The brand new F1 season continues in earnest this weekend, as the driving stars and their stunning cars arrive in China for Grand Prix No.2 of a long and enthralling 24-race schedule. The Shanghai International Circuit is once again the venue, with the main race getting underway at 7 am (GMT) on Sunday, March 15.
George Russell will be aiming to build on his and Mercedes’ perfect start to the new season following their dreamy Australian Grand Prix performance. The Brit, who will have his sights set on a maiden drivers’ championship triumph this year, took the chequered flag in Melbourne, ahead of his teammate, Kimi Antonelli.
Let GOAL give you all the important information you need ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, including the full schedule of events and how you can watch and stream every session live.
📺 How to watch the Chinese Grand Prix 2026
The Chinese Grand Prix will be available to watch live on Sky Sports F1 (and Main Event) in the UK, as all F1 race weekends are this year. Sky Sports’ coverage includes not only the main Sunday race itself, but also the practice, sprint qualifying, sprint and qualifying sessions on Friday and Saturday too.
If you're an existing Sky customer you can add Sky Sports online, or through the My Sky app at any time. Package starts from £22 per month with Sky Stream. Sky Sports+ is included at no extra cost, which allows the viewer the opportunity to watch many more live events across a range of sports. The Sky Sports app allows subscribers to download and watch live sport on the go and is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Non-Sky Customers can also stream the action with NOW TV. There are a variety of sign-ups for the avid sports watcher, including the Sports ‘Day Membership’, which allows access to all 12 Sky Sports channels for 24 hours for £14.99. NOW’s ‘Fully Flexible’ Sports membership again gives unlimited Sky Sports access, but over 30 days instead. That costs £34.99 a month and auto-renews unless cancelled before the end of the monthly period.
There’s also a ‘12-Month Saver’ package, where you are charged £20% less and pay only £27.99 a month. However, you need to sign up for a 12-month minimum term. After the 12-month minimum term, it auto-renews at £34.99 a month unless cancelled.
Where is the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 held?
The F1 Chinese Grand Prix has been held at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai every year since its inception in 2004, with the exception of the period 2020-2023, when the races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The circuit is located in the Jiading District of Shanghai and as well as hosting the F1 Grand Prix, it's also now the venue for the Shanghai ePrix, numerous domestic car racing events and a world-class outdoor go-karting track. The main grandstand which features wing-like viewing platforms crossing the circuit at either end, can hold 30,000 spectators, which is almost a quarter of the total circuit capacity of 200,000.
Chinese Grand Prix 2026 Weekend Schedule
The Chinese Grand Prix 2026 runs over the full weekend, from Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 15. Practice, sprint qualifying, sprint and qualifying sessions, along with the race itself, are spread out over three days.
Below, you can find the timings for all the sessions, as well as which platform to watch them on:
| Date | Session | Time (GMT) | Watch | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, March 13 | Practice 1 | 3:30 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Friday, March 13 | Sprint Qualifying | 7.30am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Saturday, March 14 | Sprint | 3.00 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Saturday, March 14 | Qualifying | 7.00 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
| Sunday, March 15 | Grand Prix | 7.00 am | Sky Sports F1 | NOW TV |
What to expect from the Chinese Grand Prix 2026
What a difference a few months make in the world of Formula 1. Back in December, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri were vying for the 2025 Drivers’ Championship title, but all were off the pace last weekend (Piastri didn’t even get to the starting grid).
As expected from their performances in pre-season testing, Mercedes are the current stars of the show. George Russell claimed pole and the race win in Australia, but his 19-year-old Italian sidekick, Kimi Antonelli shadowed him for most of the weekend and is looking like he could be a formidable foe over the coming season.
While the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton weren’t in contention for top spot on the podium in Melbourne, they pushed the Mercedes duo the hardest of all. The prancing horses look to have improved from last year or are dealing with the new rules and regulations better than other teams.
Hamilton will now look to build on that solid start and despite his post-race disqualification in China last year, he will always have fond memories whenever he steps on the tarmac at the Shanghai International Circuit. The former 7-time world champion took the chequered flag there six times between 2008-2019.
That’s four victories ahead of the other two previous multiple winners in Shanghai, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg. While Hamilton may have excelled, all those wins came for either McLaren or Mercedes and you have to go back to 2013 for the last time a Ferrari driver (Alonso) took the honours in China.
The spotlight now falls on George Russell to see if he can reproduce his stellar form from last weekend. While he notched his 6th grand prix victory in Melbourne, he is yet to secure back-to-back wins during his F1 career.
Russell will take confidence from his performance in China twelve months ago though. After clocking the second fastest time during Shanghai qualifying, the Mercedes man would go on to finish 3rd in the main race.
Can I watch the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 on F1 TV?
F1 TV is the over-the-top streaming package operated by Formula One Management (FOM), the provider of the world feed for F1 broadcasts throughout each season. The service offers commercial-free coverage of all races as part of a single package. Due to rights deals, F1 TV is limited to the countries it is allowed to operate in. The service is unavailable in the United Kingdom, meaning fans hoping to use it would need a VPN to access it and watch the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
However, you can still purchase F1 TV in the UK to access bonus content, such as live timing, map and leaderboard features, as well as access to team radios and other statistics. You can also view pre- and post-race shows with in-depth analysis and behind-the-scenes facts.
Can I watch the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 on demand?
If you have a Sky Sports F1 subscription, you can watch a re-run of the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix on demand after the race has finished through the channel’s digital and online options. The Sky Go app, for mobile devices and personal tablets, will allow viewers to watch the race in full, while those with a Sky+ subscription will also be able to record the race and catch it retroactively.
Additionally, those with NOW TV will be able to effectively draw upon the Sky Sports F1 coverage, too, though their ability to access on-demand replay broadcasts will be limited due to the nature of the package.
🛜 How to watch the Chinese Grand Prix 2026 from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the Chinese Grand Prix locally, you may need a different way to watch the race. That's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on race day, by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're travelling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet, or laptop to get access to race action. Most VPNs, like ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. We recommend ExpressVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
