F1 Rumor: Canadian GP will eventually agree to moving race to May (Update)

This rumor is upgraded to ‘fact’ today.  Starting in 2026 the Canadian GP will be held on the 3rd or 4th weekend in May and be paired with the Miami GP to reduce the number of flights across the ocean from Europe for the teams.

Formula 1 Press Release

The promoter of the Canadian GP, Octane Racing Group, working with key stakeholders from the Canadian Government, Canada Economic Development for Québec Regions, Government of Québec, Ministry of Tourism (Québec), the City of Montreal, Tourism Montreal, and the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau, have today thrown their collective support behind Formula 1’s efforts to rationalize the race calendar and make it more sustainable by hosting the event earlier than has been the practice in recent years.

With renewed commitment and collaboration between Formula 1, Octane Racing Group and partners, from 2026, the Canadian GP is planned to be scheduled on the third or fourth weekend of May each year.

The move will allow the European leg of the season to be consolidated into one consecutive period over the European summer months and is planned to remove an additional transatlantic crossing by the Formula 1 community each year, with significant associated carbon reductions.

The announcement builds upon the changes already made to the calendar by F1 in recent years to create a more rationalized schedule. The Japanese Grand Prix has moved to the spring to align with races in the Asia Pacific region, Azerbaijan has moved to the autumn as the Championship turns east to Singapore, and Qatar has moved to be closely aligned with Abu Dhabi at the end of the season. As previously announced, as part of this wider rationalization of the calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix will be contested on the first full weekend in June each year from 2026.

All future Formula 1 calendars are subject to confirmation by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO, Formula 1 said:

“I am incredibly grateful to the promoter and all of the government stakeholder partners involved in the Canadian GP, 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.”

Jean-Philippe Paradis, CEO of Octane Racing Group, said:

“This change in the schedule is a major step in our commitment, as well as Formula 1’s, toward a more sustainable future. It demonstrates our desire to combine sporting performance and event organization with environmental responsibility. We are determined to offer our fans, our communities, and our loyal audience a unique and enriched experience, in addition to extending the summer season for Montreal. The date change thus fully integrates into the dynamic strategic vision put in place by our team, with the collaboration of our stakeholders, which is fully focused on delivering an amazing Canadian GP experience in a more sustainable and inclusive environment.”

Rumor has it that promoters for the Canadian GP F1 race are pushing back on moving the Canadian GP to May as a back-to-back race with Miami.

F1 is trying to group races together in geographic areas to:

1. Reduce travel strain on team personnel as it moves toward a 25-race calendar
2. Reduce the sport’s carbon footprint to placate environmentalists by reducing airline flight miles for personnel and equipment.

Sounds reasonable, right?

May, the last month of the spring in Montreal, is a comfortable month, with temperature in the range of an average high of 65°F and an average low of 48°F.

Problem is, the weather in Montreal in early May could still be cold, and if you push Miami to late May, it gets very hot and humid.

Canada will argue that attendance will be negatively impacted and F1 would have to agree to a reduce sanction fee.