The 2026 Formula One season continues its North America stint, heading to Canada for the 55th Grand Prix and to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the 44th time.
Mercedes' youngster Kimi Antonelli leads the World Drivers Championship, having won last time out in Miami to become the first driver in the history of the sport to convert their first three career pole positions into their first three career wins.
The 18-year-old leads teammate George Russell by 20 points in the standings, with the 100 points that the Italian picked up, totalling the most over the opening four rounds since Nico Rosberg achieved the same amount for the Silver Arrows in 2016, where he would go on to claim his maiden title.
Weekend format
Canada hosts its first Formula One sprint weekend, the third of the 2026 season after China and Miami.
Sprint qualifying will take place on Friday evening (May 22nd), followed by the Sprint race, and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday (May 23rd), before the race on Sunday (May 24th).
Format (all times listed in BST)
May 22nd - Practice 1 (17:30 - 18:30)
May 22nd - Sprint Qualifying (21:30 - 22:14)
May 23rd - Sprint Race (17:00 - 18:00)
May 23rd - Qualifying (21:00 - 22:00)
May 24th - Race (21:00)
First ADUO opportunities to come
One of the biggest additions to the Formula One regulations in 2026 is ADUO, which is a shortened name for "Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities".
Between every season from now to 2030, the FIA will monitor the performance of all 11 teams' Internal Combustion Engine, or ICE, and create a chart.
If a manufacturer is at least two per cent behind the best-performing team in the chart, then ADUO is granted to them.
If teams are at least 2% but no more than 4% behind, they will receive an additional upgrade this season and into the next season.
If the gap is more than 4%, then teams will receive two extra upgrades this season and next season.
It's monitored in three batches across the season, based on the original 2026 calendar. The first ADUO would have been put into place ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix but due to the postponement of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the first period only covers the first five rounds of the season, so after Canada, and leading into the Spanish Grand Prix.
It's already caused a stir within the sport, with Ferrari, Audi, and Red Bull all arguing they should be given the opportunity to close the gap at the top to Mercedes, though boss Toto Wolff has pleaded with the FIA not to affect the pecking order of the grid with ADUO.
Mercedes and McLaren upgrades
After their competitors, Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren, all brought major car upgrades to Miami, the championship leaders now bring their upgrades to Montreal.
Though McLaren isn't standing still either, with the team from Woking bringing another major package to Canada, including upgrades to the floor, chassis, and both the front and rear wings. The defending champions finished 2nd and 3rd in Miami, with a Sprint win as well for Lando Norris.
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Can Red Bull challenge for the podium?
2026 has been a tough season for Red Bull, with the team's best finish courtesy of Max Verstappen's P6 in Australia.
After a tough couple of races in China and Japan, they brought a major upgrade package to the last Grand Prix, which seemed to work well as Verstappen qualified on the front row, though after a spin on the opening lap, he could only finish P6, not having the pace of the Mercedes or the McLarens.
Montreal is a track which Verstappen has succeeded at in the past, with victories in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the joint second most in the history of the race alongside his father-in-law, Nelson Piquet Sr.
Red Bull has also won five times at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
So while history suggests that this is a good track for Red Bull, they are a decent gap from both Mercedes and McLaren, so are unlikely to challenge for a podium on pure pace.
Key facts about Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit length: 4.361 km
Number of turns: 14
Number of laps: 70
Race distance: 305.27km
Lap record: 1m 13.078s – Valtteri Bottas (2019)
First Grand Prix – 1967 (Mosport)
Most pole positions – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (6)
Most wins – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton (7)
Run from pole to Turn 1 braking point – 187 metres
2025 overtakes– 75
Pit stop time loss – 18.25 seconds (including 2.5s stop)
