Most sporting events are scheduled for the convenience of the people watching. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled for the convenience of a casino strip that looks its best in the dark. On Saturday 21 November 2026 Formula 1 lines up on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit for 50 laps, with lights out at 8:00 pm local time, according to the official F1 timetable. Lovely in Nevada. In London that is 4:00 am on Sunday. In Dubai it is breakfast and in Sydney it is a perfectly respectable 3:00 pm Sunday lunch, which makes Australia one of the few big F1 markets that gets a civilised slot from Sin City.
So this is the prep sheet: the session times where you live, who actually shows the race in your country, the prices I could confirm on official pages, and the small print that tends to ambush people at four in the morning. Such as a 24 hour pass that runs out five minutes before the race, or a password reset code that lands on a phone charging in another room.
What is confirmed, and what is not
| Question | Answer (checked 23 October 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Race | Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026, round 21 of 23, 50 laps (or 120 minutes) of the 6.201 km Las Vegas Strip Circuit | Formula 1 timetable and 2026 calendar |
| Race start | Saturday 21 November, 8:00 pm local (Pacific), which is 04:00 UTC on Sunday 22 November | Formula 1 timetable (“Las Vegas is 8 hours behind UTC”) |
| Qualifying | Friday 20 November, 8:00 pm local | Formula 1 timetable |
| Practice | FP1 Thursday 4:30 pm, FP2 Thursday 8:00 pm, FP3 Friday 4:30 pm, all local | Formula 1 timetable |
| US broadcaster | Apple TV, exclusive in the US from 2026 | Apple Newsroom; Formula 1 |
| UK and Ireland | Sky Sports and Channel 4 | Formula 1 broadcast information page |
| Channel 4 highlights slot for this race | Not published in anything I read | None yet |
| Is this race one of Apple’s free weekends? | Unconfirmed. Apple says “a select number of race weekends” are free, without naming them on the pages I read | Apple TV F1 page |
| Will the championship still be open? | Unknown. Channel 4 says Kimi Antonelli has a mathematical chance of the title in Austin this weekend | Channel 4 F1 coverage page |
One more piece of small print before we start. The official timetable ends with the immortal words “Timetable subject to change”, which in motorsport covers everything from a late safety car to a session that simply runs long. I will check these times again in race week, and so should you.
Session times worldwide
By race week everyone has finished fiddling with their clocks: the UK and Europe went back on Sunday 25 October and the US follows on Sunday 1 November. From then on Las Vegas sits eight hours behind London and nine behind Paris. If the last fortnight of clock changes has left you unsure what day it is, my clocks going back checklist covers the awkward gap week. Every row below was worked out with Python’s time zone database, because I do not trust my own arithmetic at 4 am and neither should you.
| Where you are | Practice 1 | Qualifying | Race |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas, Los Angeles (US Pacific) | Thu 19 Nov, 4:30 pm | Fri 20 Nov, 8:00 pm | Sat 21 Nov, 8:00 pm |
| Denver (US Mountain) | Thu 19 Nov, 5:30 pm | Fri 20 Nov, 9:00 pm | Sat 21 Nov, 9:00 pm |
| Chicago (US Central), Mexico City | Thu 19 Nov, 6:30 pm | Fri 20 Nov, 10:00 pm | Sat 21 Nov, 10:00 pm |
| New York, Toronto (Eastern) | Thu 19 Nov, 7:30 pm | Fri 20 Nov, 11:00 pm | Sat 21 Nov, 11:00 pm |
| São Paulo | Thu 19 Nov, 9:30 pm | Sat 21 Nov, 1:00 am | Sun 22 Nov, 1:00 am |
| UK and Ireland (GMT) | Fri 20 Nov, 00:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 04:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 04:00 |
| Central Europe (Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid), Lagos | Fri 20 Nov, 01:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 05:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 05:00 |
| Johannesburg, Cairo | Fri 20 Nov, 02:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 06:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 06:00 |
| Riyadh, Baghdad | Fri 20 Nov, 03:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 07:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 07:00 |
| Dubai, Abu Dhabi (UAE) | Fri 20 Nov, 04:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 08:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 08:00 |
| India (IST) | Fri 20 Nov, 06:00 | Sat 21 Nov, 09:30 | Sun 22 Nov, 09:30 |
| Singapore, Perth | Fri 20 Nov, 08:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 12:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 12:00 |
| Tokyo | Fri 20 Nov, 09:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 13:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 13:00 |
| Sydney, Melbourne (AEDT) | Fri 20 Nov, 11:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 15:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 15:00 |
| Auckland (NZDT) | Fri 20 Nov, 13:30 | Sat 21 Nov, 17:00 | Sun 22 Nov, 17:00 |
The race is scheduled to finish within two hours, so in the UK you are done by about 6 am at the latest unless there is a stoppage. The drivers’ parade is at 6:00 pm local, which is 2:00 am in the UK, for anyone who wants the full insomnia package.
Who shows it where you live
Here is a short version of Formula 1’s own broadcast list, which is the only list I would trust over a random forum post. It names the broadcasters, not the exact package or channel you need, so check your local guide once race week arrives.
| Territory | Broadcaster(s) listed by Formula 1 |
|---|---|
| United States | Apple TV |
| United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland | Sky Sports, Channel 4 |
| Canada | RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo |
| Australia | Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo |
| New Zealand | Sky NZ |
| India | FanCode, TATA Play FanCode Sports |
| Middle East and North Africa | beIN Sports |
| Africa | SuperSport |
| Germany | Sky Deutschland, RTL |
| France | Canal+ |
| Italy | Sky Italia |
| Spain, Portugal | DAZN |
| Netherlands, Nordics | Viaplay (plus TV3 in Denmark, V sport 1 in Norway) |
| Brazil | TV Globo, sportv |
| Mexico | TUDN, Sky Sports, Izzi |
| Latin America | ESPN |
| Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey | beIN SPORTS |
| Japan | Fuji TV |
Formula 1 also says its own F1 TV service carries live coverage “in many territories”. It has a location availability page on its help site; if your country is not listed there, F1 TV is not available to you. I am not going to guess F1 TV prices country by country, because they vary and I would rather send you to the official page than invent a number.
United States: Apple TV has the keys
This is Apple’s first season as the exclusive US home of F1, and the official Apple TV page today says the service costs $14.99 a month after a free 7 day trial. Apple’s own F1 launch press release in March said $12.99. The cars are not the only thing that went quicker this season. If your trial plan is “sign up on Thursday, cancel on Monday”, the seven days cover the whole weekend, but put the cancel date in your calendar now rather than trusting the 2 am version of yourself.
What the subscription gets you, according to Apple: every session live and on demand, English and Spanish commentary, the Sky Sports broadcast as an option (yes, Americans now get British commentary through Apple, which is either a cultural exchange or revenge for something), every Grand Prix in 4K with Dolby Vision and 5.1 sound, and up to 30 extra live feeds. Multiview, which shows up to four feeds at once, works on supported devices including Apple TV 4K, iPad and Apple Vision Pro. If you are thinking of buying hardware just for this, my Apple TV 4K (4th gen) checklist has the dates.
The free bits are worth knowing about. Apple says every practice session is available in the Apple TV app without a subscription, and that Yahoo Sports streams practice and qualifying live in the US. Apple Music carries free live audio of the races. Apple also promised free Tubi “altcasts” for some races, to be announced later. None of the pages I read says whether Las Vegas is one of the free race weekends, so assume you need to pay until Apple says otherwise.
Three pieces of small print for US viewers:
- You need a US Apple TV subscription. Apple’s footnote says so in plain words. Travelling Americans should test the app abroad before race week rather than at 7 pm on the Saturday.
- F1 TV Premium is included, but you have to link it. Apple says to link your Apple Account at f1.com/apple. F1’s help pages say there is currently no activation journey on Roku, Android TV or Amazon Fire TV, so activate from the F1 TV website or app first, then sign in on the TV.
- One Apple subscription, one F1 TV account. F1 warns that each link needs its own Apple TV subscription, which matters if your household shares an Apple One family plan. Family Sharing does cover the Apple TV app itself for up to five other family members, according to Apple.
UK and Ireland: Sky, NOW and the 24 hour trap
If you have Sky TV with Sky Sports, the race is on Sky Sports F1 and you can mostly skip this section. If you stream through NOW, the official NOW help pages list three ways in: the Multi-Sport Membership at £26.99 a month flexible (or £19.99 on a 12 month saver), the All Sky Sports Membership at £34.99 flexible (£27.99 saver), or a Day Membership at £14.99 for 24 hours. All three include Sky Sports F1 and the F1 Race Control streams with onboard cameras, timing and team radio.
Now the trap. NOW says a Day Membership “starts immediately after purchase” and lasts 24 hours. Qualifying starts at 04:00 on Saturday and the race starts at 04:00 on Sunday. That is exactly 24 hours apart. Buy a pass at 03:55 on Saturday for qualifying and it expires at 03:55 on Sunday, five minutes before lights out, which is the kind of timing only a subscription business could love. If you want both sessions live, you need two Day passes (£29.98) or a monthly membership, and the Multi-Sport flexible membership costs less than two passes and covers Qatar and Abu Dhabi as well. If you only want the race, buy your Day pass on Sunday morning, not on Saturday night “to be ready”.
Two more NOW details worth knowing. HD and UHD need Boost or Ultra Boost, and NOW says you cannot add Boost if a Day Membership is the only thing on your account, so the Day pass route is not the way to see the Sphere in full glory. And NOW lets you pause and rewind live sports channels for up to four hours on selected devices, with full replays usually within 24 hours, which helps if you plan to start watching at 6 am instead of 4.
Channel 4 shows F1 highlights in 2026 (its coverage page already lists the US Grand Prix highlights). I could not find its Las Vegas slot yet, so do not plan your Sunday around a time I have not seen. If you are spoiler sensitive, mute F1 words on your social apps before you go to bed on Saturday.
Everywhere else: the lucky time zones
Australia gets the best deal on the planet: qualifying at 3 pm Saturday and the race at 3 pm Sunday in Sydney and Melbourne, on Fox Sports, Foxtel or Kayo according to Formula 1. India gets the race at 9:30 am on Sunday on FanCode, which is breakfast television with tyre strategy. The Gulf gets it at 8 am Sunday on beIN Sports, Japan at lunchtime, and São Paulo at 1 am Sunday. Europe and Africa share the UK’s pain, one or two hours later on the clock.
A word about VPNs, because someone always asks. Your broadcaster’s location rules are its own business, and some streaming apps simply refuse to play when they detect a VPN. If you use one for privacy, switch it off on the TV or box you watch on, and do that before the race, not when the formation lap starts.
The 4 am plan: three ways to do it
- Stay up or set an alarm. Alarm for 03:40 UK, not 03:58. Apps need updating, TVs need waking and someone will need to find the remote. If you are in a shared house, headphones are cheaper than an apology.
- Sleep, then watch “live” from the start. On NOW you can rewind up to four hours on selected devices; Apple promises full replays and spoiler free catch up. Start at 6 am and you are watching the full race with no adverts for the result, as long as you keep your phone face down.
- Watch the replay later on Sunday. The least heroic option and the most sensible. Just remember NOW says replays “usually” appear within 24 hours, not instantly.
Test your setup on a race that is not at 4 am
The best rehearsal is a real live race at a friendly hour, on the same device, app and account you will use in November. Handily, Formula 1 gives you three before Vegas:
- US Grand Prix, Austin, Sunday 25 October. Apple lists the race at 4:00 pm Eastern, which is 8:00 pm in the UK once our clocks have gone back that morning.
- Mexico City Grand Prix, Sunday 1 November. Apple lists 3:00 pm Eastern, which is again 8:00 pm in the UK, on the day the US clocks change.
- São Paulo Grand Prix, Sunday 8 November. Apple lists 12:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm in the UK.
During the rehearsal, check that the app is the latest version, that you are signed in on the TV itself and not relying on your phone, that the stream holds up for two hours without dropping quality, and that the commentary or feed you want is where you think it is. NOW says it needs at least 2.5 Mbps; run a test on the device by the TV with speedtest.husham.com and use Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi if the box allows it. And if two factor codes go to a phone, make sure that phone is not the one charging on the landing.
If you fancy a second overnight live event to practise on, a few days later the NFL’s Thanksgiving Eve game arrives on Netflix at 1 am UK time, and my kick-off times and tech checklist for that one uses the same playbook.
Dated checklist
- This weekend (Sun 25 Oct): UK and Europe clocks go back. Watch the US Grand Prix on the device you plan to use and note anything that fails.
- Sun 1 Nov: US clocks change. Mexico City Grand Prix as a second test. US viewers: check your Apple TV plan and price, and link F1 TV Premium if you want it.
- Sun 8 Nov: São Paulo Grand Prix. Final full test. UK viewers decide: monthly membership or Day pass for the race only.
- Mon 16 Nov: Recheck the official F1 timetable and your broadcaster’s listings. Update the app on the TV, not just on your phone.
- Thu 19 Nov: FP1 at 4:30 pm local (00:30 Friday UK). US viewers can test the free practice stream in the Apple TV app.
- Fri 20 Nov: Qualifying at 8 pm local (04:00 Saturday UK, 3 pm Saturday Sydney). Decide if you are watching it live or the replay.
- Sat 21 Nov evening (UK): Charge the remote and your phone, set the alarm for 03:40, mute spoilers if you are delaying.
- Sun 22 Nov, 03:40 UK: Buy the NOW Day pass now if that is your route (not on Saturday). Open the app, find the F1 page, check the stream.
- Sun 22 Nov, 04:00 UK / 08:00 UAE / 09:30 India / 15:00 Sydney: Lights out.
- Next up: Qatar on 27 to 29 November (Apple lists the race at 11:00 am Eastern on Sunday 29 November, 4:00 pm in the UK) and Abu Dhabi on 4 to 6 December.
The short version
Las Vegas is a 4 am race for the UK, a Saturday night race for the US and a Sunday lunchtime treat for Australia. Americans need a US Apple TV subscription at $14.99 a month unless Apple names this as a free weekend. UK streamers should not buy a NOW Day pass on Saturday morning and expect it to last until the race. Test everything on the Austin, Mexico City or São Paulo races first, keep your VPN off on the TV, and go to bed early on the Saturday. The Sphere will be there when you wake up.
If your TV app is the weak link (old smart TV apps are a classic way to miss the start), a streaming box that gets current apps is the simple fix. Certified Google TV and Android TV boxes, like the SHIELD at the top of this list, get their apps from Google Play, but check that your broadcaster’s app is in the store on the box you choose before you buy, because availability varies by country. The Formuler at the end is an IPTV player box, not a pick for this race.
Best IPTV boxes to buy
These are media boxes and sticks that can run players and licensed apps. The first six are Google certified Android TV or Google TV devices with Google Play; the last one, the Formuler, runs its own Android and is not certified. They are not pirate hardware. They do not come with channels or playlists. I am not claiming I personally lab-tested every SKU this month.
Buy one of these when: Fire TV sideload is a hassle on your model, you want Play Store apps on a proper TV OS, or you want a dedicated player shell behind the sofa. No Fire TV device is on this shortlist.
- NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro: the premium pick, a certified Android TV player with AI upscaling, Dolby Vision/Atmos and Gigabit Ethernet for the main living-room telly. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Google TV Streamer 4K: solid Google TV living-room default with Ethernet, 32GB storage and Dolby Vision/Atmos. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen): Google TV box with 32GB storage, Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos, the cheaper box route than the Streamer. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen): budget Google TV stick with Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos when you want HDMI-simple, not a full box. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Budget Google TV 4K player: a cheaper certified Google TV player for a second telly. The model differs by store, so each link names the one you get there. MECOOL KD3 (Amazon UK) | onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (Amazon US) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon DE) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon FR) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon IT)
- MECOOL MEon1: Google TV certified 4K box with AI upscaling and 32GB storage for a dedicated player behind the sofa. Amazon UK
- Formuler Z12 Ultra SE: the newest Formuler box, built around MYTVOnline 4 for IPTV playlists. It runs Formuler’s own Android rather than certified Google TV, so there is no Netflix in HD and it is the one box here without Google certification. Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon UK) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon US) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon DE) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon FR) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon IT)
Still shopping for a Fire TV device? Fine for Prime Video and the Appstore universe. Not the shortlist above. And none of these boxes magically make unlicensed streams legal.
Sources I read for this piece, all on 23 October 2026 unless dated: Formula 1 “FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX 2026: full timetable”, the 2026 race calendar and the F1 Broadcast Information page on formula1.com; F1 Help “Subscribe via Apple TV or other TV and mobile partners”; Apple Newsroom “The 2026 Formula 1 season begins this weekend, exclusively on Apple TV in the U.S.” (5 March 2026); Apple TV “Where to Watch Formula 1” (tv.apple.com) and the Apple TV price on apple.com; NOW Help “Watching F1 with NOW” and “All about NOW sports memberships”; and Channel 4’s 2026 Formula 1 coverage page. Session times converted with Python’s zoneinfo time zone database. Featured photo: the Sphere during the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix by Nascar9919, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Written by Dr Husham Memar
