IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix

The second of the two races of this new North American swing takes place this weekend, and it’s a slightly earlier trip to Canada than in the past. Back-to-back Sprint weekends means plenty of track action once again - just one of many things to look forward to ahead of the weekend getting underway in Montreal.

Russell returning to a happy hunting ground

George Russell was the favourite heading into the season for many, and his strong performance in Australia only served to strengthen that belief as Mercedes started the year in dominant form.

While reliability issues hit Russell in Qualifying of the Chinese Grand Prix - a race that saw Kimi Antonelli become an F1 winner for the first time - it was the Italian who gained the upper hand with a further two victories in both Japan and Miami.

It was a particularly impressive performance in Florida as Antonelli opened up a 20-point lead at the top of the championship, but Russell has previously found the going slightly tougher in Miami, unlike Canada…

Montreal was the scene of victory from pole position for Russell last season, while he was also on the podium having started from pole a year before. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve has been a strong venue that could well provide the Briton with a good opportunity to hit back in the early stages of this title race.

The chasing pack trying to keep the pressure on Mercedes

The Miami Grand Prix saw a huge amount of upgrades introduced by a number of teams, including McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull who all made significant steps compared to Mercedes to close up the field at the front.

Lando Norris led home a McLaren 1-2 in the Sprint, before fighting Antonelli for victory in the Grand Prix, with team mate Oscar Piastri ensuring it was a double podium even if the win got away.

Mercedes are likely to bring an upgrade of their own in Canada, having only brought the first few components in Miami, with an eye on pulling a step clear of their pursuers once again. But McLaren say they have new parts to come, too.

Plus, whether there are further upgrades introduced by any of the other front-running teams or not, they will be looking to get more out of their latest packages, having had a few weeks to dive into the data after they were faced with trying to dial them in over a Sprint weekend in Miami.

What is ADUO?

A term you might hear a lot of over the coming race weekend is ADUO, which stands for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities.

ADUO is a mechanism that has been introduced as part of the new power unit regulations, allowing a manufacturer to introduce upgrades to its homologated power unit if it is judged to have a significant performance deficit. Monitored by the FIA, it only applies to the internal combustion engine (ICE), so it is not representative of full power unit performance.

Any power unit manufacturer whose ICE is judged to be more than 2% (but less than 4%) behind the best-performing ICE will be granted ADUO, providing them with one additional upgrade during the current season and one additional upgrade for the following season. If an ICE is assessed to be more than 4% behind the best-performing, then they will receive two additional upgrades for each window.

The FIA states: “Permitted upgrades include certain elements of the ICE, engine exhaust system, turbo and waste gate/pop-off, ICE or exhaust-mounted electrical components and sensors, ERS (and associated cooling systems), the MGU-K, and the car’s Control Electronics, as well as certain hydraulic functions, fluids, and ballast.”

As the fifth round of the revised 2026 season, the Canadian Grand Prix marks the end of the first period of monitoring before the FIA communicates the results and any potential ADUO allocations. The second period runs from rounds 6-11 (Monaco to Hungary) and the third period from the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort up to round 18 in Mexico City.

A track that often provides excitement

The Canadian Grand Prix has been a highlight of the calendar for many drivers for some time, due in part to the combination of the crowd, venue and propensity for some chaotic races in the past.

A huge number of fans descend on Montreal for the race weekend and make for a great atmosphere around the circuit, with the opening section of corners and the hairpin seeing massive grandstands flanking the track. Given it all takes place on an island in the middle of the St Lawrence River, it’s a unique setting.

The layout itself is also a challenging but exciting one for the drivers, with lots of chicanes that feature concrete walls waiting to punish any mistakes. The most famous is the ‘Wall of Champions’ on the outside of the final chicane, dubbed as such due to the fact that three World Champions - Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill - all hit it in the same race weekend in 1999.

When it comes to drama, Jenson Button’s epic victory for McLaren in 2011 springs to mind, but there have been a number of thrilling scraps on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve that have kept fans on the edge of their seats. With a regular chance of unsettled weather only increased by the new May race date, too, could this year provide more of the same?

A first Sprint weekend in Canada

If this race didn’t already provide enough excitement, how about adding an extra layer with more competitive sessions?

For the first time since the Sprint format was introduced, Canada will host one of the Sprint weekends that features an extra qualifying session on Friday and race on Saturday, with more points on offer.

Teams will have just one single hour to get their cars set up for the circuit, but just as important could be the fact that the drivers are also then limited on track time for their own confidence. At a track like Montreal - where using the kerbs and flirting with the wall on the exit of certain corners are key to a good lap time - drivers are often building up to the limit, knowing it isn’t possible to push beyond it and then take a step back.

Those who feel the most confident earliest on Friday will get a bigger return as a result of the Sprint, but we could also see others finding time the longer the weekend goes on, offering another aspect to the competitive picture.