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Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix qualifying – Start time, how to watch, channel

Formula 1 travels to Sochi this weekend for the Russian Grand Prix. Here's how you can watch the qualifying on Saturday.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21

Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21

Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

Championship leader Max Verstappen will start the race from the back of the pack after Red Bull elected to fit a new Honda power train on his car.

This means the fight for pole position will be down to Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, and the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

Although Mercedes has won all seven races at Sochi since the circuit joined the F1 calendar in 2014, the German manufacturer doesn't have a perfect record when it comes to qualifying. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took pole position in the 2017 edition of the race, while his teammate Charles Leclerc topped qualifying at Sochi two years later.

What time does qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix start?

Qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix will begin at 15:00 local time (+3 GMT) at Sochi Autodrom. The three-part session will last approximately one hour.

  • Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021 
  • Start time: 12:00 GMT / 13:00 BST / 14:00 CEST / 14:00 SAT / 15:00 EAT / 15:00 local time / 08:00 ET / 05:00 PT / 22:00 AEST / 21:00 JST / 17:30 IST

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

2021 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix session timings in different timezones

Session

GMT

BST

CEST

ET

PT

AEST

JST

IST

FP1

08:30

09:30

10:30

04:30

01:30

18:30

17:30

14:00

FP2

12:00

13:00

14:00

08:00

05:00

22:00

21:00

17:30

FP3

09:00

10:00

11:00

05:00

02:00

19:00

18:00

14:30

Qualifying

12:00

13:00

14:00

08:00

05:00

22:00

21:00

17:30

Race 

12:00

13:00

14:00

08:00

05:00

22:00

21:00

17:30

How can I watch qualifying?

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

Europe

  • Austria - Servus TV / ORF
  • Belgium - RTBF
  • Denmark - TV3 / TV3 Sport / Viasat
  • Finland - MTV
  • France - Canal+
  • Germany - Sky
  • Hungary - M4
  • Italy - Sky
  • Netherlands - Ziggo
  • Poland - Eleven Sports
  • Portugal - Eleven Sports
  • Spain - Movistar / DAZN
  • Sweden - Viasat
  • Switzerland - SRF / RSI / RTS
  • UK - Sky Sports F1

Americas

  • USA - ESPN
  • Canada - RDS / TSN / Discovery Velocity
  • Latin America - Fox Sports / ESPN

Asia

  • China - CCTV / Tencent / Guangdong TV
  • India - Star Sports
  • Japan - Fuji Television
  • Russia - Match TV
  • Turkey - S Sport
  • Rest of Asia - Fox Sports

Oceania

  • Australia - Fox Sports / Network 10
  • New Zealand - Spark Sports

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), Movistar (Spain), Disney+ Hotstar (India) also offer their own on-demand service. 

Live commentary

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

Russian Grand Prix - FP1 results:

Cla Driver Chassis Time Gap
1 Finland Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes 1'34.427
2 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes 1'34.638 0.211
3 Netherlands Max Verstappen
Red Bull 1'34.654 0.227
4 Monaco Charles Leclerc
Ferrari 1'35.117 0.690
5 Germany Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin 1'35.781 1.354
6 France Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri 1'35.794 1.367
7 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr.
Ferrari 1'35.811 1.384
8 United Kingdom Lando Norris
McLaren 1'35.959 1.532
9 Mexico Sergio Perez
Red Bull 1'36.188 1.761
10 Spain Fernando Alonso
Alpine 1'36.225 1.798
11 France Esteban Ocon
Alpine 1'36.236 1.809
12 Canada Lance Stroll
Aston Martin 1'36.522 2.095
13 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi
Alfa Romeo 1'36.795 2.368
14 Australia Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren 1'36.877 2.450
15 Finland Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo 1'36.952 2.525
16 Japan Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri 1'37.794 3.367
17 United Kingdom George Russell
Williams 1'38.013 3.586
18 Canada Nicholas Latifi
Williams 1'38.155 3.728
19 Russian Federation Nikita Mazepin
Haas 1'38.586 4.159
20 Germany Mick Schumacher
Haas 1'38.977 4.550

Russian Grand Prix - FP2 results:

Cla Driver Chassis Time Gap
1 Finland Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes 1'33.593
2 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes 1'33.637 0.044
3 France Pierre Gasly
AlphaTauri 1'33.845 0.252
4 United Kingdom Lando Norris
McLaren 1'34.154 0.561
5 France Esteban Ocon
Alpine 1'34.402 0.809
6 Netherlands Max Verstappen
Red Bull 1'34.621 1.028
7 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr.
Ferrari 1'34.678 1.085
8 Spain Fernando Alonso
Alpine 1'34.762 1.169
9 Germany Sebastian Vettel
Aston Martin 1'34.837 1.244
10 Monaco Charles Leclerc
Ferrari 1'34.925 1.332
11 Mexico Sergio Perez
Red Bull 1'34.938 1.345
12 Finland Kimi Raikkonen
Alfa Romeo 1'35.052 1.459
13 United Kingdom George Russell
Williams 1'35.094 1.501
14 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi
Alfa Romeo 1'35.178 1.585
15 Canada Lance Stroll
Aston Martin 1'35.334 1.741
16 Canada Nicholas Latifi
Williams 1'35.411 1.818
17 Australia Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren 1'35.630 2.037
18 Japan Yuki Tsunoda
AlphaTauri 1'35.954 2.361
19 Russian Federation Nikita Mazepin
Haas 1'36.099 2.506
20 Germany Mick Schumacher
Haas 1'36.230 2.637

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