2021 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix session timings and preview
Formula 1 travels to Barcelona this weekend for the fourth round of the 2021 season. Scroll down to view the full schedule for the Spanish Grand Prix.


Mercedes has been the dominant manufacturer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya of late, with only the infamous collision between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at the 2016 Spanish GP preventing the German manufacturer from completing a clean sweep of victories in the V6 turbo hybrid era.
The Black Arrows will also be boosted by its result in the Portuguese Grand Prix last weekend, with Hamilton passing Max Verstappen to take a convincing victory at Portimao.
While the opening two races saw a close battle between Mercedes and Red Bull, the Algarve event was largely a one-sided contest, as Mercedes enjoyed a visible advantage over its main rival in race trim.
The tyre allocation for Barcelona is also the same as Portimao, with Pirelli again bringing its three hardest compounds due to the loads generated by the cars at the Spanish venue.
The Barcelona circuit has undergone minor changes since the last running of the Spanish GP, with Turn 10 completely remodelled to improve safety.
2021 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix session timings in different timezones
Session | GMT | BST | CEST | ET | PT | AEST | JST | IST |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FP1 | 09:30 | 10:30 | 11:30 | 05:30 | 02:30 | 19:30 | 18:30 | 15:00 |
FP2 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
FP3 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 06:00 | 03:00 | 20:00 | 19:00 | 15:30 |
Qualifying | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
Race | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in the UK/Portugal
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 10:30 - 11:30 BST
- Free Practice 2: 14:00 - 15:00 BST
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00 BST
- Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00 BST
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 14:00 - 16:00 BST
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in Europe
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 11:30 - 12:30 CEST
- Free Practice 2: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 12:00 - 13:00 CEST
- Qualifying: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 15:00 - 17:00 CEST
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in the US
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 05:30 - 06:30 ET / 02:30 - 03:30 PT
- Free Practice 2: 09:00 - 10:00 ET / 06:00 - 07:00 PT
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 006:00 - 07:00 ET / 03:00 - 04:00 PT
- Qualifying: 09:00 - 10:00 ET / 06:00 - 07:00 PT
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 09:00 - 11:00 PT / 06:00 - 08:00 PT
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in Australia
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 19:30 - 20:30 AEST
- Free Practice 2: 23:00 - 0:00 AEST
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 19:00 - 20:00 AEST
- Qualifying: 23:00 - 00:00 AEST
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 23:00 - 01:00 AEST
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in Japan
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 18:30 - 19:30 JST
- Free Practice 2: 22:00 - 23:00 JST
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 19:00 - 20:00 JST
- Qualifying: 22:00 - 23:00 JST
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 22:00 - 00:00 JST
2021 Formula 1 Spanish GP session timings in India
Friday 7th May 2021
- Free Practice 1: 15:00 - 16:00 IST
- Free Practice 2: 18:30 - 19:30 IST
Saturday 8th May 2021
- Free Practice 3: 15:30 - 16:30 IST
- Qualifying: 18:30 - 19:30 IST
Sunday 9th May 2021
- Race: 18:30 - 20:30 IST
Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the Formula 1 schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.
Pirelli tyre allocation for the Spanish Grand Prix
Pirelli is bringing the three hardest tyres from its range to Barcelona, C1, C2 and C3 - the same allocation used last time out in Portimao.
Related video

Who are the richest people in Formula 1?
Why McLaren doesn’t doubt Ricciardo can escape his ‘dark’ place

Latest news
The inconvenient questions posed by Vettel’s Williams run
Sebastian Vettel's demo laps on board his own Williams FW14B were not only a great spectacle for the fans, but were carried out with a fully sustainable, carbon-neutral fuel. And it begs the question - for all of the money F1 has spent on championing hybrids and electric components, could it go back to V8s or V10s with a similar kind of fuel?
The combination behind the Silverstone battles that showed "F1 at its best"
OPINION: The late battling in the British Grand Prix wowed Formula 1 fans and surely represents the best racing action of the season so far. And there was a cocktail of factors that created the action, from which Carlos Sainz emerged as a popular new winner.
How Ferrari's Monaco headache became its Silverstone migraine
OPINION: Ferrari won the British Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, but it ultimately cost Charles Leclerc a chance to make a bigger dent in Max Verstappen's title lead by leaving the Monegasque out on old tyres towards the end. Like Monaco, indecision over strategy proved to be the Scuderia's biggest issue - and if the team doesn't reflect, the headache can only intensify
The five factors that won Sainz a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston's latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1's champion isn't fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue.