Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix is often close, so here is all the F1 start time information you need for this event.

Given the hours of testing the teams do at Sakhir, the drivers know the layout extremely well and they know what it takes to put a lap together around this circuit, meaning qualifying often comes down to fine margins.

F1 start time: What time does Bahrain GP qualifying start?

Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying will take place from 7pm local time on Saturday 12 April 2025, which equates to this start time in the following territories:

United States and Canada*: 9am Pacific Time, 11am Central Time, 12pm Eastern
Mexico: 10am
United Kingdom: 5pm
Central European Time**: 6pm
South Africa: 6pm
Gulf Standard Time: 8pm
India: 9.30pm
Indonesia*: 11pm [Western Indonesia Time]
China: 12am [Sunday 13 April]
Singapore: 12am [Sunday 13 April]
Malaysia: 12am [Sunday 13 April]
Philippines: 12am [Sunday 13 April]
Japan: 1am [Sunday 13 April]
Australia*: 2am [Australian Eastern Standard Time] [Sunday 13 April]
New Zealand: 4am [Sunday 13 April]

*Convert to check locally if you do not live in an area of this territory with these time zones.

**Covers 30 nations and territories: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (except the Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.

How to watch Bahrain GP qualifying on TV

Different nations and territories around the world have their own broadcasting rights deals with Formula 1, and here is a selection of where F1 fans will be able to watch from across the globe, be it through pay TV or free-to-air:

Argentina: Fox Sports
Australia: Fox Sports
Brazil: BandSports, TV Bandeirantes
Canada: RDS (French), TSN (English)
Central Asia: Setanta Sports
China: CCTV
France: Canal+
Germany: Sky Sport F1
India: FanCode
Italy: Sky Sport F1
Japan: DAZN, Fuji TV
Latin America (except Argentina and Mexico): ESPN
Malaysia: beIN Sports
Mexico: Fox Sports
Middle East and North Africa: beIN Sports
Netherlands: Viaplay
New Zealand: Sky Sport, Prime (highlights)
Pakistan: A Sports
Republic of Ireland: Sky Sports F1, Channel 4 UK (highlights)
South Korea: Coupang Play
Spain: DAZN
Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport
United Kingdom: Sky Sports F1, Channel 4 (highlights)
United States: ESPN, ESPN Deportes

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How to live stream Bahrain GP qualifying

F1 fans will be able to stream Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying through platforms such as NOW and Sky Go in the UK.

F1 TV Pro is also available around the globe in selected territories, which offers exclusive features like onboard cameras from all 20 cars, pre and post-race shows and much more.

F1 TV Pro is also able to be live streamed via Apple TV, Chromecast Generation 2 and above, Android TV, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, without ad breaks and with commentary available in six languages.

Here is a list of all the territories where F1 TV Pro is available.

What is the F1 qualifying format used and how does it work?

F1 qualifying is broken down into three parts over the course of an hour and uses a knockout format to determine the grid, which has proven extremely popular since it was introduced into the sport:

Q1: 18 minutes

Five drivers are eliminated at the end of this first session, setting places 16 to 20 on the grid, with drivers able to set as many timed laps as they wish within the 18-minute period.

Q2: 15 minutes

After an eight-minute break, the remaining 15 cars go out for another 15 minutes before another five drop out at the end of Q2, setting places 11-15 on the grid. The same rules apply, with drivers allowed to set as many timed laps as they like within this period.

Q3: 12 minutes

After a seven-minute gap, the final 10 cars re-emerge onto the track for the shootout for pole position. At the end of the final 12-minute session, the top 10 places on the grid are decided for the Grand Prix.

For a full look at the intricacies and other rules around F1 qualifying, here is a full breakdown of the current format.

Read next: F1 start time: What time does the Bahrain Grand Prix start? How to watch and live stream