Formula 1 qualifying results: Grid launch for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Grid for Sunday has been set up.
In the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that decides the title, it will be Max Verstappen starting at pole, his 10th title of the season – and the most important of the year.
In a twist, Red Bull decided to enter Q2 with soft compound tires on their vehicles, resulting in Verstappen taking the session lead. That will be a different strategy from Mercedes, who will start the race on the vehicles.
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In the third quarter, Verstappen passed Hamilton by half a full second, thanks in part to the pull of teammate Sergio Perez, who finished fourth in qualifying. Surprisingly, Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas didn’t finish in the top five in qualifying, leaving Mercedes with a small elimination heading into Sunday.
Here’s how they’ll line up in Sunday’s final race:
Formula 1 starting line-up for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
With soft compound tyres, Verstappen had the fastest lap in qualifying. His Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, will start in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton will finish second. He will race on medium tyres, as opposed to Red Bull’s soft tyres.
position | Driver (Team) |
---|---|
first. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
2. | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
3. | Lando Norris (McLaren) |
4. | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
5. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) |
6. | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
7. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
8. | Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) |
9. | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
ten. | Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) |
11. | Fernando Alonso (Alpine) |
twelfth. | Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) |
13. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) |
14. | Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) |
15. | Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) |
16. | Nicholas Latifi (Williams) |
17. | George Russell (Williams) |
18. | Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) |
19. | Mick Schumacher (Haas) |
20 | Nikita Mazepin (Haas) |
On which channel is the F1 race on Sunday?
- Race: Grand Prix Abu Dhabi
- Day: Sunday, December 12
- Channel: ESPN2
- Direct: fuboTV
The ESPN network team will broadcast all of the 2021 F1 races in the US using a Sky Sports feed with select end-of-season races airing on ABC.
ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-speaking home for all 2021 F1 races in the US
What time does the F1 race start today?
- Day: Sunday, December 12
- Start time: 8 a.m. ET
The 8 a.m. ET start time for Sunday’s race means the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will begin at 5 p.m. local time. The lights out will likely happen as soon as 8 a.m. ET. ESPN’s prerace program usually airs an hour before the race starts.
Here is the full schedule for the F1 events over the weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Day | Incident | Time (ET) | Channel |
Friday, December 10 | Practice 1 | 4:30 am | ESPNU |
Friday, December 10 | Practice 2 | 8 a.m | ESPNU |
Saturday, December 11 | Practice 3 | 5 a.m | ESPN2 |
Saturday, December 11 | Qualification | 8 a.m | ESPN2 |
Sunday, December 12 | Race | 8 a.m | ESPN2 |
Formula 1 live stream for Grand Prix Abu Dhabi
For those without a cable or satellite subscription, there are five main OTT TV streaming options with ESPN: fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV, and AT&T Now. Out of the five, Hulu, fuboTV, and YouTubeTV offer free trial options.
Here are links to each.
For those with a cable or satellite subscription but don’t watch TV, the 2021 Formula 1 races can be streamed via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication. .
Formula 1 schedule in 2021
In all, there are 23 scheduled races into the 2021 F1 season with the Portuguese Grand Prix sliding across the charts in the first week of March. The originally scheduled Vietnam Grand Prix was scrapped after the arrest Nguyen Duc Chung, while the Chinese Grand Prix was in progress. It was originally scheduled for April 11 but most likely won’t happen this season.
All races will be broadcast in the United States on the ESPN network, with the United States Grand Prix and Mexico City Grand Prix being broadcast on ABC. The Singapore Grand Prix was also removed from the schedule. The alternative Turkish Grand Prix returns to the schedule.
(Note: Hourly start times do not include broadcast start times, which are typically five minutes before the start of a race. Time does not include regular ESPN broadcasts.)
THAN: Stream F1 races all season live on fuboTV (7 days free trial)
Here is the latest schedule:
Day | Race | Course | Start time | Channel | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 28 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 11 a.m | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
April 18 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 9 am | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
May 2 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Algarve International Circuit | 10 am | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
May 9 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 am | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
May 23 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 am | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
June 6 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 8 a.m | ESPN | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
June 20 | French Grand Prix | Circuit Paul Ricard | 9 am | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
June 27 | Grand Prix Styria | Red Bull Ring | 9 am | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
4th of july | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 am | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
July 18 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 am | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
August 1st | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 am | ESPN | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
August 29 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 am | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
September 5 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 am | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
September 12 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 9 am | ESPN2 | Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) |
September 26 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | 8 a.m | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
October 10 | Turkish Grand Prix | Istanbul Intercity Park | 8 a.m | ESPN2 | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
October 24 | US Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 pm | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
October 31 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | 3 pm | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
November 7 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace | Don’t turn on | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
November 21 | Qatar Grand Prix | Losail . International Circuit | 9 am | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
December 5 | Saudi Arabia Grand Prix | Jeddah Road | 11p.m | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
December 12th | Grand Prix Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina race track | 8 a.m | ESPN2 | TBD |