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George Russell looks happy in front of the Belgian flag

F1 Practice Today: Belgian Grand Prix 2026 schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

George Russell looks happy in front of the Belgian flag — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Practice Today: Belgian Grand Prix 2026 schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

Everything you need to know about practice at this year's Belgian GP

Kerry Violet
F1 News Editor
F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.
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The 2026 Belgian Grand Prix marks the return of the F1 championship this weekend as the first race of the final double header before the annual summer shutdown commences at Spa-Francorchamps.

After a dramatic end to the British GP last time out, Mercedes pair Kimi Antonelli and George Russell still head the championship standings, but Russell has edged closer to his teenage team-mate, with only 25 points separating the driver duo.

Ferrari remain their closest challengers, both in the constructors' championship and in the drivers' standings as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc cling onto P3 and P4 respectively.

After a jam-packed sprint weekend in Silverstone, regular running returns with three practice sessions and one qualifying before the main event on Sunday at Spa.

The action will get underway today (Friday, July 17) with Free Practice 1 kicking off at 1:30pm CEST.

Check out all the details of all three practice sessions across Friday and Saturday below.

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F1 Practice Times - 2026 Belgian Grand Prix

The Belgian 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 those tuning in from the UK.

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

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 1 (FP1) - Friday, July 17, 2026

LocationTime
Local time (CEST)13:30 Friday
British Summer Time (BST)12:30 Friday
United States (ET)07:30 Friday
United States (CT)06:30 Friday
United States (PT)04:30 Friday
Brazil (BRT)08:30 Friday
Australia (AWST)19:30 Friday
Australia (ACT)21:00 Friday
Australia (AET)21:30 Friday
Mexico (CST)05:30 Friday
Japan (JST)20:30 Friday
China (CST)19:30 Friday
South Africa (SAST)13:30 Friday
Egypt (EEST)14:30 Friday
India (IST)17:00 Friday
Singapore (SGT)19:30 Friday
Turkey (TRT)14:30 Friday
United Arab Emirates (GST)15:30 Friday
Saudi Arabia (AST)14:30 Friday

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 2 (FP2) - Friday, July 17, 2026

LocationTime
Local time (CEST)17:00 Friday
British Summer Time (BST)16:00 Friday
United States (ET)11:00 Friday
United States (CT)10:00 Friday
United States (PT)08:00 Friday
Brazil (BRT)12:00 Friday
Australia (AWST)23:00 Friday
Australia (ACT)00:30 Saturday
Australia (AET)01:00 Saturday
Mexico (CST)09:00 Friday
Japan (JST)00:00 Saturday
China (CST)23:00 Friday
South Africa (SAST)17:00 Friday
Egypt (EEST)18:00 Friday
India (IST)20:30 Friday
Singapore (SGT)23:00 Friday
Turkey (TRT)18:00 Friday
United Arab Emirates (GST)19:00 Friday
Saudi Arabia (AST)18:00 Friday

Belgian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Free Practice 3 (FP3) - Saturday, July 18, 2026

LocationTime
Local time (CEST)12:30 Saturday
British Summer Time (BST)11:30 Saturday
United States (ET)06:30 Saturday
United States (CT)05:30 Saturday
United States (PT)03:30 Saturday
Brazil (BRT)07:30 Saturday
Australia (AWST)18:30 Saturday
Australia (ACT)20:00 Saturday
Australia (AET)20:30 Saturday
Mexico (CST)04:30 Saturday
Japan (JST)19:30 Saturday
China (CST)18:30 Saturday
South Africa (SAST)12:30 Saturday
Egypt (EEST)13:30 Saturday
India (IST)16:00 Saturday
Singapore (SGT)18:30 Saturday
Turkey (TRT)13:30 Saturday
United Arab Emirates (GST)14:30 Saturday
Saudi Arabia (AST)13:30 Friday

How to watch the 2026 Belgian GP practice live on TV today

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

Region/Country Broadcaster(s)
United KingdomSky Sports, Channel 4
*United StatesApple TV
ChinaShanghai TV, Guandong Television Channel, Tencent
ItalySky Italia
NetherlandsViaplay, Viaplay Xtra
JapanFuji TV, DAZN
AustraliaFox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten
SpainDAZN
CanadaRDS, TSN
GermanySky Deutschland, RTL
FranceCanal+
BelgiumRTBF, Telenet
LuxembourgRTL Lux, Sky DE
MexicoFox Sports Mexico
SingaporebeIN SPORTS
HungaryM4 Sport
BrazilBandeirantes
AustriaServus TV, ORF
Middle East & TurkeybeIN SPORTS
AfricaSuperSport
Latin AmericaESPN

*Apple TV currently offers a free seven-day trial for American fans. To sign up to Apple TV, click here.

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

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Kerry Violet
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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