F1 schedule: Bahrain Grand Prix practice, qualifying, race date, time, odds, TV schedule

The 2023 F1 season kicks off this weekend with the green flag dropping on the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday at Bahrain International Circuit. The field of drivers had a testing period last week and now it’s on to the full-on racing.

The season begins with three practice sessions on Friday and Saturday. Qualifying runs on Saturday and then the race airs on Sunday. Bahrain is in Arabian Standard Time, which is eight hours ahead of Eastern Time in the United States. That means the events are all going to be airing in the morning in the US.

All events will broadcast on the ESPN network of channels, and will be available for live stream at WatchESPN. If you don’t have an ESPN subscription to access WatchESPN, you can get a trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the weekend’s events.

Max Verstappen is the defending points champion, but Charles Leclerc is the defending Bahrain GP winner. It was a rough race for Verstappen, who had a fuel system issue that forced him to retire on lap 54. He finished 19th, while his teammate Sergio Pérez retired two laps later due to a fuel system issue and finished 18th.

Verstappen is a sizable favorite to win Sunday’s race with -120 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of practice and qualifying. Charles Leclerc is next at +275, and then it’s a sizable drop to Lewis Hamilton at +850.

Here’s the complete schedule for this weekend. All times below are ET.

Bahrain Grand Prix weekend schedule

Friday, March 3

6:30-7:30 a.m. — Practice 1 — ESPN2, WatchESPN
10-11 a.m. — Practice 2 — ESPN2, WatchESPN

Saturday, March 4

6:30-7:30 a.m. — Practice 3 — ESPN2, WatchESPN
10-11 a.m. — Qualifying— ESPN2, WatchESPN

Sunday, March 5

10 a.m. — Bahrain Grand Prix race — ESPN, WatchESPN