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F1 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more

Charles Leclerc topped Friday practice for Ferrari at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Fresh from his victory in the 2022 F1 opener in Bahrain, the Ferrari driver topped FP2 by 0.140s from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but Leclerc saw his session ended prematurely after he sustained car damage in a hit with the wall.

Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr suffered a similar fate and also missed out on the final 20 minutes of the second practice session, meaning Ferrari has no long run data to learn from ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP.

But events on the track were overshadowed by a missile attack on an oil facility near the Jeddah circuit on Friday afternoon, when F1’s first practice session was midway through, and has prompted unease within the paddock.

F1 chiefs held meetings with the local authorities to get clarification of what happened at the Aramco facility and an update on what safety precautions had been put in place at the Jeddah Corniche circuit.

Following a preliminary meeting with drivers and team principals ahead of second free practice, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hosted another meeting on Friday night alongside FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to update everyone on the situation.

The 40-minute meeting ended with agreement among the team principals that the race could go ahead, based on promises that F1 had been given about security in Jeddah.

Mohammed bin Sulayem, President, FIA, Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula 1, hold a Press Conference to confirm that the event will proceed as planned in the wake of a missile attack on Jeddah

Mohammed bin Sulayem, President, FIA, Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula 1, hold a Press Conference to confirm that the event will proceed as planned in the wake of a missile attack on Jeddah

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

What time does qualifying start for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?

Qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP starts at 8pm local time (5pm GMT), using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.

Date: Saturday 26th March 2022

Start time: 8pm local time - 5pm GMT

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is only broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98 or a monthly membership of £33.99 per month.

Fans wanting to watch the race for free will have to wait until the evening of Saturday (qualifying) or Sunday (race) to see the highlights on Channel 4.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

How can I watch Saudi Arabia GP qualifying?

In the United Kingdom every F1 practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with Saudi Arabian GP qualifying coverage starting at 4pm GMT.

  • Channel: Sky Sports F1
  • Start time: 4:00pm GMT 26th March 2022

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of qualifying here

When can I watch the highlights of Saudi Arabian GP qualifying?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP at 8:30pm GMT on Saturday. The full programme will run for 90 minutes, covering both qualifying and wrapping up the major talking points of the race weekend so far.

For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.

  • Channel: Channel 4
  • Start time: 8:30pm GMT 26th March 2022
George Russell, Mercedes W13

George Russell, Mercedes W13

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Will Saudi Arabian GP qualifying be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra or via the BBC Sport website.

Coverage of Saudi Arabian GP qualifying will start at 5:30pm GMT on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.

What's the weather forecast for qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit?

Dry, warm and clear weather is forecast for Saturday evening for the start of qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The temperature is set to be 24 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying, four degrees warmer than qualifying for the Bahrain GP last time out.

FP2 Results:

Cla Driver Time Gap Interval
1 Monaco Charles Leclerc 1'30.074    
2 Netherlands Max Verstappen 1'30.214 0.140 0.140
3 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr 1'30.320 0.246 0.106
4 Mexico Sergio Perez 1'30.360 0.286 0.040
5 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 1'30.513 0.439 0.153
6 United Kingdom George Russell 1'30.664 0.590 0.151
7 United Kingdom Lando Norris 1'30.735 0.661 0.071
8 France Esteban Ocon 1'30.760 0.686 0.025
9 Finland Valtteri Bottas 1'30.832 0.758 0.072
10 Japan Yuki Tsunoda 1'30.886 0.812 0.054
11 Spain Fernando Alonso 1'30.944 0.870 0.058
12 France Pierre Gasly 1'30.963 0.889 0.019
13 Germany Mick Schumacher 1'31.169 1.095 0.206
14 Canada Lance Stroll 1'31.372 1.298 0.203
15 Australia Daniel Ricciardo 1'31.527 1.453 0.155
16 Germany Nico Hulkenberg 1'31.615 1.541 0.088
17 China Guanyu Zhou 1'31.615 1.541 0.000
18 Canada Nicholas Latifi 1'31.814 1.740 0.199
19 Thailand Alex Albon 1'31.866 1.792 0.052
20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen 1'32.344 2.270 0.478

FP1 Results:

Cla Driver Time Gap Interval
1 Monaco Charles Leclerc 1'30.772    
2 Netherlands Max Verstappen 1'30.888 0.116 0.116
3 Finland Valtteri Bottas 1'31.084 0.312 0.196
4 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr 1'31.139 0.367 0.055
5 France Pierre Gasly 1'31.317 0.545 0.178
6 Japan Yuki Tsunoda 1'31.505 0.733 0.188
7 Mexico Sergio Perez 1'31.563 0.791 0.058
8 France Esteban Ocon 1'32.026 1.254 0.463
9 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 1'32.364 1.592 0.338
10 Spain Fernando Alonso 1'32.381 1.609 0.017
11 Australia Daniel Ricciardo 1'32.506 1.734 0.125
12 Canada Lance Stroll 1'32.582 1.810 0.076
13 United Kingdom Lando Norris 1'32.594 1.822 0.012
14 China Guanyu Zhou 1'32.608 1.836 0.014
15 United Kingdom George Russell 1'32.839 2.067 0.231
16 Germany Nico Hulkenberg 1'33.034 2.262 0.195
17 Thailand Alex Albon 1'33.087 2.315 0.053
18 Canada Nicholas Latifi 1'33.529 2.757 0.442
19 Germany Mick Schumacher 1'34.429 3.657 0.900
20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen      

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