F1 Practice: Azerbaijan Grand Prix start times, schedule and how to watch live on TV

Formula 1 hits the streets of Baku for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, with the action kicking off on Friday, September 19, with free practice.

With a normal grand prix format in place, there will be three free practice sessions in total - FP1, FP2, and FP3 - spread across Friday and Saturday morning.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks round 17 of the 2025 campaign, with the title battle in the drivers' championship set to take center stage once again.

Oscar Piastri currently sits 31 points ahead of McLaren teammate and rival Lando Norris after the British driver finished ahead of the Aussie last time out in Italy.

There was some controversy surrounding that result, though, with McLaren having asked Piastri to allow Norris into second after a slow stop when the Brit came down the pit lane late saw him undercut.

It could be a big weekend for McLaren, not least because they can wrap up the constructors' championship for the second consecutive year. 2024's title went down to the last race of the season against Ferrari, but this year, the Woking outfit could be celebrating much earlier.

With all of that said, let's get into the all-important details that you came here for!

What time is F1 practice today?

F1 practice action at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will get underway on Friday, September 19, with FP1 starting at 12:30pm local time (AZT). This means an FP1 start time of 4:30am (ET) in the United States, so you will have to be up early.

Later on Friday, FP2 will then get underway at 4pm (AZT), which means a more reasonable start time of 8am (ET).

On Saturday, it's an early start once again, with the third and final practice session, FP3, getting underway at 12:30pm (AZT), meaning another 4:30am (ET) start for those on the East Coast.

Please see below for the start times converted to your local time zone:

FP1 start times - Friday, September 19

Local Time (AZT): 12:30pm
United States Eastern (ET): 4:30am
United States Central (CT): 3:30am
United States Mountain (MT): 2:30am
United States Pacific (PT): 1:30am

FP2 start times - Friday, September 19

Local Time (AZT): 4pm
United States Eastern (ET): 8am
United States Central (CT): 7am
United States Mountain (MT): 6am
United States Pacific (PT): 5am

FP3 start times - Saturday, September 20

Local Time (AZT): 12:30pm
United States Eastern (ET): 4:30am
United States Central (CT): 3:30am
United States Mountain (MT): 2:30am
United States Pacific (PT): 1:30am

TV and live streaming options

In the United States, this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice action will be shown live on ESPN across multiple channels.

On Friday, both FP1 and FP2 will be shown live on ESPNU, for example, whilst on Saturday, FP3 will be shown live on ESPN2.

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

F1 international broadcasters

United States: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Mexico: Fox Sports Mexico, Televisa
Australia: Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo
Italy: Sky Italia
Belgium: RTBF, Play Sports
Netherlands: Viaplay, Viaplay Xtra
Spain: DAZN F1
Canada: RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo
Germany: Sky Deutschland, RTL
France: Canal+
Singapore: beIN SPORTS
China: CCTV, Shanghai TV, Guangdong TV, Tencent
Japan: Fuji TV, DAZN
Hungary: M4 (MTVA Sports Channel)
Brazil: Bandeirantes, Bandsports
Austria: Servus TV, ORF
Middle East & Turkey: beIN SPORTS
Africa: SuperSport
India: FanCode
Latin America: ESPN

F1 action in 2025 is also available to watch via F1TV Pro in selected countries.

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