F1 Practice Today: Barcelona Grand Prix 2026 start times, schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

The European leg of the 2026 F1 campaign is well and truly underway as the championship heads to Spain this weekend for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

The Spanish GP label no longer belongs to the event in Catalonia thanks to the introduction of the Madring circuit, which will appear on the calendar for the first time in September this year.

After a surprisingly chaotic run in Monaco last weekend, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli returns once again as the championship leader, this time with an even bigger lead and a new title rival.

After two back-to-back P2 finishes, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has leapfrogged George Russell in the drivers' standings, with the 28-year-old now seemingly fighting for his future at the Silver Arrows. If Antonelli manages to take victory on Sunday in Barcelona, it will not only be his sixth consecutive win, but it will also match Russell's entire grand prix win record.

It's all to play for in Barcelona this weekend and proceedings get underway today (Friday, June 12) with the first two of three scheduled practice sessions.

Will Antonelli get into Russell's head early on in Barcelona by topping the timesheets during Friday practice? Tune in to find out.

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F1 Practice Times - 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix

Just like last time out in Monaco, the Barcelona-Catalunya GP will host two practice sessions on Friday, with FP1 kicking off the weekend at 1:30pm local time (CEST) and 12:30 BST before FP2 takes place later that day at 5pm local time, or 4pm BST.

Saturday will then see the third and final free practice session of the weekend take place at 12:30 CEST which will be 11:30 BST on Saturday morning for anyone tuning in from the UK.

Find the practice session start times converted to your local time zone below:

Barcelona Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 1 (FP1) - Friday, June 12, 2026

Barcelona Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 2 (FP2) - Friday, June 12, 2026

Barcelona Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 3 (FP3) - Saturday, June 13, 2026

How to watch the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix practice 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

* - A free seven-day trial of Apple TV is available for fans in the US, allowing them to watch F1 for free this weekend.

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

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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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