FIA sets a new rule for the second time in F1 history just before Canadian GP qualifying.
The FIA has used one of their new rules for 2026 for only the second time, just before qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix. Qualifying in Montreal starts at 9pm UK time. Earlier in the day, Mercedes’ George Russell won the sprint race, finishing ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell and Antonelli had a tricky moment on track that led to team boss Toto Wolff stepping in over the team radio. Antonelli said Russell pushed him off the track during an overtake, but the FIA didn’t give either driver a penalty.
While the sprint race was held in dry weather, the FIA has declared a ‘rain hazard’ for qualifying. Their official note says that because there’s a forecast showing a more than 40% chance of rain during the race, the rain hazard rule will apply.
This new rule started with the 2026 F1 season along with other regulation changes. It lets teams tweak their car setups during the race weekend even under parc fermé conditions, which usually stop major changes once qualifying starts. Before this rule, if the weather was mixed, teams had a tough time picking the right setup. For example, a car set up for a wet qualifying session might start higher on the grid but struggle if the race was dry.
Now, if there’s more than a 40% chance of rain, teams can adjust their cars during the weekend to better match the conditions. This also helps protect the car’s plank—the part under the floor—from wearing out too fast, since teams can change things like ride height and front aero settings. Cars with too much plank wear after a race risk disqualification.
The rule is in effect for the first nine races of the season and might be used longer if it works well. It was first used before the Miami Grand Prix this month, where rain was expected but the weekend turned out mostly dry, giving teams steady conditions to set up their cars.