F1 Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying – Start time, how to watch, channel

The Bahrain International Circuit plays host to the opening round of the 2023 Formula 1 season on March 3-5. Here's how and when you can watch qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday.

Fernando Alonso set the pace in Friday practice for Aston Martin, leading Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Charles Leclerc was fourth-quickest for Ferrari, while Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg finished a strong fifth on his full-time return to F1.

What time does qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix start?

Qualifying for the Bahrain GP will begin at 6pm local time (+3 GMT) at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023
Start time: 18:00 local time / 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET / 17:00 SAST / 18:00 EAT / 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT / 02:00 AEST (Sunday) / 00:00 JST (Sunday) / 20:30 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

2023 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix session timings in different timezones

Session	GMT	CET	ET	PT	AEDT	JST	IST
FP1	11:30	12:30	06:30	03:30	22:30	20:30	17:00
FP2	15:00	16:00	10:00	07:00	02:00¹	00:00¹	20:30
FP3	11:30	12:30	06:30	03:30	22:30	20:30	17:00
Q	15:00	16:00	10:00	07:00	02:00¹	00:00¹	20:30
Race	15:00	16:00	10:00	07:00	02:00¹	00:00¹	20:30

How can I watch qualifying?

Formula 1 is broadcast live in nearly every country around the world.

Europe:

Austria - Servus TV / ORF
Belgium - RTBF / Telenet / Play Sports
Croatia - Sport Klub
Czech Republic - AMC
Denmark - TV3+ / TV3 Sport / Viaplay
Finland - Viaplay / V sport + / V sport 1
France - Canal+
Germany - Sky
Greece - ANT1 / ANT1+
Hungary - M4
Italy - Sky
Netherlands - Viaplay / Viaplay Xtra
Norway - V sport 1 / V sport + / Viaplay
Poland - Viaplay
Portugal - Sport TV
Spain - F1 DAZN
Sweden - Viaplay / V sport motor / TV 10
Switzerland - SRF / RSI / RTS
UK - Sky Sports F1

Americas:

USA - ESPN
Canada - RDS / RDS2 / TSN / Noovo
Latin America - ESPN

Asia:

China - CCTV/ Great Sports TV / Guangdong Television Channel
India - F1 TV only
Japan - Fuji TV / DAZN
Malaysia - beIN SPORTS
Indonesia- beIN SPORTS
Singapore - beIN SPORTS
Thailand - beIN SPORTS
Turkey - S Sport / S Sport Plus
Vietnam - K+

Oceania:

Australia - Fox Sports / Foxtel / Kayo
New Zealand - Sky

Africa:

Africa - SuperSport

Can I stream qualifying?

Viewers from selected countries can subscribe to F1 TV to stream qualifying on a device of their choice. Some local broadcasters such as Sky TV (UK) and Movistar (Spain) also offer their own on-demand service.

Live commentary

Motorsport.com will bring the latest updates from Sakhir throughout the weekend, including live commentary during qualifying on Saturday.

Bahrain GP - FP1 results:

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Time	Gap
1	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	1'32.758
2	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1'33.196	0.438
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1'33.375	0.617
4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1'34.165	1.407
5	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1'34.257	1.499
6	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1'34.298	1.540
7	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1'34.402	1.644
8	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	1'34.575	1.817
9	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	1'34.689	1.931
10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1'34.917	2.159
11	George Russell	Mercedes	1'34.966	2.208
12	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1'34.997	2.239
13	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1'35.015	2.257
14	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	1'35.043	2.285
15	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1'35.105	2.347
16	Nyck de Vries	AlphaTauri	1'35.402	2.644
17	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1'35.455	2.697
18	Logan Sargeant	Williams	1'35.749	2.991
19	Alex Albon	Williams	1'36.018	3.260
20	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1'36.072	3.314
View full results

Bahrain GP - FP2 results:

Cla	Driver	Chassis	Time	Gap
1	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1'30.907
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1'31.076	0.169
3	Sergio Perez	Red Bull	1'31.078	0.171
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1'31.367	0.460
5	Nico Hulkenberg	Haas	1'31.376	0.469
6	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1'31.450	0.543
7	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1'31.475	0.568
8	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1'31.543	0.636
9	Lando Norris	McLaren	1'31.570	0.663
10	Zhou Guanyu	Alfa Romeo	1'31.586	0.679
11	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1'31.608	0.701
12	Valtteri Bottas	Alfa Romeo	1'31.793	0.886
13	George Russell	Mercedes	1'31.882	0.975
14	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1'31.956	1.049
15	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1'32.024	1.117
16	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1'32.110	1.203
17	Alex Albon	Williams	1'32.440	1.533
18	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1'32.525	1.618
19	Nyck de Vries	AlphaTauri	1'32.605	1.698
20	Logan Sargeant	Williams	1'32.749	1.842
View full results