F1 Moving Canadian GP to May to ‘Rationalize’ Calendar

Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 9, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in action during the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 9, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in action during the race. (Reuters)
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F1 Moving Canadian GP to May to ‘Rationalize’ Calendar

Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 9, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in action during the race. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 9, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in action during the race. (Reuters)

Formula 1 announced the Canadian Grand Prix will move from mid-June to May on the 2026 schedule to "rationalize" the circuit's schedule.

The move is expected to see the Montreal event follow the Miami Grand Prix, while the recently-announced extension for the iconic Monaco Grand Prix will shift to the first weekend in June.

The changes will eliminate F1 from criss-crossing the Atlantic Ocean as part of its sustainability and cost-efficiency efforts.

This year, F1 held nine races in Europe, with the Canadian Grand Prix interrupting the stretch with its June 9 date.

"The move will allow the European leg of the F1 season to be consolidated into one consecutive period over Europe's summer months and is planned to remove an additional transatlantic crossing by the F1 community each year -- meaning significant associated carbon reductions," F1 said in a statement.

It is a continuation of F1's ongoing efforts to improve efficiencies in the schedule. The Japanese Grand Prix has been moved to the spring to align with other races in the Asia Pacific Region. The Azerbaijan event was moved to the autumn to better align with Singapore, and Qatar was shifted to before the season-ending Abu Dhabi race.



Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
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Rafael Nadal and Spain’s Davis Cup Captain Won’t Say Whether He’ll Play before Retirement

Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)
Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Preview - Hotel Higueron Resort, Malaga, Spain - November 18, 2024 Spain's Rafael Nadal during a press conference. (Reuters)

Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will play singles or doubles — or even at all — at the Davis Cup Final 8, his last event before retirement.

Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. The winner will play in the semifinals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.

Asked at a news conference how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play, Nadal said: "That’s a question for the captain." That response drew a smile and laugh from Ferrer, sitting to Nadal's left.

Moments later at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles south of the arena in Malaga, the question of Nadal's participation was put to Ferrer.

"I don’t know yet," Ferrer said. "At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow."

The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup at home in Spain. He has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to fewer than 25 official matches in that span.

"I'm not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later," said Nadal, wearing the squad's red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.

"I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement," Nadal said. "It will be a big change in my life after this week."

Nadal said it doesn't "make sense to keep going knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive because my body" won’t allow it.

He hasn't played an official match since the Paris Olympics in early August. He lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

"I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event," Nadal said. "When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that."

Spain's Davis Cup team also includes Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.