The 2026 Canadian Grand Prix could turn into a real headache this Sunday, with extremely unstable weather forecasted at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.
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According to the latest forecasts published this Sunday morning, Montreal faces a 90% chance of rain at the race start time. A significant storm cell is currently crossing the region and could severely disrupt the on-track action.
Conditions are expected to improve slightly throughout the day, but the rain would remain sufficiently present to considerably complicate the running of the Grand Prix, which is scheduled to start at 4:00 PM local time.
The wind could also become a major factor with gusts announced up to 50 km/h on certain parts of the circuit.
Pirelli recommends extreme wet tires
Given these forecasted conditions, Pirelli has already advised teams to use extreme wet tires rather than intermediates. A rare recommendation in modern Formula 1, where blue tires are often avoided due to their narrow operating window.
However, the Italian manufacturer believes that the very low temperatures — between 10 and 13 degrees — combined with the low energy generated by the Montreal track could prevent intermediate tires from working properly.
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The Gilles Villeneuve circuit, with its long straights and heavy braking but few fast corners, indeed makes it particularly difficult to bring the tires up to temperature.
An unpredictable scenario for the teams
These conditions could completely reshuffle the cards for the race. Several drivers have already expressed their concerns about the new 2026 power units in the rain, notably Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, who fear very difficult-to-manage behavior in these conditions.
Between reduced visibility, lack of grip, and risks of overheating or loss of tire temperature, teams are almost going in blind before the start.
A race of attrition in prospect?
With such tricky conditions, the Canadian Grand Prix could quickly become a race of attrition. Mistakes are likely to be numerous on a circuit already known to be ruthless in the rain, especially in braking zones and at the exits of chicanes.
In this context, tire management and the drivers’ ability to avoid errors could weigh much more than pure performance this Sunday in Montreal.
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