“Single-handedly ruined Motorsport Xmas”: Scott McLaughlin reacts to F1’s decision on the Monaco GP

Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin recently shared a tweet with his followers on X. He shared his feelings about the new Formula One calendar for the 2026 season.

On Tuesday, June 10, Formula One announced its 2026 racing calendar. To the surprise of many, the Monaco Grand Prix was moved away from the Indianapolis 500 weekend and replaced with the Canadian Grand Prix. This left a lot of fans and drivers disappointed as they lost their 'Motorsport Christmas' which included the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and NASCAR's Coca Cola 600, all of which are usually held on the same day.

This change was met with criticism from fans and drivers alike. One such driver was three-time supercar champion Scott McLaughlin. The Team Penske driver shared his feelings on the situation via a post on X that read:

"Congrats to @f1 who single handedly ruined Motorsport Xmas. Indy 500 will be a scene next year. As well as the Coke 600. Good luck"

He shared another tweet that read,

"FYI.. I’m just sad for the race fan in me that loved watching 3 Crown Jewels on the same day. But instead we’ve decided to compete with each other instead of just enjoy pure Motorsport. Anyway, that is all."

In 2026, the Indianapolis 500 will begin on May 25 at 12:45 pm ET, while the Canadian Grand Prix will begin at 2:00 pm. Only time will tell if one race will impact the other, as both of them will be held in North America.

Scott McLaughlin drives the #3 Team Penske car powered by Chevrolet. His 2025 IndyCar season is off to a decent start, as he qualified in pole position at the first race of the season, held at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. He wrapped up the race in 4th place. During the Sonsio Grand Prix held on May 10, Scott McLaughlin qualified in 4th and finished the race in the same place.

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Scott McLaughlin speaks about attempting Double Duty

Scott McLaughlin recently spoke about attempting the Double in the future, like Kyle Larson. However, the 32-year-old driver emphasized that he wanted to stay focused on IndyCar. He spoke about how his main focus right now was to win at the Indy 500, where he has won pole position before.

"I would do it, but I think I've got a few boxes I want to tick here in IndyCar first. I know it's a boring answer but it's definitely something I'm really interested in doing, but I think I owe it to RP (Roger Penske) and the team to focus on what I'm doing here in IndyCar and then the rest will follow." (7:42 onwards)

"If you look at [Kyle] Larson; like he was burnt out from doing it the last couple of years and I need to make sure that I've won this big race and ultimately the one that I want to win the most, before I even think about moving on to something else and doing something crazy like that," McLaughlin added.

Scott McLaughlin is currently in 8th position in the IndyCar drivers' championship standings with 164 points to his name.