This is it - the final qualifying session of the 2025 F1 championship is upon us and it will kick off today (Saturday, December 6) at 6pm local time (GST).
Whist McLaren have already been crowned constructors' champions this season, the drivers' championship is still up for grabs and both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are in the fight.
F1 HEADLINES: McLaren pull out of Abu Dhabi media duties as driver slams ‘unacceptable’ team orders
But reigning champion Max Verstappen splits the papaya pair in the standings and is just 12 points behind leader Norris heading into the season finale.
Any result in the championship race is still very much possible, and qualifying could prove crucial to the finishing order once again. It was Norris who took pole position in Abu Dhabi last year and converted it into a win.
All the Brit needs to do to be crowned champion this weekend is finish on the podium, so you won't want to miss the final grand prix qualifying of the year at the Yas Marina Circuit!
What time does Qualifying start?
Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2025 takes place today (Saturday, December 6) at 6pm local time (GST). That is 2pm UK, 3pm CET, 9am Eastern in the US and 6am Pacific on the West Coast.
Find the qualifying start time converted to your local time zone below:
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 Session Times
Qualifying - Saturday, December 6, 2025
| Location | Time |
|---|---|
| Local time (GST) | 6pm Saturday |
| United Kingdom (GMT) | 2pm Saturday |
| Central European Time (CET) | 3pm Saturday |
| United States (ET) | 9am Saturday |
| United States (CT) | 8am Saturday | United States (PT) | 6am Saturday |
| Brazil (BRT) | 11am Saturday |
| Australia (AET) | 1am Sunday |
| Australia (AWT) | 10pm Saturday |
| Australia (ACT) | 12:30am Sunday |
| Mexico (CST) | 8am Saturday |
| Japan (JST) | 11pm Saturday |
| South Africa (SAST) | 4pm Saturday |
| Egypt (EET) | 4pm Saturday |
| China (CST) | 10pm Saturday |
| India (IST) | 7:30pm Saturday |
| Singapore (SGT) | 10pm Saturday |
| Turkey (TRT) | 5pm Saturday |
| Saudi Arabia (AST) | 5pm Saturday |
How to watch qualifying live on TV
Broadcast and live stream details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:
Where to watch: F1 2025 broadcasters by region
| Region/Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports |
| United States | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Italy | Sky Italia |
| Netherlands | Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra |
| China | CCTV, Shanghai TV, Guangdong Television Channel, Tencent |
| Japan | Fuji TV, DAZN |
| Australia | Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten |
| Spain | DAZN F1, Mediaset |
| Canada | CTV, RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo |
| Germany | Sky Deutschland, RTL |
| France | Canal+ |
| Belgium | RTBF, Telenet, Play Sports |
| Luxembourg | RTL.lu |
| Mexico | Fox Sports Mexico |
| Singapore | beIN SPORTS |
| Hungary | M4 (MTVA Sports Channel) |
| Brazil | Bandeirantes, Bandsports |
| Austria | Servus TV, ORF |
| Middle East & Turkey | beIN SPORTS |
| Africa | SuperSport |
| Latin America | ESPN |
F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.
How does F1 Qualifying work?
The qualifying session is split into three finite windows, which provide a dramatic prelude to Sunday's race.
The bottom five drivers are eliminated at the end of Q1, with a further five eliminated after Q2.
Then, Q3 gives us a shootout between the remaining 10 drivers in the battle for positions at the front of the grid.
F1 Title Scenarios
The scenarios are relatively straightforward heading into race weekend:
F1 Title Scenarios: How Max Verstappen can win the championship in Abu Dhabi


