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F1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

After all the talk and posturing of pre-season testing and practice, the true pace of the grid was revealed with Red Bull’s Verstappen taking his 33rd career F1 pole by beating Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc, who produced a lap time in Q2 quick enough to take pole outright, will still be content with the front row having qualified ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and the sister Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Sergio Perez underwhelmed relative to his Red Bull team-mate in fifth, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Lewis Hamilton also struggled to ninth.

Nico Hulkenberg was a surprise Q3 contender to take 10th for Haas, but it was a nightmare qualifying for Alpine with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly on the back row of the grid.

When is the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix?

Date: Saturday 2 March 2024
Start time: 6pm local time/3pm GMT

The first round of the 2024 F1 season, the Bahrain GP, gets under way at 6pm local time on Saturday 2 March.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is 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 £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99 or a month membership of £34.99 per month.

How can I watch the F1 Bahrain GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Bahrain GP.

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with pre-race coverage starting at 1:30pm GMT, ahead of the race start at 3:00pm GMT.

Channels: Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event
Start time: 1:30pm GMT, Saturday 2 March 2024

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Bahrain GP here.

When can I watch the F1 Bahrain GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Bahrain GP at 7:50pm GMT on Saturday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2024 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: 7:50pm GMT, Saturday 2 March 2024

The Stake F1 Team pit crew bring the car of Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber C44 back into the garage; 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, Formula One World Championship (Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images)

Will the F1 Bahrain GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Bahrain GP will start at 3:00pm GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Bahrain GP

Current weather forecasts predict dry and mild conditions in Bahrain, with low winds and a low chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 19 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

How many laps is the F1 Bahrain GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 57 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, covering a total race distance of 308.238km.

F1 Bahrain GP starting grid

   
1
 - 
3
   
   
1
 - 
2
   
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Time km/h
1 Netherlands M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1 Red Bull Red Bull

1'29.179

218.472
2 Monaco C. Leclerc Ferrari 16 Ferrari Ferrari

+0.228

1'29.407

217.915
3 United Kingdom G. Russell Mercedes 63 Mercedes Mercedes

+0.306

1'29.485

217.725
4 Spain C. Sainz Ferrari 55 Ferrari Ferrari

+0.328

1'29.507

217.672
5 Mexico S. Perez Red Bull Racing 11 Red Bull Red Bull

+0.358

1'29.537

217.599
6 Spain F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14 Aston Martin Mercedes

+0.363

1'29.542

217.587
7 United Kingdom L. Norris McLaren 4 McLaren Mercedes

+0.435

1'29.614

217.412
8 Australia O. Piastri McLaren 81 McLaren Mercedes

+0.504

1'29.683

217.245
9 United Kingdom L. Hamilton Mercedes 44 Mercedes Mercedes

+0.531

1'29.710

217.179
10 Germany N. Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team 27 Haas Ferrari

+1.323

1'30.502

215.279
11 Japan Y. Tsunoda RB 22 RB Red Bull

+0.950

1'30.129

216.170
12 Canada L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18 Aston Martin Mercedes

+1.021

1'30.200

216.000
13 Thailand A. Albon Williams 23 Williams Mercedes

+1.042

1'30.221

215.949
14 Australia D. Ricciardo RB 3 RB Red Bull

+1.099

1'30.278

215.813
15 Denmark K. Magnussen Haas F1 Team 20 Haas Ferrari

+1.350

1'30.529

215.215
16 Finland V. Bottas Sauber 77 Sauber Ferrari

+1.577

1'30.756

214.676
17 China Z. Guanyu Sauber 24 Sauber Ferrari

+1.578

1'30.757

214.674
18 United States L. Sargeant Williams 2 Williams Mercedes

+1.591

1'30.770

214.643
19 France E. Ocon Alpine 31 Alpine Renault

+1.614

1'30.793

214.589
20 France P. Gasly Alpine 10 Alpine Renault

+1.769

1'30.948

214.223
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