At long last, Formula 1 is back. While we've had Formula E and F1: Drive to Survive to tide us over, the first F1 race of 2023 is finally taking place on March 5 in the form of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
If you're interested in watching the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, this guide will give you all the pointers to easily tune in, whether you're interested in all the practices and qualifiers, or just the main Grand Prix itself.
We've got a guide on how to watch the F1 2023 season if you're keen on all the races, but below you'll find specific information about the Bahrain Grand Prix, including how to stream, where it takes place and who's racing.
How to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in the US
In the US, ESPN is your source for watching the F1 race. The qualifiers and practice races are playing on ESPN 2 and ESPN Deportes, but the actual race itself on Sunday is on the primary ESPN channel.
If you don't have a cable plan, then you'll be happy to know that plenty of live TV streaming services offer ESPN channels. Your options are Sling TV (on its $40-per-month Orange plan), FuboTV ($74.99 per month) Hulu with Live TV ($74.99 per month) or YouTube TV ($64.99 per month).
If you do have a cable plan but it misses out on ESPN, or you don't want to pay a huge sum for a live TV streaming service because you won't use it much outside of F1, there's an alternative option.
F1 has its own service called F1 TV. Its top Pro option lets you stream the race, including footage from onboard cameras. Check out F1 TV here.
How to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in the UK
In the UK, you can live stream the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, as well as its qualifiers, using Sky Sports.
More specifically, you can watch to your heart's content using Sky Sports F1 (it does what it says on the tin). It's playing almost non-stop F1 coverage, with only the brief interruption for IndyCar highlights.
If you don't currently have Sky Sports, it's £24 per month on top of your standard Sky TV subscription, so you can get them bundled together for £46. However if the only sport you want is F1, you can get that alone added on top of Sky TV, which costs an extra £15 per month. Find out more here.
How to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Australia
In Australia, Fox Sports is showing the Bahrain Grand Prix, though you'll have to be awake at 2 am to watch it. You can also use Foxtel or Kayo Sports to stream the race.
Free-to-air TV channel Ten Play shows the F1 highlights. You won't have to pay a cent, but can't stream the race live.
How to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix everywhere else
If you're keen to watch the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix but you're somewhere the broadcasts aren't easily available, a potential solution to this issue is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address, enabling you to watch shows or sporting events like F1 and all the other shows and events that matter to you from other locations. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
What you need to know about the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
Where does the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix take place?
The Bahrain International Circuit hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix.
This course is 5.412km long, featuring 15 turns. Drivers should be familiar with the layout, with the F1 Pre-Season training taking place on the course a week prior.
Who is racing in the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix take place?
Ten teams are taking place in the F1 2023 season, with each fielding two drivers. You can find them here:
- Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari): Zhou Guanyu & Valtteri Bottas
- Scuderia AlphaTauri (AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT): Nyck de Vries & Yuki Tsunoda
- BWT Alpine F1 Team (Alpine-Fenault): Pierre Gasly & Esteban Ocon
- Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes): Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll
- Scuderia Ferrari (Ferrari): Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Jr.
- MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (Haas-Ferrari): Kevin Magnussen & Nico Julkenberg
- McLaren F1 Team (McLaren-Mercedes): Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri
- Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (Mercedes): Lewis Hamilton & George Russell
- Oracle Red Bull Racing (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT): Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez
- Williams Racing (Williams-Mercedes): Logan Sargeant & Alexander Albon
What's the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix schedule?
While the Bahrain Grand Prix, the main event for the F1 fixture, takes place on March 5, the full race takes place all weekend.
March 3 sees the first two practice sessions, and March 4 features the third as well as the qualifying race.
