F1 Chinese Grand Prix Practice Today: Start times, schedule and ESPN TV

Find out all the details for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix practice session, including start time and how to watch in your region.

F1 finally returns to China this weekend after a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the passage of time and regulation changes have effectively turned the Shanghai International Circuit into a new track for this generation of F1 machinery.

The Chinese GP also sees the first Sprint of the season, which adds another layer of intrigue. Unlike usual race weekends with three practice sessions, teams will only have a single-hour window on Friday morning to gather data and dial in their cars.

This session becomes paramount, as the learnings gleaned here will directly translate into setup choices for the all-important Sprint Qualifying (Sprint Shootout) later that afternoon.

Now, let's take a look at the practice time and how you can catch all the action from Shanghai.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver announcement imminent as team 'offers contract' to F1 star

Chinese Grand Prix Free Practice - Friday, April 19, 2024

Local time (China): 11:30am Friday
United States (EDT): 11:30pm Thursday
United States (CDT): 10:30pm Thursday
United States (PDT): 8:30pm Thursday
UK time: 4:30am Friday
Central European Time (CEST): 5:30am Friday
Australia (Melbourne): 1:30pm Friday
South Africa: 5:30am Friday

How to watch the Chinese Grand Prix live on TV today

The answer depends on your location. Here's a breakdown of how to catch the action in some major countries:

United States: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
United Kingdom: Sky Sports
China: CCTV, Shanghai TV, Guangdong Television Channel, Tencent
Japan: Fuji TV, DAZN
Australia: Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo, Network Ten
Netherlands: Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra
Italy: Sky Italia
Spain: DAZN F1
Canada: RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo
Germany: Sky Deutschland
France: Canal+
Belgium: RTBF, Telenet, Play Sports
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.

READ MORE: Here's where Hamilton will make his sensational Ferrari debut next year

Related

More F1 news

Full News Feed

Mercedes F1 star ‘feeling the heat’ after losing championship lead

• March 30, 2026 23:00

Max Verstappen media meltdown leads to boycott calls

• March 30, 2026 21:00

Lewis Hamilton makes worrying Ferrari admission after 'terrible' Japanese Grand Prix

• March 30, 2026 19:00

FIA release statement over F1 2026 regulations after shocking Japanese GP crash

• March 30, 2026 17:00

Max Verstappen is 'seriously considering' retirement from F1

• March 30, 2026 01:00

F1 in new 2026 regulations storm over ‘missing Antonelli video’

• March 29, 2026 23:00