Major calendar change for F1 2026 detailed with “significant” impact

Thomas Maher 18 Nov 2024 2:43 PM

Race action during the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.

Formula 1 has outlined a big change to the F1 2026 calendar, with a greater focus on regionalisation of Grands Prix.

The Canadian Grand Prix has become increasingly awkwardly scheduled in recent years, but that will be addressed with the calendar for the F1 2026 season and beyond.

Canadian Grand Prix welcomes calendar regionalisation

The race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has been an outlier of scheduling in recent seasons, with the trip across the Atlantic from Europe coming after the start of the traditional European season before immediately flying back.

For example, in F1 2024, the Miami event was followed by two races in Europe, then Canada, and then back to Europe.

With F1 aiming to achieve a net carbon zero footprint by 2030, efforts are being continuously made to further reduce the impact of the sport’s logistics upon this footprint and, from 2026, Canada will no longer be a stand-alone transatlantic flight.

Octane Racing Group, the promoter of the Canada Grand Prix, has collaborated with its key stakeholders to help Formula 1 with the efforts to further regionalise the calendar and, to that end, the Montreal race will be held earlier in the year from 2026.

The Canadian Grand Prix will thus be held on the third or fourth weekend of May every season, a spot that was usually held by the Spanish or Monaco Grands Prix. However, as reported last week, the Monaco race will move to early June, allowing Canada to slot in and potentially allow for an Americas double-header with Miami.

The move also allows the European races to be consolidated into one consecutive period across the summer, and reduces the required transatlantic flights required for the trip, resulting in “significant” carbon reductions.

It’s the latest move by Formula 1 to rationalise the calendar, rather than continuously crisscrossing the globe – the increased number of races makes shorter journies between races even more important.

For instance, the Japanese Grand Prix was moved from a late calendar slot to allow for back-to-backs with other Asian races, such as the Chinese Grand Prix, while Azerbaijan has moved to autumn as F1 heads eastward to head to Singapore.

Qatar also forms a double-header with Abu Dhabi this season, having been a separate event in the past.

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“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,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali of the move.

“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 Grand Prix experience in a more sustainable and inclusive environment.”