🇨🇳 Chinese GP 2026

When was the Chinese GP?

The Chinese GP is round 2 of the 2026 Formula 1 season, held at Shanghai International Circuit in China. Lights out was Sunday, March 15 at 07:00 UTC. The card above shows that start time converted to your local timezone.

What time is the Chinese GP around the world?

Lights out is at 07:00 UTC. That puts the Chinese GP start at 3:00 AM EDT (US Eastern / ET, New York) for North American fans, 7:00 AM GMT in the UK and Ireland (London & Dublin), and 6:00 PM AEDT in eastern Australia (Sydney & Melbourne). Full conversion across major regions and cities:

Session start times verified against the official F1 timetable on October 6, 2026. Times can change — this page reflects the last verified schedule and updates automatically when it does.

What time does the Chinese GP finish?

The Chinese GP was scheduled to finish at approximately 09:00 UTC — about two hours after the 07:00 UTC start. F1 races run to the lesser of 305 km or two hours of racing, so most last around 1h45–2h of green-flag running; a red flag or repeated safety cars can push the finish later, and the FIA caps total race time at three hours (how long is an F1 race?). How many stops it takes to get there comes down to the soft, medium and hard tyre compounds and how fast they wear. In the UK and Ireland that is roughly 9:00 AM GMT, and on the US East Coast about 5:00 AM EDT. Treat it as a planning estimate — take the exact start time above and add roughly two hours.

Qualifying converts the same way — set your alarm for 7:00 AM GMT in the UK:

When does F1 Fantasy lock for the Chinese GP?

F1 Fantasy players need the same thing this page does best — a time, in your own timezone. Your team locks at the start of the Sprint for the Chinese GP, later than a normal weekend because it is a sprint round:

F1 Fantasy lock deadline: Sprint start — Sat, Mar 14, 3:00 AM (UTC). This is a sprint weekend, so your team locks at the Sprint start — later than a normal weekend, after FP1 and Sprint Qualifying. See every round’s F1 Fantasy deadline →

Derived from this round’s Sprint start time above, so it always matches the schedule. For every round’s deadline in your timezone with a live countdown, see the F1 Fantasy deadline tracker.

About Shanghai International Circuit

The Chinese GP is run over 56 laps of the 5.451 km Shanghai International Circuit — known for its long back straight and the tightening spiral of Turns 1 and 2. The venue first hosted a round of the Formula 1 World Championship in 2004.

• Circuit length: 5.451 km
• Race distance: 56 laps
• First World Championship race here: 2004
• Race lap record: 1:32.238, Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) in 2004

The official Formula 1 race lap record at Shanghai International Circuit is 1:32.238, set by Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) during the 2004 Grand Prix. Only laps set in the race itself count, so faster qualifying laps don’t — see every circuit’s mark on the F1 lap records page. (Source: formula1.com.)

Full Shanghai International Circuit circuit guide — length, race distance & every recent winner →

2025: Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won. Full 2025 Chinese GP result

Who won the last Chinese GP? Recent winners at Shanghai International Circuit

Oscar Piastri (McLaren) won the most recent Formula 1 race at Shanghai International Circuit in 2025. Lewis Hamilton has won here 2 times in the last 6 runnings — more than any other driver in this span. Here are the winners of the last 6 runnings at Shanghai International Circuit:

Historical results are immutable facts, compiled from public Formula 1 records — unofficial and not affiliated with Formula 1. Verified 2026-10-06.

Chinese GP practice, qualifying & sprint times

A Grand Prix weekend is more than race day. The Chinese GP runs 4 timed sessions before lights out, listed here in UTC — the table above shows each one in your own timezone:

• Free Practice 1: Friday, March 13 at 03:30 UTC
• Sprint Qualifying: Friday, March 13 at 07:30 UTC
• Sprint: Saturday, March 14 at 03:00 UTC
• Qualifying: Saturday, March 14 at 07:00 UTC

Qualifying for the Chinese GP sets the grid on Saturday, March 14 at 07:00 UTC. The sprint race runs on Saturday, March 14 at 03:00 UTC. Open this page on race weekend and every time shown updates to wherever you are in the world.

The Chinese GP is one of 2026’s sprint weekends — see all 2026 F1 sprint races and how the F1 points system works.

How to watch the Chinese GP live

In the US the Chinese GP is live on Apple TV, which became the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the United States from 2026 with every session live. In the UK it’s on Sky Sports F1, with free highlights on Channel 4; and worldwide, F1 TV Pro streams every session where it’s available. Major viewer markets:

For subscription costs, free trials and how to watch F1 free in every market, see the full 2026 F1 TV & streaming guide.

Broadcast details can change — confirm with your provider before lights out. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1 or any broadcaster.

Watch the Chinese GP back — highlights & replays

Missed it? Official Chinese GP highlights are posted free on the Formula 1 YouTube channel and at formula1.com/video within a few hours of the chequered flag. Full-race replays and every session on demand are available to F1 TV Pro subscribers wherever F1 TV is offered.

Free-to-air catch-up and highlights in your country:

• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Channel 4 (free-to-air highlights; live coverage of the British GP)
• 🇦🇺 Australia: Network 10 (free-to-air for the Australian GP)
• 🇧🇷 Brazil: TV Globo (free-to-air) — 15 Grands Prix live and on delay
• 🇲🇽 Mexico: Canal 5 (free-to-air for the Mexican GP)
• 🇩🇪 Germany: RTL (free-to-air for select races)
• 🇮🇹 Italy: TV8 (free-to-air for select races/highlights)

Highlights and replay availability vary by region and can change; only official Formula 1 and licensed broadcaster sources are listed. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1 or any broadcaster.

Common questions about the Chinese GP

Add it to your calendar

One click adds the Chinese GP to your calendar with the 07:00 UTC start time already localised to wherever you are — no download, no app:

Prefer a file? Use the Add to calendar button above to download an .ics for this race with a 30-minute heads-up alarm. Want every round at once? Subscribe to the full-season calendar — one tap adds it to Google, Apple or Outlook and keeps it in sync if a session time changes.