In 2026, the Canadian Grand Prix and the Indy 500 will coincide in time.

      In 2026, for the first time in history, a Formula 1 race will be held not only on the same day as the Indy 500, but also almost simultaneously.

      Accordingly, fans will have to choose what to watch, and judging by the reaction of the public on social media, she doesn't like it.

      In Formula 1, when making up the calendar for the next season, for logistical reasons, they changed the date of the stage in Canada and moved it to May 24, but on this day the classic race in Indianapolis will be held in the USA.

      It starts at 12:45 p.m. ET (EDT), and the Canadian Grand Prix starts at 2 p.m., so the Indy 500 will be in full swing at this point.

      In previous years, including in 2025, the Indy 500 was held on the day of the Monaco Grand Prix, but on Sunday evening, so there was no overlap, but this time the interests of the fans, which are so fond of talking about in Formula 1 and the FIA, took a back seat.

      In terms of logistics, the 2026 calendar is somewhat more rational, since most of the equipment of the World Championship teams will remain in North America, where it will be delivered before the Miami Grand Prix scheduled for the first weekend of May, and the race in Montreal will take place three weeks later.

      But at the same time, the two stages are separated by a very long pause, so the team staff will still have to return to Europe – wouldn't it be more logical to hold the races in Miami and Canada side by side? And then it would have been possible to avoid overlaps with the Indy 500, which holds the world record for attendance, and also remains one of the leaders in television ratings.

      By the way, the weather in Montreal is usually less favorable in May than in June, and there is also such an overlap, and something suggests that the promoters of the Canadian Grand Prix are not thrilled that the preferences of the audience, primarily North American, will inevitably be divided, and this may affect ticket sales.

      Even NASCAR is making adjustments to the popularity of the Indy 500, trying to adjust its calendar so that the races of the body series do not coincide with such an important event in the world of motorsport.

      However, today's version of the World Cup calendar is preliminary, and Formula 1 will still have time to make some adjustments, because in order to avoid a direct overlap, it is enough to at least change the start time of the Canadian Grand Prix. 

      The global racing press will be following the further developments with interest; as the British MotorSport Magazine writes, so far it seems that Formula 1 is deliberately acting to annoy the IndyCar organizers.