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Key takeaways
- Races in the Americas start in the afternoon in Canada, European races in the morning and Asian and Australian races overnight.
- The Canadian Grand Prix is held at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, and the race itself normally starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
- The final 2026 races run from Austin to Abu Dhabi, with the Las Vegas race starting after midnight on Sunday in the East.
- If you want to watch the race and a hockey game at once, you need two connections.
The Montreal Grand Prix
Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve sits on Île Notre-Dame and is one of the most popular stops on the calendar. The race has recently been held in late spring or early summer, with a Sunday start at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Check the official calendar for the date and for whether the weekend is a sprint weekend.
Because the race is in your time zone, it is the easiest weekend of the year to watch live. Practice and qualifying also fit into normal waking hours.
How a race weekend works
A standard weekend has two practice sessions on Friday, a third practice and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday. A sprint weekend has one practice and sprint qualifying on Friday, the sprint race and grand-prix qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday.
Session times are set in local time at the circuit, so convert each one the day before.
The rest of the 2026 season in Eastern time
These are planned start times for the Sunday races and one Saturday-night race. Confirm them on the official timetable before you set an alarm.
| Race | Date | Start (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | 25 October | 3:00 p.m. |
| Mexico City | 1 November | 3:00 p.m. |
| São Paulo | 8 November | 12:00 p.m. |
| Las Vegas | 21 November (Saturday night) | Sunday, 1:00 a.m. |
| Qatar | 29 November | 12:00 p.m. |
| Abu Dhabi | 6 December | 8:00 a.m. |
Clocks in Canada go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026 and forward on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Pacific time is three hours earlier than Eastern: the Abu Dhabi finale starts at 5:00 a.m. PT.
A rule of thumb by region
| Where the race is | What it means in Canada (Eastern) |
|---|---|
| Europe | Morning, usually around 9:00 a.m. |
| Middle East | Early morning to midday |
| Asia and Australia | Overnight or very early morning |
| The Americas | Afternoon |
A race-day plan for home viewers
- Check the timetable on the Thursday before the race and convert the session times.
- Find the session in your program guide and add the channel to your favourites.
- Test 20 minutes before lights out. Open the channel, check picture and sound, and let any app update finish.
- Use a cable or a strong 5 GHz signal. Live sport exposes a weak Wi-Fi link.
- Keep the backup line handy. If a stream struggles, switching to the backup server takes a few seconds.
Picture and sound settings for motorsport
- Match the frame rate. Turn on frame-rate matching on your streaming device to keep fast pans smooth.
- Use a sports or standard picture mode. Keep motion smoothing low to avoid artefacts around the cars.
- Check the audio track. Some channels offer the team-radio or onboard feeds and more than one commentary language.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Canadian Grand Prix start?
The race normally starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Confirm the date and the session times on the official F1 timetable.
Why do European races start so early in Canada?
European races start mid-afternoon local time, which is about 9:00 a.m. Eastern and 6:00 a.m. Pacific.
When is the last race of 2026?
The 2026 season finishes in Abu Dhabi on 6 December, with a planned start of 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
Can I watch the race later?
If your program guide includes catch-up for the channel, yes. Stay off the results until you have watched.
Can I watch two sessions at the same time?
Yes, on two screens, if your plan has two connections. One connection plays one stream at a time.
Choose your IPTV Quebec plan
Every plan opens the same channels, films and series. Choose how long you want it and how many screens should play at once: one, two or three connections. Plans start at $17 CAD for one month, or $6.42 CAD a month on the 12-month plan.
