F1 moves Canadian GP date from 2026 to help reduce carbon emissions

The Canadian Grand Prix will move to earlier in the year to reduce Formula One’s carbon emissions from the 2026 season.

Confirmed:

• Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will host Formula One on the third or fourth weekend of May each year
• Canadian race will now be paired with the Miami Grand Prix
• The European leg of the season will now be held in one consecutive period, reducing overall emissions

Context:

The promises to improve the regionalisation of the Formula One calendar are beginning to bear fruit. Series organisers have managed to convince Canada to move earlier in the year having previously tried and failed, with a new promoter at the circuit backing the change. This new deal follows the recent extension with the Monaco Grand Prix that saw the iconic race moved to the first weekend of June.

Formula One has done well at rationalising the calendar in recent years, with Japan moved to the spring to align with races in the Asia Pacific region, Azerbaijan paired with Singapore in the autumn, and Qatar shifted to the round before Abu Dhabi.

However, celebrations around reducing carbon emissions over the course of a season will fall flat if the expected globalisation of the schedule continues. After all, the most environmentally friendly section of the Formula One calendar is the European leg, which looks set to shrink in favour of new races, with Rwanda, Argentina and Thailand all mooted.

Comment:

“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 Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula One.

“We applaud the tremendous effort from all involved to accelerate the temporary build of the event, to be ready to host the Formula One 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.”

Coming next:

Formula One’s record 24-race season comes to a close with a triple-header, starting with the Las Vegas Grand Prix from 21st to 23rd November. The series will then travel over 8,000 miles to Qatar before finishing up the 2024 campaign in Abu Dhabi.

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