F1 Canadian GP 2026 Weekend Schedule: Start Times for Practice, Sprint, Qualifying & Race

The 2026 Canadian GP will be the fifth race of the 2026 season.

Following a two-week pause in Formula 1 action, the 2026 season resumes with the fifth round of the championship at the Canadian Grand Prix. The schedule has been erratic this year, with no races in April due to the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain GP.

The season resumes this weekend with the opening race of a triple-header in Canada, before the action heads to Monaco and Barcelona over the following two weekends.

The previous race in Miami at the start of the month saw Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli bag the first spot on the podium, while McLaren’s and defending Champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri came in second and third, respectively.

Kimi’s teammate, George Russell, lost out on the podium, finishing fifth, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came in fifth. With the win, Kimi is now firmly at the top of the Drivers’ rankings with a 20-point lead over Russell, who has accumulated 80 points, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is in third spot with 59 points.

Looking ahead to the Canadian GP this weekend, let us take a look at the full schedule for the fifth race of the 2026 F1 season.

Friday, May 22

The 2025 F1 Canadian GP held at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve features a sprint race (one of 6 in the 2026 season), which means drivers will get one free practice session on Friday before sprint qualifying.

Canadian GP Free Practice Session Timings

• India: 22:00 – 23:00 IST
• China: 00:30 – 01:30 CST (Next Day)
• United States & Canada (Track Time): 09:30 – 10:30 PT/12:30 – 13:30 ET
• Mexico City: 10:30 – 11:30 CST
• United Kingdom: 17:30 – 18:30 GMT
• Brazil (São Paulo): 13:30 – 14:30 BRT
• Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 18:30 – 19:30 CET
• Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 19:30 – 20:30 AST
• UAE & Azerbaijan: 20:30 – 21:30 GST/AZT
• Singapore: 12:30 – 01:30 SGT (Next day)
• Japan: 01:30 – 02:30 JST (Next day)
• Australia: 02:30 – 03:30 AEST (Next day)

Canadian GP Sprint Qualifying Timings

• India: 02:00 – 02:44 IST (Next Day)
• China: 04:30 – 05:14 CST (Next Day)
• United States & Canada (Track Time): 13:30 – 14:14 PT/16:30 – 17:14 ET
• Mexico City: 14:30 – 15:14 CST
• United Kingdom: 20:30 – 21:14 GMT
• Brazil (São Paulo): 17:30 – 18:14 BRT
• Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 21:30 – 22:14 CET
• Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 23:30 – 00:14 AST
• UAE & Azerbaijan: 00:30 – 01:14 GST/AZT (Next Day)
• Singapore: 04:30 – 05:14 SGT (Next Day)
• Japan: 05:30 – 06:14 JST (Next Day)
• Australia: 06:30 – 07:14 AEST (Next Day)

Saturday, May 23

The sprint race will take place on Saturday, along with the qualifying round, during which drivers aim to set their best time to secure a good position for the final race on Sunday.

Canadian GP Sprint Race Timings

• India: 21:30 – 22:30 IST
• China: 00:00 – 01:00 CST (Next Day)
• United States & Canada (Track Time): 09:00 – 10:00 PT/12:00 – 13:00 ET
• Mexico City: 10:00 – 11:00 CST
• United Kingdom: 17:00 – 18:00 GMT
• Brazil (São Paulo): 13:00 – 14:00 BRT
• Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 18:00 – 17:00 CET
• Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 19:00 – 18:00 AST
• UAE & Azerbaijan: 20:00 – 21:00 GST/AZT
• Singapore: 00:00 – 01:00 SGT (Next Day)
• Japan: 01:00 – 02:00 JST (Next Day)
• Australia: 02:00 – 03:00 AEST (Next Day)

Canadian GP Qualifying Timings

• India: 01:30 – 02:30 IST (Next Day)
• China: 04:00 – 05:00 CST (Next Day)
• United States & Canada (Track Time): 13:00 – 14:00 PT/16:00 – 17:00 ET
• Mexico City: 14:00 – 15:00 CST
• United Kingdom: 21:00 – 22:00 GMT/BST
• Brazil (São Paulo): 17:00 – 18:00 BRT
• Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 22:00 – 23:00 CET/CEST
• Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 23:00 – 00:00 AST (Next Day)
• UAE & Azerbaijan: 00:00 – 01:00 GST/AZT (Next Day)
• Singapore: 04:00 – 05:00 SGT (Next Day)
• Japan: 05:00 – 06:00 JST (Next Day)
• Australia: 06:00 – 07:00 AEST (Next Day)

Sunday, May 24

The race will commence on Sunday, with the grid lined up as per qualifying. The momentum is currently in Kimi Antonelli’s favour, while McLaren seems to be catching up to the season favourite, Mercedes. In 2025, George Russell won the race, with Max Verstappen and Antonelli completing the podium.

Canadian GP Race Timings

• India: 01:30 IST (Next Day)
• China: 04:00 CST (Next Day)
• United States & Canada (Track Time): 13:00 PT/16:00 ET
• Mexico City: 14:00 CST
• United Kingdom: 21:00 GMT/BST
• Brazil (São Paulo): 17:00 BRT
• Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Monaco, Germany, France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain (Europe): 22:00 CET/CEST
• Saudi Arabia & Qatar: 23:00 AST
• UAE & Azerbaijan: 00:00 GST/AZT (Next Day)
• Singapore: 04:00 SGT (Next Day)
• Japan: 05:00 JST (Next Day)
• Australia: 06:00 AEST (Next Day)

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