Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco drives during the first practice session at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Friday, June 13, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

By The Canadian Press

Five things to get you up to speed for F1’s Canadian Grand Prix

May 21, 2026 | 3:00 AM

MONTREAL — Formula One’s travelling circus has arrived in Montreal — a little earlier than usual.

Rather than its traditional mid-June slot, the Canadian Grand Prix is set for this weekend on Île Notre-Dame. And for the first time, the race overlaps with a Montreal Canadiens playoff run, adding to the city’s festive atmosphere.

The event runs Friday through Sunday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Here are five things you should know.

SPRINT WEEKEND

The early start — a result of the revamped calendar designed to reduce travel — isn’t the only thing that’s new this year. On top of the usual Grand Prix on Sunday, Montreal will host a sprint race for the first time, with an extra qualifying session on Friday and a shortened race on Saturday.

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Introduced in 2021, sprint races cover roughly 100 kilometres — about one-third the distance of a grand prix. The winning driver secures eight points in the standings, whereas a grand prix victory is worth 25.

The Canadian GP is just the fifth of 22 stops this season after F1 cancelled April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the war in Iran, but it’s already the third of six sprint events.

MIGHTY MERCEDES

Winners of all four races this year, Mercedes has stormed back to the front of the grid with a 19-year-old prodigy. Kimi Antonelli stands atop the drivers’ standings with 100 points — 20 clear of second-place teammate George Russell — after winning the last three races.

Antonelli could join multi-time world champions Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso as the only active drivers to claim four-straight victories. The Italian also returns to Montreal after reaching his first career podium with a third-place finish at last year’s Canadian GP.

Russell, meanwhile, is looking to make up ground on Antonelli and repeat as race winner on a track he seems to thrive on after also starting on pole in 2024. The 28-year-old Brit is hoping to rebound after finishing fourth three weeks ago at the Miami Grand Prix, a circuit he admittedly doesn’t favour.

IN THE PACK

Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are in pursuit behind Mercedes, which is already 70 points clear of second-place Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

McLaren is coming off an encouraging weekend in Miami, with reigning world champion Lando Norris winning the sprint event before battling Antonelli in the race and settling for second while teammate Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium.

Verstappen sits seventh with a single top-5 finish for Red Bull. The four-time world champion, and three-time Canadian GP winner, has said he could consider retiring after the season amid frustrations with F1’s evolving regulations, some of which the sport’s governing body is already beginning to tweak.

STROLLING HOME

It’s another homecoming for Lance Stroll, though probably not under ideal circumstances. The lone Canadian on the F1 grid is one of five drivers yet to secure points this season, while Aston Martin sits tied at zero points with first-year outfit Cadillac at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.

The season began in disaster as the team’s Honda power unit caused vibrations that could risk permanent nerve damage. Those issues may be behind them, but Stroll’s best showing this season is still a 17th-place result. One sign of progress: Stroll and Alonso saw the checkered flag in the same race for the first time this season in Miami.

The 27-year-old Stroll, whose billionaire father Lawrence Stroll owns the Aston Martin F1 team, earned his first career points in Montreal in 2017. He has reached the F1 podium three times, but not since 2020.

SLIPPERY SUNDAY?

There’s always a risk of showers at the Canadian GP, and perhaps that has only increased with the race scheduled three weeks earlier. The weather forecast calls for periods of rain on Sunday, which would add to the race’s unpredictability and entertainment.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was famously the site of F1’s longest race in 2011 (four hours four minutes 39 seconds) when McLaren’s Jenson Button climbed from last to first through torrential downpours, making six pit stops along the way.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press