Round five of the 2026 Formula 1 season arrives in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve – which is also the third sprint event of the campaign – from 22-24 May.
George Russell beat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli and reigning world champion Lando Norris to pole position for the sprint race.
Russell was 0.068 seconds quicker than title leader Antonelli, who holds a 20-point advantage over the Briton in the drivers’ championship.
Saturday’s sprint takes place at 17:00 BST, while Sunday’s main race gets under way at 21:00.
The grand prix is starting two hours later than last year to avoid a clash with the Indianapolis 500, which is due to get under way at 17:30.
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Session start times and BBC coverage
Commentary of the race will be available across BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.
You can also listen by asking most smart speakers to “play BBC Radio 5 Live” or “play BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra”.
Make sure to listen to every episode of the Chequered Flag podcast. For the first time this year, the post-race show for every grand prix is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.
All times BST
Saturday, 23, May
Sprint: 17:00-18:00 (Sports Extra 3 via BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Qualifying: 21:00-22:00 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
Sunday, 24 May
Race: 21:00 (build-up from 20:45 on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and smart speakers)
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What is the Montreal weather forecast?
The forecast is mixed for this weekend’s racing in Montreal.
Saturday’s sprint and main qualifying will be dry and sunny, with temperatures between 19C and 21C.
On Sunday, the weather changes, with the risk of rain at 70% for lights out at 4pm local time. The temperature also drops to about 15C to 16C.
How many laps is the Canadian sprint race?
Fresh from Norris taking a dominate victory from pole position at the second sprint in Miami three weeks ago, Canada is hosting its first sprint event this weekend.
The shorter race at the 4.361km Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve will be 23 laps.
The fast, low-downforce circuit mixes long straights into heavy braking zones and is a favourite among drivers and fans, with opportunities to overtake at the Turn 10 hairpin and the final chicane at Turns 13 and 14.
But drivers also need to watch out for the ‘Wall of Champions’ right at the end of the lap, which was nicknamed after three world champions – Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve – all crashed at the same place during the 1999 weekend.
Following Montreal, the final three sprint races will be held at Silverstone in July, Zandvoort in August and Singpore in October.