F1 Sprint Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2026 start times, schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

The first sprint qualifying session of the F1 2026 championship gets underway today (Friday, March 13) at the Shanghai International Circuit, so here is all you need to know about how to watch the session live on air.

F1 has retained a six-race sprint calendar for the new regulations cycle, but China remains just one of two tracks to hold on to its sprint hosting duties as three new circuits have joined the 100km race calendar and Silverstone has returned as a sprint weekend for the first time since 2021.

Want to know more about the sprint race weekend format for 2026? See our full explainer here.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen holds the record for the most F1 sprint race poles, having picked up 10 pole positions since the format was first introduced in 2021.

The Dutchman has dominated the sprint qualifying format with Red Bull, but after crashing out of last weekend's qualifying for the Australian GP, will he be able to hold his nerve and pick up an 11th sprint race pole position?

Tune in to the first sprint qualifying session of the year to find out!

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F1 Sprint Qualifying Times - 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

Sprint Qualifying for the F1 2026 Chinese GP takes place today (Friday, March 13) at 15:30 local time (CST), which is 07:30 GMT.

Find the sprint qualifying start time converted to your local time zone below:

Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Sprint Qualifying - Friday, March 13, 2026

How to watch the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix sprint qualifying live on TV today

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:

Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region

* F1 fans in the US can access a 7-day free trial to the coverage on Apple TV, which now has rights instead of ESPN from 2026 onwards.

F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.

F1 HEADLINES: Aston Martin short on parts as Alonso preps for Chinese GP nightmare

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.

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