committing to the date change:
“I am incredibly grateful to the promoter and all of the government stakeholder partners involved in the Canadian Grand Prix, from the local, to the provincial and national government. We applaud the tremendous effort from all involved to accelerate the temporary build of the event, to be ready to host the Formula 1 community earlier than in the past. The change will make the future flow of our calendar not only more sustainable, but logistically more sensible for our teams and personnel. Our Net Zero by 2030 commitment continues to be a priority for us as a sport and it is thanks to changes like this that we are on track to hitting our goal.”
The 2025 Canadian Grand Prix – for which tickets are already on sale – is unaffected and will take place as previously scheduled on June 13-15.
Formula 1’s Ongoing Calendar Re-Alignment
The news that the Canadian Grand Prix will move to a new slot in May is the latest in a series of decisions made by Formula 1 to re-align the calendar to make the schedule more environmentally and logistically friendly.
Other races have moved place on the calendar in recent years to help the cause. The Japanese Grand Prix, held annually at Suzuka, switched from its traditional autumn slot to a new date in April in 2024, to take place alongside the relatively nearby Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix moved to mid-September in 2024 in order to group it with other races in the Asia Pacific region, while the Qatar Grand Prix now takes place back-to-back with Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.
Last week, it was announced that the Monaco Grand Prix had signed a new contract with Formula 1 and that as part of the new deal, it would move from its traditional slot on the last weekend of May to its new position on the first weekend of June from 2026 onwards. This has paved the way for the Canadian Grand Prix to take place slightly earlier in the year from 2026.
