F1 Qualifying Today: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 start time, schedule, TV channel and live stream

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

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

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:

Oscar Piastri needs to win the race, and have Verstappen finish second or lower and Norris finish sixth or lower.

F1 Title Scenarios: How Max Verstappen can win the championship in Abu Dhabi

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

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