F1 reveals tweaks to race start times and schedules
Formula 1 has confirmed changes to race start times for all 21 rounds of the 2018 season with European summer races and the Brazilian Grand Prix held later to attract larger TV audiences.
All races will now start at ten minutes past the hour, rather than on the hour, in order to accommodate some television broadcasters who go on air on the hour. The move is thought to provide the “missing tension and emotions that characterise the minutes before the start of each Grand Prix” and provide a greater spectacle for television viewers.
Formula 1 has confirmed changes to race start times for all 21 rounds of the 2018 season with European summer races and the Brazilian Grand Prix held later to attract larger TV audiences.
All races will now start at ten minutes past the hour, rather than on the hour, in order to accommodate some television broadcasters who go on air on the hour. The move is thought to provide the “missing tension and emotions that characterise the minutes before the start of each Grand Prix” and provide a greater spectacle for television viewers.
The second switch has seen all European races and the Brazilian race start one hour later on a Sunday afternoon to attract a wider television audience. The change has impacted the entire race weekend schedule with every session moved back by one hour for the listed races.
Additional race start time changes have been made in order to avoid clashes with other major sporting events including the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The F1 2018 race schedule:
Grand Prix | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |||
| FP1 | FP2 | FP3 | Qualifying | Race | Sunset |
Australia | 12:00-13:30 | 16:00-17:30 | 14:00-15:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 16:10 | 19:24 |
Bahrain | 14:00-15:30 | 18:00-19:30 | 15:00-16-00 | 18:00-19:00 | 18:10 | 17:57 |
China | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 11:00-12:00 | 14:00-15:00 | 14:10 | 18:22 |
Azerbaijan | 13:00-14:30 | 17:00-18:30 | 14:00-15:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 16:10 | 19:33 |
Spain | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 21:01 |
Monaco* | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 21:00 |
Canada | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 11:00-12:00 | 14:00-15:00 | 14:10 | 20:42 |
France | 12:00-13:30 | 16:00-17:30 | 13:00-14:00 | 16:00-17:00 | 16:10 | 21:22 |
Austria | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 20:57 |
Great Britain | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 11:00-12:00 | 14:00-15:00 | 14:10 | 21:24 |
Germany | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 20:19 |
Hungary | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 20:22 |
Belgium | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 20:35 |
Italy | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 19:59 |
Singapore | 16:30-18:00 | 20:30-22:00 | 18:00-19:00 | 21:00-22:00 | 20:10 | 19:03 |
Russia | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 14:10 | 18:04 |
Japan | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 14:10 | 17:30 |
United States | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 13:00-14:00 | 16:00-17:00 | 13:10 | 18:53 |
Mexico | 10:00-11:30 | 14:00-15:30 | 10:00-11:00 | 13:00-14:00 | 13:10 | 18:04 |
Brazil | 11:00-12:30 | 15:00-16:30 | 12:00-13:00 | 15:00-16:00 | 15:10 | 19:26 |
Abu Dhabi | 13:00-14:30 | 17:00-18:30 | 14:00-15:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 17:10 | 17:33 |
*Monaco FP1 and FP2 on Thursday
All local times stated
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