Bahrain GP 2023: Where and when to watch the opening race of the F1 season?
Know all about the timings and places where you can watch the season opening 2023 Bahrain GP.
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Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso
The Bahrain GP will be the opening race of the 2023 F1 season. After last year’s championship ended in Abu Dhabi, fans had to wait a few months until the racing action started again. Fortunately, the wait is over as the season opening round of the 2023 FIA Formula One championship gets underway. With fewer rule changes compared to last year, the pecking order may or may not change.
The opening round of the F1 season used to be held in Australia before COVID-19 struck the world. Since then, Bahrain has had the honor of hosting the first race of the season. All eyes are on Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, who have proven to be the favorites after pre-season testing after showing incredible pace overall. Ferrari has come under new leadership with Fred Vasseur joining the team, giving a big boost of confidence to the Tifosi.
While Lewis Hamilton failed to win a race all season for the first time in his career, he is working to make sure that this doesn’t become a habit. With pre-season testing being conducted in Bahrain, all the teams will have a good idea of which setup to use in order to get maximum performance output. Engine overheating is also a slight problem that can occur in Bahrain due to its topography.
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2023 Bahrain GP session timings
| Session | GMT | CET | ET | PT | AEDT | JST | IST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FP1 | 11:30 | 12:30 | 06:30 | 03:30 | 22:30 | 20:30 | 17:00 |
| FP2 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 10:00 | 07:00 | 02:00¹ | 00:00¹ | 20:30 |
| FP3 | 11:30 | 12:30 | 06:30 | 03:30 | 22:30 | 20:30 | 17:00 |
| Q | 15:00 | 16:00 | 10:00 | 07:00 | 02:00¹ | 00:00¹ | 20:30 |
| Race | 15:00 | 16:00 | 10:00 | 07:00 | 02:00¹ | 00:00¹ | 20:30 |
2023 Formula 1 Bahrain GP session timings in the US
Friday 3rd March 2023
- Free Practice 1: 06:30 – 07:30 ET / 03:30 – 04:30 PT
- Free Practice 2: 10:00 – 11:00 ET / 07:00 – 08:00 PT
Saturday 4th March 2023
- Free Practice 3: 06:30 – 07:30 ET / 03:30 – 04:30 PT
- Qualifying: 10:00 – 11:00 ET / 07:00 – 08:00 PT
Sunday 5th March 2023
- Race: 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT
Where can I watch the Bahrain GP?
Europe:
- Austria – Servus TV / ORF
- Belgium – RTBF / Telenet / Play Sport Open
- Czech Republic – AMC
- Denmark – TV3 / TV3 Sport / Viaplay
- Finland – Viaplay
- France – Canal+
- Germany – Sky / RTL
- Greece – ERT / Cosmote TV
- Hungary – M4
- Italy – Sky
- Netherlands – Viaplay
- Poland – Eleven Sports
- Portugal – Sport TV
- Spain – Movistar / DAZN
- Sweden – Viaplay / V sport motor / TV 10
- Switzerland – SRF / RSI / RTS
- UK – Sky Sports F1
Americas:
- USA – ESPN2
- Canada – RDS / RDS2 / TSN / Noovo
- Latin America – Fox Sports / ESPN
Asia:
- China – Great Sports TV / Guangdong TV
- India – F1TV Pro
- Japan – Fuji Television
- Malaysia – Astro Sports
- Indonesia- 0 Channel / Champions TV / Vidio
- Singapore – Singtel / Starhub
- Thailand – True Visions
- Turkey – S Sport / S Sport Plus
- Vietnam – K+
Oceania:
- Australia – Fox Sports / Network 10
- New Zealand – Spark Sports
Africa:
- Africa – SuperSport
After months of waiting, the lights will finally go out on March 5 as the F1 season gets underway. One interesting fact is that whenever a driver wins the Bahrain GP, he always finishes second in the driver’s championship. It happened last year with Charles Leclerc. It also took place when Lewis Hamilton won the race in 2021 and ended up finishing second in the championship. Could Max Verstappen break this curse?
In case you missed it:
- Can Max Verstappen finally conquer the F1 Bahrain GP after two heartbreaks in a row?
- “Feels like this weird dream,” Alex Albon opens up about his struggles in Red Bull’s tailor-made car for Max Verstappen
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)