Formula 1 races will revert to starting at the top of the hour in the 2021 season, the sport has formally confirmed, while Friday practice track time has been cut by an hour.
Grands Prix had started 10 minutes past the hour since 2018 but that change has now been reversed for the new season.
Meanwhile, Friday’s two practice sessions will now each run to an hour in length instead of the traditional 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Friday’s two practice sessions will now each run to an hour in length instead of the traditional 90 minutes.
Most European races will start at 3pm local time, which is 2pm for UK viewers on Sky Sports F1 (the British GP will start at 3pm local).
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When do the F1 races start in 2021?
| Date | Grand Prix | UK race start |
|---|---|---|
| March 28 | Bahrain GP | 4pm |
| April 18 | Emilia-Romagna GP | 2pm |
| May 2 | TBC | TBC |
| May 9 | Spanish GP | 2pm |
| May 23 | Monaco GP | 2pm |
| June 6 | Azerbaijan GP | 1pm |
| June 13 | Canadian GP | 7pm |
| June 27 | French GP | 2pm |
| July 4 | Austrian GP | 2pm |
| July 18 | British GP | 3pm |
| August 1 | Hungarian GP | 2pm |
| August 29 | Belgian GP | 2pm |
| September 5 | Dutch GP | 2pm |
| September 12 | Italian GP | 2pm |
| September 26 | Russian GP | 1pm |
| October 3 | Singapore GP | 1pm |
| October 10 | Japanese GP | 6am |
| October 24 | United States GP | 8pm |
| October 31 | Mexican GP | 7pm |
| November 7 | Brazilian GP | 5pm |
| November 21 | Australian GP | 6am |
| December 5 | Saudi Arabia GP | 4pm |
| December 12 | Abu Dhabi GP | 1pm |
F1 is planning for a 23-round season but the third round, which was originally meant to be China, remains to be confirmed. Portugal is considered the front-runner.
Bahrain opens the 2021 campaign on March 28, with their event to run in the evening under floodlights as usual. The season-opener will start at 4pm UK time.
SKYSPORTS
