Formula 1 heads to Montreal this weekend for the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix at the legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Known for its long straights, aggressive braking zones and the infamous “Wall of Champions”, the Canadian GP is always one of the most entertaining races on the calendar.
If you want to experience the event from home, Assetto Corsa remains one of the best simulators for recreating the Formula 1 atmosphere with community-made mods, updated tracks and modern car packs.
So, as usual, here’s how to recreate the Canadian GP at home.
What to expect from the 2026 Canadian GP
Montreal is one of the best Formula 1 tracks for drivers because it combines low-downforce speed with technical sections
that punish mistakes immediately.
The final chicane and the famous Wall of Champions remain one of the most iconic sections in Formula 1 history.
Over the years, world champions including Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve have all crashed there.
- Long straights and heavy braking battles
- High kerb usage
- Excellent overtaking opportunities
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve facts
- Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Layout type: Semi-permanent street circuit on Île Notre-Dame
- Lap length: 4.361 km (2.710 miles)
- Race distance: 305.27 km over 70 laps
- Number of corners: 14 turns — long straights, heavy braking zones and fast chicanes
- First F1 race: 1978
- Signature sections: Wall of Champions, final chicane, L’Epingle hairpin
- OT zones: Main DRS zone on the Casino Straight into the final chicane and pit straight into Turn 1
2026 Canadian Grand Prix session schedule
The 2026 Canadian GP takes place from May 22 to May 24 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
The event uses the Sprint weekend format this year.
| Session | Montreal (EDT) | CEST (Spain) | UK (BST) | NY (ET) | LA (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 | Fri May 22 – 12:30 | Fri 18:30 | Fri 17:30 | Fri 12:30 | Fri 09:30 |
| Sprint Qualifying | Fri May 22 – 16:30 | Fri 22:30 | Fri 21:30 | Fri 16:30 | Fri 13:30 |
| Sprint Race (23 laps) | Sat May 23 – 12:00 | Sat 18:00 | Sat 17:00 | Sat 12:00 | Sat 09:00 |
| GP Qualifying | Sat May 23 – 16:00 | Sat 22:00 | Sat 21:00 | Sat 16:00 | Sat 13:00 |
| Main Race (70 laps) | Sun May 24 – 16:00 | Sun 22:00 | Sun 21:00 | Sun 16:00 | Sun 13:00 |
Schedule based on the official Formula 1 2026 Canadian Grand Prix timetable.
Good night race for Europe, and a nice evening slot if you’re watching from the East Coast.
Recreate the 2026 Canadian GP in Assetto Corsa
If you own Assetto Corsa on PC, you can bring the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix to your rig with a combination of community content and tools. With the right F1 2026 car mod, an updated version of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Content Manager, you can set up a full race distance, practice sessions and even simulate the real‑world schedule from Friday to Sunday.
The idea is simple: load the latest F1 2026 mod, pick the Canadian GP layout and race against an AI grid that mirrors the real starting field. Thanks to modern physics and high‑quality track models, braking points, kerbs and racing lines will feel close enough to reality to make it a useful playground both for fun and for basic race preparation.
The circuit is not officially available for Assetto Corsa, but we leave you a link. To manage the rest, you can use:
- Montreal Gilles Villeneuve (Free)
- Montreal (another version)
- Formula Hybrid X 2026
- Formula Ultra 2026 1.1 (Free)
- Content Manager
We leave you with some impressive videos in Assetto Corsa:
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