Formula 1 returns to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from 22-24 March, with the BBC offering comprehensive live radio commentary, text updates and online analysis across every session of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Listeners can follow all three practice sessions, qualifying and the 70-lap race live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, with Jack Nicholls leading commentary alongside 1996 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, returning to the circuit named after his father.
The Montreal round marks the third race of the 2026 season and the first visit to North America under the sport’s sweeping new technical regulations, which have reshaped the competitive order after two opening flyaway rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
BBC coverage schedule and how to tune in
Every on-track session will be carried live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, with full race commentary simulcast on BBC Radio 5 Live. UK audiences can stream all sessions through BBC Sounds, while the BBC Sport website and app will run live text commentary with lap-by-lap updates, driver radio transcripts and timing data.
- Practice 1: Friday 22 March, 17:30 GMT
- Practice 2: Friday 22 March, 21:00 GMT
- Practice 3: Saturday 23 March, 16:30 GMT
- Qualifying: Saturday 23 March, 20:00 GMT
- Race: Sunday 24 March, 18:00 GMT
Andrew Benson, the BBC’s chief F1 writer, will file analysis pieces after qualifying and the race, with paddock interviews and team principal reaction published throughout the weekend. The BBC Sport F1 podcast, Chequered Flag, will release a preview episode on Thursday evening and a full race review by Sunday night, hosted by Nicholls with regular contributions from Jennie Gow and former Jordan and Stewart team manager Andy Stevenson.
Highlights of qualifying and the race will not be available on BBC television, with Channel 4 retaining the UK free-to-air highlights package under its existing arrangement with Formula 1. The BBC’s rights cover radio, digital text and online audio only.
What to watch for on the Île Notre-Dame
The 4.361km semi-permanent circuit, built around the rowing basin from the 1976 Olympics, is one of the most demanding stop-start tracks on the calendar. Heavy braking into the hairpin at Turn 10 and the chicane onto the start-finish straight punishes any car with a weak rear end, and the Wall of Champions at the final corner has claimed Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Sebastian Vettel during qualifying or race weekends.
Under the 2026 regulations, cars are roughly 30kg lighter, run active aerodynamics on both front and rear wings, and draw 50% of their power from electrical deployment. Energy recovery and battery management will be a central narrative in Montreal, where the long full-throttle sections between Turns 7 and 10 and onto the pit straight leave drivers exposed if they exhaust deployment before the braking zones.
Pirelli has nominated its three softest compounds — C3, C4 and C5 — and the safety car has appeared in 10 of the past 15 races at the venue, making strategy unusually reactive. Track evolution is also severe; the surface is rarely used between grands prix and grip improves dramatically across the weekend.
The wider championship picture
Two races into the season, the new regulations have produced the closest qualifying field in F1’s hybrid era, with the gap from pole to tenth covering less than seven tenths of a second in Jeddah. McLaren and Mercedes have shared the opening victories, while Red Bull’s struggle to recover the dominance of its previous-generation car has been the early storyline. Ferrari arrives in Montreal having scored a double podium in Saudi Arabia, raising expectations that Charles Leclerc — winner here in 2024 — can convert pace into a third career victory in Canada.
Lewis Hamilton, in his second season with Ferrari, holds the all-time Canadian Grand Prix record with seven wins and will be chasing a first podium of 2026 after two points finishes outside the top five. For home interest, Williams driver Logan Sargeant is the only North American on the grid, while Lance Stroll, the Montreal-born Aston Martin driver, has never finished higher than ninth at his home race.
A Sunday result in Montreal will set the tone before the European leg of the season opens in Imola in May, with team upgrade packages already trailed for the next two rounds. For BBC listeners, it is the first weekend of the year where commentary will run deep into the UK evening — the race lights go out at 18:00 GMT, with the chequered flag expected shortly after 20:00.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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