Bahrain Grand Prix 2021: Kickoff Time, How to watch Live Stream from Anywhere?

Sally Polly March 27, 2021 | 00:27

It's lights out and away we go as the first race of 2021, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place this weekend. Read the article below to keep track of the race: Kick-off time, How to watch on TV - practice, qualifying, race schedule.

Photo: F1

The 2021 season begins with a duel in the desert, with Bahrain returning to its March slot on the calendar after a November race last year.

From the 2006 battle between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to Nico Rosberg's right against Lewis Hamilton in 2014, and an incident-strewn 2020 race that saw both Red Bulls make the podium behind Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain usually ensures an exciting contest, so you won't want to miss this one.

Bahrain Grand Prix 2021: Kick-off time

Photo: Buckinghamshire Live

The first and second practices take place on Friday, March 26 – although instead of the two 90-minute sessions they are now two one-hour sessions – with final practice and qualifying taking place on Saturday, March 27. The race itself takes place on Sunday, March 28.

The first practice starts at 11.30 am GMT, with the second practice beginning at 3pm GMT. Final practice is at noon on Saturday and qualifying at 3pm GMT. The race itself starts at 4pm on the first day of British Summer Time. This means the clocks go forward one hour on Sunday morning. Hopefully, the reduced practice time leads to a) less dead time in practice and b) more unpredictable qualifying and races.

How to watch Bahrain Grand Prix 2021 on TV

Sky Sports F1 have near-exclusive live coverage rights in the UK this year and indeed for the next few with their usual excellent team. Their qualifying coverage begins at 2pm BST on Saturday and their race coverage at 2.30pm on Sunday.

Channel 4 have highlights for this year with their equally excellent team. Their qualifying program starts at 6.30pm BST on Saturday and their race highlights are at 8.30pm on Sunday.

Formula 1 live stream for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

For those who don't have a cable or satellite subscription, there are four major OTT TV streaming options that carry ESPN — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and AT&T Now. Of the four, Hulu and YouTubeTV offer free trial options.

Below are links to each.

fuboTV (free trial)
Sling
Hulu (free trial)
YouTubeTV (free trial)
AT&T Now

For those who do have a cable or satellite subscription but are not in front of a TV, Formula 1 races in 2021 can be streamed live via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication.

How to watch a 2021 F1 live stream from anywhere?

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How to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix: live stream F1 in the UK

Sky has the rights to Formula 1 in the UK, meaning you'll be able to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Subscribers also get to watch on the move using the Sky Go app , which is available on nearly all modern phones, tablets, laptops, PCs and consoles.

For those without Sky, the best option is a Now TV Sky Sports Monthly Pass, which includes all 11 channels.

Coverage of the Bahrain GP begins on Sky Sports F1 at 11am GMT on Friday for the first practice runs, 11.45am on Saturday for Practice 3, 2pm for Qualifying, and 2.30pm BST Sunday for the Bahrain Grand Prix itself, which starts at 4pm.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you'll need to download a good VPN as detailed above.

F1 live stream: how to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix in the US

In the US, it's ESPN that's providing comprehensive coverage of the 2021 F1 season. Cord-cutters are in luck, too, as you can get ESPN without having an expensive cable package.

Of the many and varied options, the best for Formula 1 fans wanting to watch an F1 live stream is Sling TV, whose Sling Orange package features ESPN channels for just $35 a month - save big with the latest Sling TV deal.

Alternatively, fuboTV is an even more complete end-to-end cable replacement services, which offers ESPN and over 120 other channels on plans starting from $64.99 a month.

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2021: US times and TV coverage

This Sunday you can watch the Bahrain Grand Prix live from 11am ET / 8am PT on ESPN (build-up starts at 9.30am ET / 6.30am PT), while Qualifying goes live on TV at 10.55am ET / 7.55am PT on Saturday ahead of a 11am ET / 8am PT start.

For the truly dedicated, practice sessions will go on-air just before the start times listed above.

Watch a Bahrain Grand Prix F1 live stream abroad

New or existing subscribers to US streaming services can still access the platform of their choice from abroad by checking out a quality VPN and following the instructions above.

More sports action: how to watch an NFL live stream

How to watch the 2021 Bahrain GP: live stream F1 in Canada

In Canada, you can watch 2021 F1 action on English-language TSN or French-language RDS - but they're premium channels that typically come with a pay TV package.

If you get them as part of your cable deal, then you'll just be able to log in with the details of your provider and get access to an F1 live stream.

If you don't have cable, you'll be well-served by their digital platforms. The TSN Direct and RDS Direct streaming services cost just CA$4.99 a day or (much better value) $19.99 a month.

The Bahrain Grand Prix starts at 11am ET / 8am PT this Sunday, with Qualifying action on Saturday starting at 11am ET / 8am PT. Practice times are listed above and coverage is also being offered, going live just before the start of each session.

Remember you can take your favorite sports streaming service with you wherever you go - just try our No. 1 overall rated VPN 100% risk-free for 30 days and follow the instructions above.

How to watch F1 and get a Bahrain Grand Prix live stream in Australia

Aussie F1 fans need to prepare for a late one, as the Bahrain GP starts at 2am AEDT on Sunday night/Monday morning.

Paid-for TV network Fox Sports is showing every race of the 2021 Formula 1 season Down Under, including all of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix action.

But if you don't have Fox as part of a pay TV package, your best option may be to sign up for the fast-emerging Kayo Sports streaming service.

It features no lock-in contracts and gives you access to over 50 other sports including the cricket, NRL, football... the list goes on! Handy if you don't want to go all out on Fox.

Better still, Kayo offer a FREE two-week trial!

After that, the Kayo Sports Basic Package costs $25 per month and allows users to stream across two devices simultaneously. The service also offers a Kayo Sports Premium Package, which provides three concurrent streams for $35 per month.

Don't forget, you can take your coverage abroad with you as well. For those wanting to watch home coverage of sports from overseas, a good VPN is the solution.

How to get an F1 Bahrain GP live stream in New Zealand

The Bahrain GP starts at a tricky time for F1 fans based in New Zealand, with the lights set to go out at 4am NZDT on Monday morning.

Spark Sport is showing all of this season's F1 races. It usually costs $19.99 per month, but if you just want to catch one race for free, you're in luck, as there's a 7-day free trial.

As well as the F1 action, you also get a bevvy of Black Caps and England cricket matches, NBA basketball action from the US, and EPL football.

Spark Sport is available via web browsers on your PC or Mac, plus Apple and Android mobile devices, Chromecast, Apple TV, selected Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and LG TVs, and select Freeview streamers.

If you're abroad and want to sign-in to watch your subscription you can, using one of our best VPN recommendations.

F1 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix - Free Practice Results (1)

Full practice results for the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit, the opening round of the 2021 F1 world championship season.

2021 F1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (1)
POS	DRIVER	NAT.	TEAM	TIME
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	1m31.394s
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team	1m31.692s
3	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren F1 Team	1m31.897s
4	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team	1m31.921s
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow	1m31.993s
6	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	1m32.071s
7	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda	1m32.195s
8	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow	1m32.366s
9	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren F1 Team	1m32.453s
10	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen	1m32.786s
11	Kimi Raikkonen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen	1m33.134s
12	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team	1m33.157s
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team	1m33.233s
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda	1m33.329s
15	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine F1 Team	1m33.528s
16	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine F1 Team	1m33.872s
17	George Russell	GBR	Williams Racing	1m34.127s
18	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams Racing	1m34.340s
19	Mick Schumacher	GER	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	1m34.501s
20	Nikita Mazepin	RUS	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	1m34.975s

2021 Bahrain F1 Test - Fastest Time:

Max Verstappen Red Bull RB16B, 1m28.960s (Day 3)

2020 Bahrain GP Race - Fastest Lap:

Max Verstappen Red Bull RB16, 1m32.014s (Lap 48)

2020 Bahrain GP Pole Position:

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W11, 1m27.264s

2020 Bahrain GP FP3 Fastest Time:

Max Verstappen Red Bull RB16, 1m28.355s

2020 Bahrain GP FP2 Fastest Time:

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W11, 1m28.971s

2020 Bahrain GP FP1 Fastest Time:

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W11, 1m29.033s

Recent Bahrain Grand Prix F1 Winners:

2020: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2019: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2018: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

2017: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

2016: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

2015: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2014: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2012: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2011: Not held

2010: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

2021 Bahrain Grand Prix Schedule

In addition to around six hours of Formula 1, the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix will also mark the first race weekend of the new Formula 2 season with two races taking place on Saturday and a third race on Sunday. The single-make Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East series will also feature again this year.

Friday

• 12:10-12:40: Porsche GT3 Cup ME practice

• 13:05-13:50: FIA Formula 2 practice

• 14:30-15:30: Formula 1 free practice 1

• 15:55-16:25: Porsche GT3 Cup ME qualifying

• 16:50-17:20: FIA Formula 2 qualifying

• 18:00-19:00: Formula 1 free practice 2

Saturday

• 13:25-14:15: FIA Formula 2 race one (34 laps or 45 minutes)

• 15:00-16:00: Formula 1 free practice 3

• 16:45-17:15: Porsche GT3 Cup ME race one (17 laps or 25 minutes)

• 18:00-19:00: Formula 1 qualifying

• 19:40-20:30: FIA Formula 2 race two (34 laps or 45 minutes)

Sunday

• 13:50-14:55: FIA Formula 2 race three (TBC laps or 60 minutes)

• 15:20-15:50: Porsche GT3 Cup ME race two (17 laps or 25 minutes)

• 17:44-17:46: National Anthem

• 17:46-17:48: Gulf Air fly past TBC

• 18:00-20:00: Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix 2021

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