Formula 1 has tweaked grand prix start times ahead of the 2021 season.
Later starts were introduced in 2018, with the European grands prix which make up the spine of the season typically getting underway at 15:10 local time.
That made for a 23:10 kick-off for viewers in Australia’s eastern states, and there will be little relief for such fans despite the latest change.
While start times move back to the hour, races in continental Europe will still commence an hour later than had been tradition, at 15:00 local time/23:00 AEDT.
There is also a later start again for the Australian Grand Prix, with the 58-lap race now back at 17:00 local time.
That change follows the move to a November date when sunset is forecast for 20:16 in Melbourne, as compared to a mid-March slot when daylight savings is approaching its ending.
In Bahrain, which opens the season, both qualifying and the race are due to start at 18:00 local time or 02:00 AEDT on the following morning, before a more normal schedule for Round 2 at Imola.
As previously reported, Friday practice sessions are now each an hour long instead of 90 minutes.
Pre-season testing gets underway on March 12 at Bahrain.
Formula 1 2021 session start times
| Race day | Grand prix | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |||||
| Prac 1 | Prac 2 | Prac 3 | Qual | Race | Sunset | ||||
| Local | Local | Local | Local | NSW/VIC | Local | NSW/VIC | |||
| Mar 28 | Bahrain | 14:30–15:30 | 18:00–19:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 18:00–19:00 | 02:00-03:00 | 18:00 | 02:00 | 17:52 |
| Apr 18 | Imola | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:01 |
| May 2 | TBC | ||||||||
| May 9 | Spain | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:57 |
| May 23 | Monaco* | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:57 |
| Jun 6 | Azerbaijan | 13:30–14:30 | 17:00–18:00 | 14:00–15:00 | 17:00–18:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 16:00 | 22:00 | 20:08 |
| Jun 13 | Canada | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 11:00–12:00 | 14:00–15:00 | 04:00-05:00 | 14:00 | 04:00 | 20:44 |
| Jun 27 | France | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 21:20 |
| Jul 4 | Austria | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:59 |
| Jul 18 | Great Britain | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 00:00-01:00 | 15:00 | 00:00 | 21:14 |
| Aug 1 | Hungary | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:17 |
| Aug 29 | Belgium | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:26 |
| Sep 5 | Netherlands | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 20:19 |
| Sep 12 | Italy (Monza) | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 19:39 |
| Sep 26 | Russia | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 22:00-23:00 | 15:00 | 22:00 | 18:11 |
| Oct 3 | Singapore | 17:00–18:00 | 20:30–21:30 | 18:00–19:00 | 21:00–22:00 | 23:00-00:00 | 20:00 | 23:00 | 18:56 |
| Oct 10 | Japan | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 14:00 | 16:00 | 17:25 |
| Oct 24 | United States | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 13:00–14:00 | 16:00–17:00 | 08:00-09:00 | 14:00 | 06:00 | 18:49 |
| Oct 31 | Mexico | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 11:00–12:00 | 14:00–15:00 | 06:00-07:00 | 13:00 | 06:00 | 18:02 |
| Nov 7 | Brazil | 11:30–12:30 | 15:00–16:00 | 12:00–13:00 | 15:00–16:00 | 05:00-06:00 | 14:00 | 04:00 | 18:24 |
| Nov 21 | Australia | 12:30–13:30 | 16:00–17:00 | 14:00–15:00 | 17:00–18:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 20:16 |
| Dec 5 | Saudi Arabia | 15:30–16:30 | 19:00–20:00 | 16:00–17:00 | 19:00–20:00 | 03:00-04:00 | 19:00 | 03:00 | 17:40 |
| Dec 12 | Abu Dhabi | 13:30–14:30 | 17:00–18:00 | 14:00–15:00 | 17:00–18:00 | 00:00-01:00 | 17:00 | 00:00 | 17:35 |
* Practice 1 and Practice 2 on Thursday
Discussion about this post