Get ready for an exciting new season of Formula 1 live on Sky Sports with the first race from Bahrain happening this upcoming week; Remember the modified schedule: Practice on Thursday, Qualifying on Friday, and the Grand Prix on SATURDAY at the start of the season’s first two rounds;
Formula 1 is back! A record-24 race season live on Sky Sports F1 begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix this week as the competition for 2024 glory kicks off and rivalries take center stage on the track.
After a busy and unpredictable winter break followed by three days of testing in Bahrain, the new 2024 cars will make their competitive debut under floodlights at the Bahrain International Circuit as other teams aim to challenge world champions Red Bull and Max Verstappen this season.
The opening race weekend – along with the following week’s second round in Saudi Arabia – starts a day earlier than usual, which means Practice will be on Thursday, Qualifying on Friday, and the Grand Prix on Saturday.
Sky F1 will be bringing live coverage starting from Wednesday in Bahrain to kick off and preview the season, with the Drivers’ Press Conference and a special season-opening preview episode of The F1 Show airing live.
Then, the on-track action begins from just before lunchtime on Thursday with Practice, leading to Qualifying on Friday at 4pm, followed by the season-opening 57-lap Grand Prix on Saturday at 3pm.
Watch highlights of the F1 2023 season opener at the Bahrain Grand Prix
In addition to the Formula 1 action, the new Formula 2 and Formula 3 seasons also start in Bahrain and all their track sessions will be broadcast live on the channel.
Why is the opening race on Saturday?
Due to a scheduling change for the two opening back-to-back rounds in the Middle East, the race weekend kicks off a day earlier than usual.
This adjustment is because the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is set to begin on Sunday March 10, the same day when the Saudi Arabian race would traditionally have taken place.
To avoid a clash, the schedule for the Jeddah event had to be moved forward by a day – leading to the race being shifted to Saturday, qualifying to Friday, and practice to Thursday – following FIA regulations requiring a full seven days between Grands Prix, which prompted Bahrain to adopt the same earlier schedule.
How to watch and stream Sky Sports F1 live in 2024
Sky Sports F1 is the go-to channel for Formula 1 fans in the UK and Ireland and will once again showcase every session from every race weekend live in the 2024 season.
Subscribers can enjoy live race weekend coverage through various means, including on TV – Sky Sports channel 406 – and on the Sky Sports app by logging in with their Sky iD.
The channel can also be accessed on NOW with a Sports Day or Month Membership without requiring a contract.
Furthermore, on the Sky Sports app, Race Control will be available to logged-in subscribers, allowing them to customize their viewing experience with onboard views from each of the 20 cars throughout the weekend, enabling fans to follow their favorite driver closely.
In this setup, viewers can also access the ‘Battle Channel’ – a split-screen feature focusing on battles between up to three cars – in addition to switching between options like the driver tracker, multi-screen, timing screen, onboard mix, and of course, the main live Sky Sports F1 channel feed itself. This service is also accessible on Sky Q and Sky Glass.
Sky Sports F1’s live Bahrain GP schedule
Wednesday February 28
- 12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
- 3pm: The F1 Show – 2024 Preview
Thursday February 29
- 7.50am: F3 Practice
- 9am: F2 Practice
- 11am: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am)
- 12.55pm: F3 Qualifying
- 1.40pm: F2 Qualifying
- 2.35pm: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 3pm)
- 4.15pm: The F1 Show
Friday March 1
- 10.10am: F3 Sprint Race
- 12.15pm: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 12.30pm)
- 2.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 3.10pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying build-up
- 4pm: BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
- 6pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Saturday March 2
- 8.55am: F3 Feature Race
- 10.25am: F2 Feature Race
- 1.30pm: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Saturday
- 3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
- 5pm: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
- 6pm: Ted’s Notebook
- 6.30pm: Bahrain GP highlights
Don’t miss any round of the new season, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix from Thursday February 29 to Saturday March 2. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership