Round two of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship brings the grid to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix — the 18th installment of the race, and the earliest in the season the race has ever been held.
The race weekend features the first of six sprint races in 2025, meaning the session format diverts a bit from what we saw last week in Australia.
What does the sprint weekend format look like?
Instead of three consecutive practice sessions, followed by qualifying and the race, sprint weekends feature just one practice session.
After the lone practice session on Friday, the second session of the day is qualifying for the sprint race.
Then on Saturday, the first of two session is the sprint race. Following that is qualifying for the grand prix. The only thing that remains the same is the grand prix on Sunday.
Go here for more information on how F1 sprint races work.
How to watch the F1 Chinese Grand Prix live
In the United States, all 2025 F1 sessions will be on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN+. Fans in other countries can look for their local broadcaster on the F1 website.
You can also subscribe to F1 TV for all sessions, including F2, F3 and F1 Academy sessions, for $84.99 per year. The platform also rolled out a Premium tier for 2025, which features 4K quality on some devices, for $129.99 annually. F1's streaming site is offering a 7-day free trial for those who want to try it out first.
When can you watch the F1 Chinese Grand Prix?
North American F1 fans will be staying up as late as they will have to all season to catch qualifying and the race live.
Full Practice 1 (Airs on ESPN2 in the U.S.)
Time Zone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
Eastern | Thursday at 11:30 p.m. |
Central | Thursday at 10:30 p.m. |
Mountain | Thursday at 9:30 p.m. |
Pacific | Thursday at 8:30 p.m. |
Alaskan | Thursday at 7:30 p.m. |
Hawaiian | Thursday at 5:30 p.m. |
Sprint Qualifying (Airs on ESPN2 in the U.S.)
Time Zone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
Eastern | Friday at 3:30 a.m. |
Central | Friday at 2:30 a.m. |
Mountain | Friday at 1:30 a.m. |
Pacific | Friday at 12:30 a.m. |
Alaskan | Thursday at 11:30 p.m. |
Hawaiian | Thursday at 9:30 p.m. |
Sprint Race (Airs on ESPNU in the U.S.)
Time Zone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
Eastern | Friday at 11 p.m. |
Central | Friday at 10 p.m. |
Mountain | Friday at 9 p.m. |
Pacific | Friday at 8 p.m. |
Alaskan | Friday at 7 p.m. |
Hawaiian | Friday at 5 p.m. |
Grand Prix Qualifying (Airs on ESPN2 in the U.S.)
Time Zone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
Eastern | Saturday at 3 a.m. |
Central | Saturday at 2 a.m. |
Mountain | Saturday at 1 a.m. |
Pacific | Saturday at 12 a.m. |
Alaskan | Friday at 11 p.m. |
Hawaiian | Friday at 9 p.m. |
Chinese Grand Prix (Airs on ESPN in the U.S.)
Time Zone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
Eastern | Sunday at 3 a.m. |
Central | Sunday at 2 a.m. |
Mountain | Sunday at 1 a.m. |
Pacific | Sunday at 12 a.m. |
Alaskan | Saturday at 11 p.m. |
Hawaiian | Friday at 9 p.m. |
What's next in F1 after the Chinese Grand Prix?
F1 takes a week off before the Japanese Grand Prix weekend at Suzuka, which takes place April 4-6.