On the penultimate weekend of May, motorsport fans from around the world gather on their sofas or at the racetrack to experience the greatest Sunday of the year - a day that has become known colloquially as 'Motorsport Christmas'. That is, until now.

In 2025, after tucking into the crown jewel of the F1 calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix, fans were treated to the 109th running of the greatest spectacle in racing, the . After Alex Palou's crowning moment, we were then treated to the Coca-Cola 600 as Ross Chastain and William Byron duked it out in the closing laps of NASCAR's longest race.

Unfortunately, this won't be repeated in 2026. The confirmed what was widely reported - Monaco has moved to a date in early June. In exchange, Montreal's Canadian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, May 24.

This change is not without benefits. Most notably, the European leg of the season is now truly European, with no need for the paddock to return to North America after already racing in Monaco and Barcelona.

This has significant benefits for those working in the sport and contributes to F1's aim to improve the series' sustainability. However, for the everyday race fan, the downside is clear to see, and this also puts the iconic Canadian GP in a nervous spot as it battles to secure a long-term future on the schedule.

With Imola now gone, Zandvoort preparing for its final event in 2026 and Spa and Barcelona both scrapping for their futures, Stefano Domenicali has made it clear that history and character alone are not enough to keep a circuit on the calendar, and after the logistical shambles of the 2024 Canadian GP, the .

What it doesn't need, therefore, is to go head to head with one of the most prestigious and entertaining events on the sporting calendar. F1 is desperate to capture the North American market, so going toe-to-toe with the Indy 500 is a grave miscalculation.

Green flag timings are currently not public, but Sunday's race gets underway at 2pm (UK time), while the 109th running of the Indy 500 was scheduled to go green at 12.45pm. If F1 doesn't shift the Canadian GP later, a direct clash is incoming, and no fan of both series would dare miss IndyCar's crown jewel, no matter how entertaining Montreal can be.

This will likely harm both ratings and ticket sales, and with the Canadian Grand Prix already under pressure despite its contract running through until 2031, F1's latest calendar call could be a nail in its coffin.