Spanish Grand Prix qualifying – Start time, how to watch, channel

Mercedes has so far enjoyed an upper hand over Red Bull in qualifying, with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas scoring two poles between them compared to just one for Max Verstappen – although it must be noted that the Dutchman’s first flyer that was deleted for track limits would have been good enough for pole at Portimao.

Mercedes has also been unbeaten in qualifying at Barcelona since the start of the V6 hybrid era in 2014, making the German marque the favourite for the top spot once again.

What time does qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix start?

Qualifying will begin at Barcelona at 15:00 local time (+2 GMT). The three-part session will last approximately one hour.

  • Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021 
  • Start time: 13:00 GMT / 14:00 BST / 15:00 CEST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT / 23:00 AEST / 22:00 JST / 18:30 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 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

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

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 Barcelona throughout the weekend, including live commentary during qualifying on Saturday.