What Time Is Formula 1 Qualifying On Channel 4 Today

Sky's race day coverage of this weekend's Abu Dhabi grand prix will also simulcast on Channel 4, as mentioned above. All Sky customers will have access to qualifying on Saturday and the race via Sky Showcase. However, Sky Sports F1 will be the only place where you can watch every session, including free practice, as well as the Formula 2 finale. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are locked on 369.5 points at the top of the drivers' standings heading to Sunday's race at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Now their winner-takes-all battle will be shown live on Channel 4, as well as on Sky Sports, who host all F1 races through their subscription services, having reportedly paid over £1bn for a five-year deal back in 2019. Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen enter the final race of the season tied on points, making it a winner-takes-all finale at the Yas Marina Circuit. The two drivers have enjoyed the closest title fight between rivals teams since 2012, and it marks the first final race decider since 2016. A straight shootout between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will decide the destination of the 2021 drivers' championship. The figures bring together those that watched Channel 4's highlights package and those who watched the races live on Sky, excluding pre- and post-race analysis for the latter. Going into the final grand prix of the year at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit, Max Verstappen and Sir Lewis Hamilton are tied on 369.5 points each.

The last time where the two leading Formula 1 drivers in the championship went into the final race tied on points was in 1974. After 21 races, Formula 1's world championship will be decided at this afternoon's season finale as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton go head-to-head at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sky Sports F1 will show every aspect of the build up, including practice and qualifying as both drivers aim to gain a crucial advantage before the chequered flag.

Additionally, every Sky TV customer will be able to watch everything from qualifying on Saturday to the race on Sunday, with the broadcast shared across Sky Sports and Sky Showcase. All the action from this iconic head-to-head will also be available to NOW members with either a NOW Entertainment or NOW Sports membership. The previous deal, which ran from 2012 through 2018, and which Channel 4 took over from the BBC in 2016, enabled the terrestrial broadcaster to show half of the events live – including the season finale. Under the current contract subscription service Sky Sports broadcasts all sessions exclusively live, typically on its dedicated channel Sky Sports F1, with FTA Channel 4 showing qualifying and race highlights later in the day.

Channel 4 will have the Sky commentary and analysis teams, but the deal means that fans without access to Sky Sports will also be able to watch the historic race live. "We've chosen to gift the race to the whole country at Christmas through our partnership with Channel 4, so everyone can be part of a huge national moment as Lewis Hamilton goes for a historic eighth world championship title. On Saturday, a combined audience of just over 2 million viewers watched Channel 4's and Sky's Sprint programming, including build-up and post-session analysis. Airing live in an early evening time slot, an average of 1.94 million viewers watched the opener across Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, peaking with over 2 million viewers.

Sky's schedules show that the broadcaster will simulcast their race day offering across Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, but not via Sky Showcase, as they did last month for coverage of the US Grand Prix qualifying session. If you're happy to pay a subscription fee so you can watch entire races live, then Sky is the only option in the UK. While Liberty operates an online streaming service – F1 TV Pro – you can't watch it in the UK because of Sky's exclusive deal. Channel 4 has free-to-air Formula 1 qualifying and race highlights which usually start airing a few hours after the chequered flag has been waved.

It also has live free-to-air coverage of the British grand prix every year, and is home of the all-women's W Series. "We are excited that Sky will make the grand prix on Sunday available to Channel 4 viewers so everyone can tune in live for the thrilling finale to this epic season," he said. As first reported by The Times, the two companies have reached an agreement to allow Channel 4 to show the race live as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen duel for the drivers' championship.

We know that even the most ardent F1 fan is not going to get to travel to more than a handful of Grands Prix each season – that's why we like to make sure you can catch an F1 broadcast from almost anywhere in the world. The table above will help provide the answers, complete with links to your nearest broadcaster. And don't forget, live coverage – along with a long list of exclusive features – is also available in many territories with an F1 TV subscription. Sky Sports F1 will carry live build up on Sunday from 11.30am in UHD with the 'Sports Recap' function available throughout the race, which is due to start at 1pm. The live race will then see Sky Sports' coverage aired across Sky channels and Channel 4, including the Sky commentary team and expert analysis. Hamilton stands on the brink of history - victory in Abu Dhabi would clinch an eighth world title and confirm him as the greatest F1 driver ever.

This unique final race will go lights out with the two leading drivers on equal points, the Yas Marina track providing a 'winner takes all' close to an epic season. For the first time since 1974, the title contenders go into the final race level on points. Seven-time world champion Hamilton, having been 19 points behind Verstappen four races ago, has drawn level after a trio of dominant performances in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Sunday's crazy race saw two red flags, multiple virtual safety car interventions and five drivers crash out before Hamilton won his eighth race of the season to level the drivers' standings. The Silverstone weekend was Channel 4's only live action of the season, the broadcaster sharing live coverage with Sky Sports.

In 2018, an average of around 3 million viewers watched across a mix of Channel 4's highlights and 'race only' segments from Channel 4's and Sky's live programming. You used to be able watch races live on RTL Germany but Sky Germany now has exclusive rights to show live races in Germany as well. Alpine are due to give new Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri some track time, while both Ferrari and Haas will test another Formula 2 driver, Robert Shwartzman. Mercedes welcomes Formula E champion Nyck de Vries, and Formula 2's Logan Sargeant makes his debut in a Williams.

All teams will be obliged to run rookies in free practice sessions from 2022, so expect to see a lot more of them during grands prix weekends. What does all this mean for the championship after a close, dramatic and often controversial season? Will Max win his first ever drivers' title, or will Lewis add an eighth to his record-equalling haul? "The brilliant Sky Sports Formula 1 team will give viewers on Channel 4 and Sky Sports the best insight, commentary and analysis of every twist and turn of this most eagerly anticipated final race of the season. The permutations are simple; both drivers enter the season finale on 369.5 points, whoever finishes ahead in Abu Dhabi wins the title, and if they both fail to finish it is Verstappen who triumphs. Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit has undergone a series of changes in a bid to make the Formula One season finale even more exciting for drivers and fans.

The race was originally due to be shown on Sky Sports, who hold exclusive rights to live F1 races with Channel 4 broadcasting only the British GP live alongside a highlights show for each weekend. For the entire 2021 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. "The brilliant Sky Sports Formula 1 team will give viewers on Channel 4 and Sky Sports the best insight, commentary and analysis of every twist and turn of this most eagerly anticipated final race of the season." This scenario is a concern for Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff who, having watched Hamilton crash into the back of Verstappen last time out, said he thought the quicker car with the quicker driver should win the championship. An average of 1.69 million viewers have watched Channel 4's race day programming so far this year, a decrease of 10.5% on last year's halfway figure of 1.88 million viewers. With 11 of the 23 races completed, the data so far allows us to gauge how well F1 is performing in the UK, and whether the championship fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is having any impact on audience figures.

Formula 1's audience figures in the UK have risen to their highest level in at least four years at the half way stage of the 2021 season, analysis from Motorsport Broadcasting suggests. Sky have seemingly reacted to Channel 4's qualifying conundrum by opting to simulcast their live coverage on their new Sky Showcase channel, enabling more viewers to watch qualifying across Sky, Virgin Media and BT TV. If Verstappen does not clinch the championship at the next round in Saudi Arabia, it will be the first time since 2016 that the championship has gone to the final race of the season.

The 2021 championship fight is going down to the wire, in one of the most intense Formula 1 seasons in years, as both drivers go into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix level on 369.5 points. The other way to watch for free - especially if you want to watch races live - is to use a VPN and stream them from broadcasters in other countries that show races on free-to-air channels. Verstappen will have to beat Hamilton in Abu Dhabi to claim the drivers' title, so it should be a thrilling showdown. Of course, you're here because you want to know when the race starts and how to watch it. So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about watching the action on TV and online in the UK. What's more, NOW's Entertainment membership will also grant access to qualifying and the race via Sky Showcase.

"We've chosen to gift the race to the whole country at Christmas through our partnership with Channel 4, so everyone can be part of a huge national moment as Lewis Hamilton goes for a historic eighth World Championship title. In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with Abu Dhabi GP qualifying coverage starting at 4pm GMT. "We are excited that Sky will make the Grand Prix on Sunday available to Channel 4 viewers so everyone can tune in live for the thrilling finale to this epic season," said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. But as Lewis Hamilton goes in search of a record eighth world championship in Abu Dhabi, it has been announced that Channel 4 will show the race live. The task for both men is simple – finish ahead of their title rival – but advantage is still with Verstappen.

Should neither finish in the points then the Red Bull driver will be awarded his maiden championship on account of having won more races than Hamilton this season. Abu Dhabi will be the final event of the year and the two title contenders are tied on 369.5 points. It is the first time since 1974 the two leading drivers are level going into the last race of the campaign.

The audience figures demonstrate how W Series benefited from being on the same card as Formula 1, whereas Formula E's events are largely standalone with no wrap-around support. While the championship battle between Hamilton and Verstappen is bringing additional viewers to Sky's live offering, Channel 4's highlights offering is not seeing any positive impact. Live coverage of the W Series airs across More4 and Channel 4, the Saturday race airing on More4 with the season finale airing on Channel 4.

In 2016, the season finale aired live across Channel 4 and Sky Sports as part of the UK F1 TV rights agreement that was in place at that time. In case you didn't know, F1 TV Pro is the official streaming service of Forumla 1 but you can't get it in the UK because of Sky's exclusive deal for live races. But - spoiler alert - the result, with Lewis Hamilton winning and Max Verstappen coming second , means the pair will go to the final race in Abu Dhabi pretty much as the season started, level on points. You can expect to see a couple of Formula 2 drivers from Red Bull's long-running academy programme in action, including Juri Vips and Liam Lawson . McLaren will welcome IndyCar star Pato O'Ward, after he fulfilled a bet with team boss Zak Brown by winning his first race in the series earlier this year (he's spent some time in the simulator and been for a seat fitting already). In the event of one of these relatively unlikely outcomes leading to a tie on points, the driver who has claimed the most wins of the season would take the title.

This season, Max has won nine grands prix while Lewis has won eight, which would therefore make Max the drivers' champion if they were tied on points. In the event two drivers had the same number of points and grand prix victories, the countback continues through the highest number of second places, highest number of third places and so on. Channel 4's team of Steve Jones, David Coulthard, Mark Webber and Lee McKenzie will provide build up to the race for 15 minutes from midday before handing over to Sky for their pre-race coverage and Sky's live coverage of the race itself. UK-based fans of the only all-electric motorsport World Championship will have the opportunity to see more live races in Season 8 than in any previous season.

Apart from the British Grand Prix, Sky have exclusive live TV rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the UK, but the huge level of interest in this climax to a thrilling season has rendered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix an exception. Our aim is to create the best motorsport coverage that appeals to die-hard fans as well as those who are new to the sport. It will also be the first time F1 visits the new layout of the Abu Dhabi circuit which has traditionally held the season finale in recent years.

Since 2019 Sky Sports F1 has had exclusive live rights, with only one event – the British Grand Prix – available free to air on Channel 4. The latter does show delayed highlight programmes of qualifying and the race from the other events on the calendar throughout the year. THERE simply is no bigger finish what is coming - Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are going to engage in an unmissable F1 season finale and you can watch it for FREE. But a deal has been reached to show the Abu Dhabi decider on terrestrial television, which will include each channels showing their own pre and post-race coverage with Sky's race commentary used by both. Hamilton is already one of the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen, but victory would move him above Michael Schumacher's seven titles and into unprecedented territory. For Verstappen it would be a first title for the exciting 24-year-old Red Bull driver.

Either way it will be a magical occasion, with the Sky Sports F1 team of experts analysing every single lap of a race the whole country can now experience. Formula 1 is usually only shown live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, however Sky and broadcaster Channel 4 have reached an agreement that means Channel 4 will also broadcast the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP for free. This will not cover qualifying for the Abu Dhabi race, with Channel 4 broadcasting the highlights. Channel 4 will carry Sky's coverage for the race, including its commentary and analysis team. F1 fans in the UK will also now be able to watch the gripping conclusion for free after Sky Sports announced a deal with Channel 4 to show the final race on terrestrial TV.

The 2021 F1 season has been one of the greatest years in the sport's history thanks to the titanic world championship race between Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Using the available data, it is likely that Friday's qualifying session peaked with 2 million viewers, Saturday's Sprint session with 3 million viewers, and Sunday's race with 4.5 million viewers. It seems likely therefore that, a fan watching Drive to Survive is more likely to jump either to highlights on YouTube or live coverage on Sky, bypassing Channel 4's extended highlights package altogether.

What Time Is The Formula 1 Qualifying On Today Sky's post-race offering has mirrored the main attraction, increasing its audience by 24.8%, rising from an average of 243,000 viewers last year to 303,000 viewers this year. Unlike BBC iPlayer, you can't join a live broadcast and you may have to wait hours for the race highlights to appear in the app. That was certainly the case last year, with the programme appearing over four hours after broadcast on some occasions. Sky still has the exclusive rights to show live races in the UK , meaning the only coverage on free-to-air TV in the UK will be available on Channel 4. That growing archive includes past grands prix and highlights packages, season reviews going back to the 1970s, plus documentaries about drivers, teams and the sport's tech. The majority of drivers and teams have shared posts confirming they've been filming for the reality series/documentary – Valtteri Bottas was one of the first to get mic-ed up.

Sky Sports has aired Formula 1 live and without ad breaks in the UK since 2013, on a dedicated channel, and will continue to do so in 2022. Its grand prix weekend coverage also covers the FIA's feeder series, Formula 2 and Formula 3. Hamilton was quickest in FP2, with Verstappen down in fourth, as Mercedes finished the first day in Abu Dhabi happy with the pace they were able to produce, and again had the pace in the final practice session. The second practice session today may prove to be more useful in judging the pace of Red Bull and Mercedes, as it takes place later in the day and away from the hottest afternoon temperatures, just as qualifying and the race will be. He topped the standings, 0.196s ahead of Valtteri Bottas, with Hamilton in third and over three tenths off the pace of his title rivals.

Hamilton is within touching distance of immortality, a victory for him this weekend would take him one world title ahead of Michael Schumacher's magic mark of seven drivers' championships. Sunday's Saudi Arabian GP, which saw multiple incidents between Hamilton and Verstappen on track, attracted a record audience of 2.66 million to Sky's F1 channel. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen take their enthralling battle for the world championship down to the last race of the season with the pair level on points as they head to Yas Marina Circuit.

The Formula One world championship showdown will be broadcast on free-to-air television after Channel 4 announced they will screen the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix live. Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2021 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website. Now their winner-takes-all battle will be shown live on Channel 4, as well as on Sky Sports, which hosts all F1 races through its subscription services, having reportedly paid over £1bn for a five-year deal back in 2019. Talks have been ongoing through this week and it is understood an agreement has now been reached for Channel 4 to broadcast Sunday's race live. Sunday's title-deciding Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set to be shown live on free-to-air Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, MotorsportWeek.com has learnt.

If you miss the race live, Channel 4 will also be broadcasting highlights in the evening. W Series also benefited from added exposure through Channel 4's live F1 coverage, the only weekend of the year that the free-to-air broadcaster covers F1 live. "After the first sprint event at Silverstone, the response that we have from the drivers, from the teams, the media, has been really positive, and also for the promoter," said Domenicali, as quoted by The Race. Year-on-year, Sky's race audience increased by 15%, with Channel 4's decreasing by around 8.5%, reflecting the positive trajectory Sky's F1 audience figures continue to take. Race day saw an audience of around 3.6 million viewers watch Channel 4's and Sky's main programming, an average that includes the extended red flag period, but excludes the extended wraparound offering.

The figures are higher than what a normal three-part qualifying session would have achieved in its usual Saturday slot. Nevertheless, with a combined audience of 1.6 million viewers, the British Grand Prix marked F1's highest UK audience on a Friday since at least 2003, if not earlier. However, only one practice session took place on Friday at Silverstone, with the traditional three-part qualifying session moving to Friday evening. F1's new look format, trialled over the British Grand Prix weekend, helped audience figures improve in the UK, consolidated data released by BARB suggests.

For now, the championship battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, Mercedes and Red Bull is keeping UK fans engaged as the series returns to action following the summer break in Belgium. It is difficult to compare the 2018 to 2021 figures with 2017, as the structure of Sky's race day programme was different to what it is now. An average of 3.24 million viewers have watched Formula 1 so far in 2021, an increase of 142,000 viewers or 4.6% on last year's half way figure of 3.10 million viewers. Channel 4 have had the rights to F1 for six seasons, yet surprisingly the broadcaster has not presented magazine show Sunday Brunch on location from Silverstone during any of the British Grand Prix weekends. Live coverage of the British Grand Prix averaged 2.35 million viewers, excluding pre- and post-race analysis. One possibility is that the increase for the race and post-race segments is a result of some 'newer' Sky viewers opting to record the action to watch later in the evening.