Canadian GP: what time is the race? And is it forecast to rain?

It’s the eighth round of the 2023 F1 championship this weekend, and with the European section of the calendar in full swing it must obviously be time to… jet over the Atlantic?

Flanked as it is by the Spanish GP and Austrian GP (with a fortnight either side for travel), we’ll put the sport’s weird obsession with air miles aside for the time being, because the Canadian Grand Prix is usually one of the best of the season.

Defined by long straights and slow, technical corners, the circuit boasts multiple overtaking zones and a local climate that has a habit of drawing in the rain clouds. More on the (currently wet) forecast below.

Max Verstappen arrives as the championship leader, carrying a healthy 53-point advantage over teammate Sergio Perez. Red Bull comfortably leads the constructors’ standings too, and it’s hard to see anyone overhauling the RB19 on track any time soon.

Still, there’s (thankfully) always more to F1 than the battle for first and second, with Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari all closely matched, Alpine and McLaren trading blows in the middle of the pack, and Haas, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri and Williams all fighting for their lives at the back of the grid. Should be fun.

Continue scrolling for all the info you need to know pre-race…

What time is the Canadian GP? And what time is qualifying?

For UK viewers the Canadian Grand Prix gets underway at 7pm on Sunday 18 June, while qualifying begins at 9pm on Saturday 17 June.

If you’re so enamoured with the action that you fancy tuning into the practice sessions as well, then those commence as follows: FP1 starts at 6.30pm on Friday 16 June, followed by FP2 at 10pm. FP3 precedes quali on the Saturday, kicking off at 5.30pm.

What’s the weather going to be like?

If the forecast at the time of typing is to be believed, it is going to be… wet. Very wet. Rain showers are forecast in the area around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for all three days of the grand prix weekend, which should make the race unpredictable. If you’re attending in person, make sure you pack one of those ponchos. And a brolly.

Where is the Canadian GP taking place?

The Canadian Grand Prix is being held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (named after the late, great F1 driver), which has hosted the event on and off (mostly on) ever since 1982.

It’s situated on an island in Montreal and it’s technically a street circuit, although this one’s adored by most fans because overtaking is actually possible here. Unlike some city tracks…

How many laps is the Canadian GP?

The Canadian Grand Prix consists of 70 laps of the 4.361km (2.710mi) circuit. There are a grand total of 13 corners, but the track is defined by its long, straight sections spent at full throttle. That puts an enormous strain on the brakes, so don’t be surprised if we see one or two cars fall out of contention thanks to the mechanical strain loaded onto the pads.

Who’s going to win the Canadian GP?

We’d like to tell you that it’s too close to call and that any of the 20 drivers on the grid could win. But we’d be lying. Max Verstappen is the overwhelming favourite heading into the race, having won all but two of the seven grands prix so far in 2023. And he finished second in the other two.

‘Ah,’ you’ll be thinking, ‘so he is beatable?’ Er yes, if you’ve got exactly the same car as him: teammate Sergio Perez has taken the chequered flag when Verstappen hasn’t, although the Mexican’s form is all over the place right now.

If they take each other out in the first corner, who are the other contenders? Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari all look closely matched in the battle for best of the rest, so Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc will all fancy their chances if for whatever reason there’s a double Red Bull DNF.

How can I watch the Canadian GP?

F1 fans in the UK can either pay for Sky Sports to access its dedicated F1 channel, or subscribe to Now TV in order to stream Sky’s coverage via t’internet. Either that or tune in to BBC 5 Live’s race coverage: it’ll be providing live commentary when the lights go out this Sunday.

If you’d rather not bother and just stick to watching the highlights, Channel 4 is your port of call for free-to-air action with the dull bits edited out. Qualifying is broadcast so late in Europe that Channel 4’s quali round-up is actually shown on Sunday at 8.30am. The race highlights follow at 11.30pm that same day. So… fingers crossed you’re not working first thing Monday.

What’s the Top Gear view on the Canadian GP?

The Canadian Grand Prix is one of our favourites of the season: not just because it’s attended by thousands of enthusiastic fans, but it’s one of the best circuits on the calendar and produced arguably the greatest grand prix of all time in 2011 when Jenson Button recovered from last place to win for McLaren in treacherous conditions. Unforgettable.