How to Watch F1®? A Guide to the 2025 Formula 1 Season

Will Max Verstappen manage to defend his world championship in 2025? Was Hamilton’s move to Ferrari as inspired as his 2013 switch to Mercedes? Or will McLaren add a driver’s championship to last season’s constructor’s title? These are the questions everyone’s asking as F1® gears up for a season of mouth-watering possibilities. You won’t want to miss a second.

That brings us to your most pressing question: how can you watch Formula 1 in 2025? This guide will show you how the season will unfold, and how best to experience the action.

When should I start watching Formula 1?

Each F1® season builds up to that nail-biting moment when the lights go out on the first race. This is how 2025 will get revved up.

Testing: 26–28 February

It all starts with testing, where teams reveal their latest cars. The drivers will try to test the limits of the cars’ grip, speed, and aerodynamic packages in full view of the media and the public. This year, testing takes place in Bahrain between the 26th and 28th of February.

FP1 & FP2: Practice Sessions

Two weeks later they’re in Melbourne, Australia, with their race heads on. They spend the first day with two one-hour sessions on the Albert Park circuit, where they can learn the track and find out how it differs from the simulator. The next day, the teams get one last hour to test their cars on the circuit. Final adjustments are made to the cars before things get real.

Qualifying

The twenty drivers duke it out to earn their place on the grid, based on how quickly they can get around a single lap. It happens in three stages. In Q1, the slowest five are knocked out, then in Q2 another five go out. The remaining ten cars go to Q3, where they have 12 minutes to set their fastest time.

The quickest gets pole position on Sunday, with the rest arranged by time. Pole position is often won by a few thousandths of a second in qualifiers, so every touch of the brake, every turn of the wheel and every decision by the engineers can make or break a driver’s session.

Race day

It’s Sunday and the race itself finally gets underway. There’s a slow formation lap, where all the cars do a single lap and stop in their grid position. Then the lights come on and go out one by one until … it’s Go! Go! Go! for 2025.

The top 10 all score Championship points, with the winner bagging 25, second place 18, and third 15, all the way down to tenth place, where a single point is awarded.

Next races

After Australia, the teams pack up and head to China (21–23 March), Japan (4–6 April), Bahrain (11–13 April), and Saudi Arabia (18–20 April). Next comes their first of three separate trips to the USA, at Miami (2–4 May), Austin (17–19 October), and Las Vegas (20–22 November). The official Formula 1 website has the complete 2025 calendar.

Sprint Races

The sequence of events listed above applies to 19 of the 25 venues in 2025. However, at six race weekends (China, Miami, Belgium, Austin, São Paulo, and Qatar) there’s an additional mini-race, the Sprint. It’s roughly one-third the length of a full Grand Prix™, so there’s no need for scheduled pitstops.

On these weekends, there’s a Friday practice as normal, followed by a qualification session (more formally known as the Sprint Shootout) for the Sprint race. The Sprint takes place on Saturday morning, with Championship points being given to the top eight drivers, from 8 points for the winner to 1 point for 8th place. Then it’s back to normal with Saturday afternoon qualifying for Sunday’s race.

How to Watch F1®

Remember, local times aren’t always consistent—the races at Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas take place at night. So wherever you are in the UK, it might be daytime for you whilst you're seeing dark skies and floodlights on the screens.

If you’re completely new to Formula 1, check out our “F1® for beginners” guide. It’ll tell you how to best appreciate this envelope-pushing sport.

Where to Watch F1®

Watching a whole F1® season from trackside is a genuine bucket list wish, but for most of us, watching it on TV is the only realistic option. You’ll need to check with your local services and TV subscriptions to find out if you’re eligible to watch F1®. In the UK, live broadcasts are carried by Sky Sports TV and F1TV, which will incur charges. But why go through all that hassle getting a subscription when you can book into our Watch Parties and watch along with other F1 fans!

Also, check out Drive to Survive on Netflix. Each season covers the previous F1® season’s action. It’s a great insight into the struggles, triumphs and personalities in the sport beyond the circuit. F1TV also lets you stream classic races from yesteryear, making it an incredible archive for F1® fanatics.

Formula 1 Watch Parties

If you’re in London or Birmingham, you have another thrilling way to soak yourself in all things F1®. Visit one of our F1® Arcades’ watch parties and you’ll be able to experience the race on a big screen with dozens of fellow fans, along with all the sensational offerings of the bar, restaurant and arcade.

Our watch parties are perfect for chilling with mates, meeting new friends and learning all about this wonderful motorsport. F1® fans are a friendly bunch, and with great drinks, sumptuous eats and the chance to try your luck on our immersive F1® video games, we can’t wait to welcome you to watch with us!