Simulcasts on ESPN+ Presenting More Viewing Options; Commercial-Free Race Telecasts Continuing
SportsCenter to Have F1 Coverage Before, After Every Event
As a new season of Formula 1 racing launches this weekend from Bahrain, ESPN kicks off its new, three-year renewal with F1 that will bring new content and expanded viewing options for American F1 fans all season across ESPN platforms.
The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will air on Sunday, March 5, at 9:55 a.m. ET on ESPN, also streaming on ESPN+.
Coming off of the record-setting 2022 season that saw F1 have its most-viewed year ever on U.S. television, ESPN platforms will again air all 23 races in the championship, with 18 of the 23 airing on ABC or ESPN. The other five will air on ESPN2.
All race telecasts will continue the commercial-free presentation used over the past five seasons, a format that has set ESPN’s coverage apart and proved very popular with viewers
New elements for this season:
- One of the marquee events of F1, the Monaco Grand Prix, will air live on ABC for the first time. The races in Miami, Canada, Mexico and the Lenovo U.S. Grand Prix in Austin also will air on ABC.
- Thirteen races will air on ESPN, the most ever.
- For the first time since 1982, and only the second time in history, the F1 season will include three races in the U.S., with the inaugural Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix running in November.
- Fans will have more ways to consume F1 content as ESPN+ will simulcast 18 of this season’s 23 races live – including the season opener, finale, all three U.S. events, the iconic Monaco Grand Prix and more – in both English and Spanish.
- Coverage of F1 qualifying (including the F1 Sprint) will have an increased focus in 2023 with most sessions airing on ESPN or ESPN2.
- Following what was done for the races in Miami and Austin last year, ESPN will produce an expanded number of preview and review shows in 2023 that will air live on ESPN social media and digital channels on race days. The first 2023 edition of the ESPN Post-Race Show airs at noon ET on Sunday following the conclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix on ESPN3, the ESPN App, ESPN Twitter, ESPN Facebook and ESPN YouTube.
- With the new agreement including expanded direct-to-consumer rights, ESPN also has the flexibility to roll out additional content over the next three years, with more to be announced later.
- ESPN’s signature news and information program SportsCenter will have F1 coverage before and after all 23 races, including continued expansive coverage from U.S. races.
All race weekends will continue to include live telecasts of all three practice sessions.
As it has since F1 returned in 2018, ESPN is again teaming with Sky Sports and Formula 1 to bring Sky Sports’ award-winning presentation of F1 racing to American viewers.
ESPN Deportes continues as the exclusive Spanish-language television outlet for F1 in the U.S.
ESPN’s coverage of F1 also includes a dedicated site that reports on the championship year-round, with reporters on-site at every race. ESPN’s F1 reporters also contribute to the video podcast program Unlapped, which appears year-round on the ESPN YouTube channel. Also connected with the ESPN.com/F1 website are social handles @ESPNF1 on Twitter, @ESPNF1 on Instagram and ESPNF1 on Facebook.
The 2022 season averaged 1.21 million viewers per race across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, a 28 percent increase over the previous U.S. television record of 949,000 average viewers that was set in 2021. The 2022 season also became the first in U.S. television history to average 1 million or more viewers per race.
In addition, more female and younger viewers watched F1 races on U.S. television than ever before.
F1 returned to its original U.S. television home in 2018 – the first race ever aired in the country was on ABC in 1962. F1 races also aired on ESPN from 1984-1997.
Click HERE for the 2023 F1 schedule on ESPN platforms.
Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on ESPN Platforms
| Session/Program | Date | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Practice 1 | Friday, March 3 | 6:25 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Practice 2 | 9:55 a.m. | ESPN2 | |
| F1 Show | Noon | ESPN3 | |
| Practice 3 | Saturday, March 4 | 6:25 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Qualifying | 9:55 a.m. | ESPN2 | |
| Ted’s Qualifying Notebook | 11:45 a.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Grand Prix Sunday (pre-race) | Sunday, March 5 | 8:30 a.m. | ESPN, ESPN+ |
| Race | 9:55 a.m. | ESPN, ESPN+ | |
| Checkered Flag | Noon | ESPN3 | |
| ESPN Post-Race Show | Noon | ESPN3, ESPN App, ESPN Twitter, ESPN Facebook, ESPN YouTube | |
| Ted’s Race Notebook | 1 p.m. | ESPN3 | |
| Race (encore) | 10:30 p.m. | ESPNEWS | |
| Race (encore) | Monday, March 6 | 7:30 a.m. | ESPNEWS |
All races, qualifying and practice sessions also will stream live on the ESPN App and will be available for on-demand viewing.
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Media contact: andy.hall@espn.com
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