Canadian GP start time moved to avoid clash

Formula 1 moved the start of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix to 4 p.m. local time in Montreal, a two-hour delay from the race’s traditional slot, according to GPFans and other race-weekend listings. The change was made to avoid a direct overlap with the Indianapolis 500, which was scheduled to take the green flag at 12:45 p.m. (gpfans.com) ET on the same day. Montreal’s race still goes ahead on Sunday, May 24, at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve as part of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. The scheduling shift sits inside a broader 2026 Formula 1 calendar reshuffle. GPFans reported earlier that the Canadian Grand Prix had been repositioned on the calendar after a date clash controversy, while current race-day coverage said Monaco had also moved back to June under the revised schedule. (formula1.com) ESPN previously reported Formula 1 had said the Canada-Indy 500 overlap would occur only once every five years, with no clash from 2027 through 2030. ### What exactly changed in Montreal on Sunday? Sunday, May 24, is still race day in Montreal, but the start time changed to 4 p.m. local time, or 2:50 p.m. ET by U.S. broadcast listings. GPFans said the 70-lap race would begin two hours later than in previous years, and Yahoo Sports’ viewing guide listed the Canadian Grand Prix for Sunday afternoon. (gpfans.com) Formula 1’s official event page also lists the race on May 24 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve remains the venue, and the rest of the weekend format stayed intact. Formula 1’s schedule page described the event as the Formula 1 Lenovo Grand Prix du Canada 2026 and said the race distance was 70 laps. Separate race guides described the weekend as Montreal’s first Formula 1 sprint weekend. (gpfans.com) ### Why was the start pushed back? GPFans said organizers moved the race to avoid a “major clash” with the Indianapolis 500. MyKhel and ESPN reported the same basic rationale, saying Formula 1 delayed the Montreal start to avoid a direct conflict with one of North American motorsport’s biggest events. (gpfans.com) FOX Sports and USA Today listed the 2026 Indianapolis 500 for Sunday, May 24, with pre-race coverage beginning before the scheduled green flag. USA Today’s race-day coverage said the green flag was set for 12:45 p.m. ET, putting the two events on overlapping Sunday windows if Montreal had kept its earlier slot. (formula1.com) ### How does Monaco fit into this? The 2026 Formula 1 calendar changed more than one race weekend. GPFans’ race-day report said Monaco moved back to June in 2026, and it linked Montreal’s revised timing to that wider calendar reshuffle. An earlier GPFans report from September 2025 said Formula 1 and the FIA had unveiled a 24-race calendar and six sprint weekends for 2026, with Canada among the notable changes. (gpfans.com) ESPN’s earlier report on the new timing said Formula 1 had already indicated the Indy 500 clash would be limited rather than annual. ### Did the race itself move off Sunday? Montreal’s race did not move off Sunday. Yahoo Sports’ viewing guide said the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix would be held on Sunday, May 24, and Formula 1’s official event page lists the race for that date. (foxsports.com) GPFans’ race-day coverage likewise described the change as a start-time adjustment, not a day change. (gpfans.com) U.S. viewing guides published on May 23 and May 24 also treated the event as Sunday’s Formula 1 race, with timing adjusted for the later Montreal start. ### Where can fans check the official timing now? Formula 1’s official Canadian Grand Prix event page carries the full weekend timetable for Montreal, with a note that timings are subject to change. (gpfans.com) Yahoo Sports and other race-day guides published Sunday also list the revised race start for viewers in the United States. Sunday’s next milestone is the Canadian Grand Prix race start at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, after the Indianapolis 500’s scheduled 12:45 p.m. (sports.yahoo.com) ET green flag earlier in the day. (touchdownwire.usatoday.com) (formula1.com) (usatoday.com)