F1 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more
Lewis Hamilton topped Friday practice for Mercedes at the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Here’s how and when to watch qualifying.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The Mercedes driver completed a clean sweep of top times on Friday in Jeddah, leading FP2 by 0.061s from team-mate Valtteri Bottas despite both drivers having their soft tyre qualifying-style runs hampered. The second practice session was ended prematurely by a heavy crash for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
As F1 drivers got to grips with the new Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the opening day of action, traffic in the tight sections with blind corners caused a few concerns for the field, with Hamilton describing it as “a bit of a danger zone”.
Pierre Gasly continued to impress for AlphaTauri by taking third place in FP2, pipping world championship leader Max Verstappen who struggled to put together a clean lap on his single-lap push effort.
Alpine duo Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon once again looked quick after finishing third and fifth respectively at the Qatar GP last time out, with the Spanish driver narrowly beating his team-mate to fifth place in FP2.
Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Carlos Sainz Jr led the Ferrari charge in seventh ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, with the Mexican’s team boss Christian Horner later saying the squad “desperately needs” him fighting at the front in the final two races to help its title hopes.
Despite his late crash Leclerc rounded out the top 10 for Ferrari ahead of McLaren pair Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris.
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 4th December 2021
Start time: 8pm local time - 5pm GMT
Sparks kick up from Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
How can I watch 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
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 8:40pm 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 2021 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: 8:40pm GMT
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR21
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Will Saudi Arabian GP qualifying be on the radio?
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.
Coverage of Saudi Arabian GP qualifying will start at 4:55pm GMT on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.
What's the weather forecast for qualifying at the Jeddah Corn Circuit?
Dry and warm weather is forecast for Saturday evening for the start of qualifying at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia. The temperature is set to be 27 degrees Celsius at the start of qualifying, the same conditions as qualifying for the Qatar GP last time out.
FP2 Results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | 22 | 1'29.018 | |
| 2 |  Valtteri Bottas |
Mercedes | 23 | 1'29.079 | 0.061 |
| 3 |  Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | 22 | 1'29.099 | 0.081 |
| 4 |  Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | 20 | 1'29.213 | 0.195 |
| 5 |  Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | 21 | 1'29.441 | 0.423 |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | 22 | 1'29.555 | 0.537 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz Jr |
Ferrari | 24 | 1'29.589 | 0.571 |
| 8 |  Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | 20 | 1'29.597 | 0.579 |
| 9 |  Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | 22 | 1'29.768 | 0.750 |
| 10 |  Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | 23 | 1'29.772 | 0.754 |
| 11 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | 22 | 1'29.968 | 0.950 |
| 12 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | 19 | 1'30.004 | 0.986 |
| 13 |  Antonio Giovinazzi |
Alfa Romeo | 23 | 1'30.110 | 1.092 |
| 14 | Kimi Raikkonen |
Alfa Romeo | 24 | 1'30.276 | 1.258 |
| 15 |  Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | 22 | 1'30.442 | 1.424 |
| 16 |  Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | 22 | 1'30.502 | 1.484 |
| 17 | George Russell |
Williams | 24 | 1'30.506 | 1.488 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | 20 | 1'30.652 | 1.634 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | 23 | 1'31.039 | 2.021 |
| 20 |  Nikita Mazepin |
Haas | 20 | 1'31.629 | 2.611 |
| View full results | |||||
FP1 Results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | 21 | 1'29.786 | 247.548 | |
| 2 | Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | 23 | 1'29.842 | 0.056 | 247.394 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas |
Mercedes | 24 | 1'30.009 | 0.223 | 246.935 |
| 4 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | 28 | 1'30.263 | 0.477 | 246.240 |
| 5 | Antonio Giovinazzi |
Alfa Romeo | 27 | 1'30.318 | 0.532 | 246.090 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz Jr |
Ferrari | 26 | 1'30.564 | 0.778 | 245.422 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | 26 | 1'30.600 | 0.814 | 245.324 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | 25 | 1'30.608 | 0.822 | 245.302 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | 27 | 1'30.842 | 1.056 | 244.670 |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | 25 | 1'30.886 | 1.100 | 244.552 |
| 11 | Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | 27 | 1'30.960 | 1.174 | 244.353 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | 29 | 1'31.023 | 1.237 | 244.184 |
| 13 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | 23 | 1'31.029 | 1.243 | 244.168 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | 25 | 1'31.044 | 1.258 | 244.128 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | 26 | 1'31.099 | 1.313 | 243.980 |
| 16 | Kimi Raikkonen |
Alfa Romeo | 26 | 1'31.296 | 1.510 | 243.454 |
| 17 | George Russell |
Williams | 28 | 1'31.343 | 1.557 | 243.328 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | 24 | 1'31.525 | 1.739 | 242.845 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | 27 | 1'31.821 | 2.035 | 242.062 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin |
Haas | 23 | 1'33.464 | 3.678 | 237.807 |
| View full results | ||||||
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