IndyCar responds to F1's 2026 calendar controversy as 110th Indy 500 set to clash with Canadian GP

IndyCar has responded to F1 sparking controversy in the racing world after announcing its 2026 calendar. F1's schedule will see the 2026 Canadian GP directly clash with the 110th Indy 500 on May 24.

Historically, the Indy 500 has taken place on the same day as F1's Monaco GP. However, as part of its sustainability efforts, F1 swapped the Canadian GP and Monaco GP from 2026 onwards, with the Montreal race taking place after the Miami GP. That way, the series will complete two rounds of racing on the same continent instead of bouncing back and forth between North America and Europe.

However, the Canadian GP will commence at 2 pm ET and overlap with the second half of the 200-lap Indy 500, which will begin at 12:45 pm ET. This decision by the FIA-governed series was met with severe backlash by some fans on social media.

Reporter Jeff Gluck, who writes for The Athletic, reached out to IndyCar for a comment on the two races clashing. The series remained unaffected by the development, expecting an even bigger reception at the 2026 Indy 500.

"We’re looking forward to an epic 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2026, on the heels of a highly successful and historic event this year."

The 2025 Indy 500 on May 25 was sold out for the first time since the milestone 100th running of the race in 2016. Over 350,000 were in attendance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to witness the Greatest Spectacle of Racing. Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou won the race, continuing his Max Verstappen-like dominance this season.

IndyCar president reveals FOX's "secret sauce" that helped the 2025 Indy 500 shine in all its glory

Josef Newgarden leads a bunch of cars at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

IndyCar signed FOX as its exclusive broadcasting partner for 2025 and beyond, replacing NBC. The premier American open-wheel racing series worked with NBC for around two decades and with ABC before that.

FOX's ingenious marketing methods, including cross-promoting the racing series with the NFL, are helping it scale greater heights. The 109th Indy 500 in May had an average viewership of 7.05 million viewers, peaking at 8.4 million.

In an interview with BlackBook Motorsport, IndyCar president Doug Boles explained what has made FOX's efforts outperform NBC and ABC.

"We had a great partner in ABC for so long here around the Indy 500, and then obviously NBC for the last several years. But I knew early on that FOX was going to be different," the 58-year-old said.

Explaining how FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks' vision extended far beyond TV viewership, Boles added:

"We’ve got a partner who cares beyond the broadcast. They want to grow the series. They want to help the fan experience be better. We’ve been really fortunate in having a group of people that are passionate about the brand, not just the product they put on TV. That’s maybe the secret sauce right now in this FOX relationship that we might have missed a little bit in ABC and NBC."

After the recent F1 development, Drive to Survive fame Will Buxton, who is now an IndyCar commentator with FOX, called it a "shame" that the Canadian GP would clash with the 110th Indy 500.

It remains to be seen if F1 will conduct the race in Montreal at the same time every year and keep facing off against IndyCar's biggest race of the year.