F1 race weekend guide: sessions, sprint weekends and race times in your time zone

Formula 1 travels the world, so race times move around the clock from one weekend to the next. One race is on at breakfast time in the Americas, the next late at night. This guide explains how a weekend is laid out and how our F1 page keeps track of it.

A normal weekend

Usually a weekend goes like this. Friday and Saturday morning are for practice, where teams try out setups. Saturday afternoon is qualifying, which fixes the grid and is often as gripping as Sunday. The race runs about 305 kilometres and normally takes around ninety minutes.

Sprint weekends

Six weekends a season use a sprint format. There is only one practice session, followed by sprint qualifying on Friday. Saturday has the sprint race and then Grand Prix qualifying, and Sunday has the Grand Prix as usual. Sprint weekends pack more racing into less time, so it is worth checking the page on Friday.

Why the times jump around

Each race starts at a time that suits the host country. European races usually begin in the afternoon there, which is morning on the US East Coast. Rounds in Asia and the Gulf can land overnight for viewers in the Americas. Night races run under floodlights and have their own schedule.

You do not need to do any conversion. Every session on MethStreams is shown in the time zone set on your device, so the time you see is the time it starts where you are.

Where F1 is shown

Apple TV has the US rights to Formula 1. Broadcasters differ from country to country, and many of those countries can also buy F1 TV directly. If you want the official route, check what is available where you live.

How the F1 page works

Three days are on the F1 page at any time: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Plenty of race weekends sit under a single listing, so whichever session you open, practice or race, the same links apply until the flag falls. A session with a listing of its own carries its own start time, and whatever is running right now is pinned to the top with a LIVE badge.

MotoGP, NASCAR, IndyCar and similar series show up on that page too when our sources carry them, each in its own group.

Following a session you cannot watch

If you are at work during practice, the official F1 live timing shows positions and lap times as they happen, with no video. Many fans follow practice that way and save the stream for qualifying and the race.

Stream tips for race day

• Open the event page a few minutes before lights out. Links for a weekend listing are usually up well before the race.
• If the picture stutters at the start, try the next link. Race starts are when players are busiest.
• If a player stays black, change the VPN location or switch it off for that tab.

More fixes are in our troubleshooting guide.