How to watch 2024 United States Grand Prix: F1 live stream, TV schedule and start time

Almost a month after Formula 1 left Singapore, the world championship returns with a bang this weekend at COTA. As ever, all of the 2024 United States Grand Prix will be shown on TV and via live-stream, including Saturday’s sprint race.

British viewers can watch all of the on-track action live on Sky Sports F1 — although you may need to adjust your weekend dinner plans — with cars rolling out the pitlane for FP1 at 6.30pm BST on Friday followed by sprint qualifying at 10.30pm.

Saturday sees the sprint race at 7pm and grand prix qualifying at 11pm, while Sunday is reserved for the US Grand Prix, which is due to start at 8pm. Channel 4 will also be providing highlights of the weekend on terrestrial television, which race fans can watch without a subscription.

Since making its first appearance on the F1 calendar in 2012, COTA has provided a unique challenge for drivers and teams with over 131 feet in elevation change and a wide variety of corner sequences. From kilometre-long DRS-enabled straights to high-G sectors akin to Suzuka‘s famous ‘Esses’, COTA challenges almost every aspect of a modern Formula 1 car. As a result, the US GP is a regular ‘race of the year’ contender.

McLaren arrives in Austin with a 41-point lead in the constructors’ standings following Lando Norris‘ win in Singapore. But with Max Verstappen and Red Bull in resurgent form, Ferrari in close pursuit, and Mercedes a contender too, it’s possible that we could witness another four-way fight for victory across the entire race weekend.

Here’s how to watch all the action.

 

2024 United States Grand Prix live stream and TV schedule 

All times in BST

	F1 sprint qualifying Friday 18 October	F1 sprint race Saturday 19 October	F1 qualifying  Saturday 19 October	US GP Sunday 20 October
Session start time	10.30pm	7pm	11pm	8pm
Live coverage Sky Sports, Sky Go, NowTV	9.30pm	6pm	10pm	6.30pm
Highlights Channel 4	9.35am (Saturday)	8am (Sunday)	8am (Sunday)	12:45am (Monday)

How to watch F1: live stream and TV details for 2024 United States Grand Prix

Each minute of every F1 session over the United States GP weekend will be broadcast live in the UK for paying subscribers.

Live TV: All on-track sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting with the only free practice session of the weekend on Friday at 6pm. Subscribers also have access to onboard streams from each of the 20 cars, including radio messages, allowing them to follow a favourite driver on their phone while watching the main feed on TV. The onboard streams are also available on TV, as is a ‘Battle Channel’ offering split-screen coverage of the best fights for position.

Live stream: Sky Sports F1 subscribers in the UK can watch all the running live on the Sky Go app. Now TV subscribers can also see live coverage of every session via the Sky Sports F1 channel. It also offers onboard views of each driver through in-app bonus streams for monthly subscribers. These can be viewed concurrently with the main stream on a separate screen.

Live timings are also available through the F1 app.

Highlights: Channel 4 will show highlights of the weekend, with action from each session being broadcast on the morning after the event.

 

United States GP circuit and details

The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is widely renowned for its challenging topography, but at its core it’s effectively a pick-and-mix of some of the greatest circuits in the world.

Following the steep climb up to Turn 1, drivers will then turn their attention to the sequence of high-speed and Suzuka-like curves which make up the majority of Sector 1. Later in Sector 3, drivers will arrive at another technical section which is likened to Hockenheim‘s series of stadium corners. Turns 13 to 18 in particular offer a high-risk yet high-reward chance overtake.

Overall COTA measures 3.41-miles in length and houses two DRS zones, found on both the pit straight and on the 0.73-mile back straight. At the end of each are tight hairpin corners — much likes the ones found in Shanghai — which often entice drivers into braking later than their rival ahead in order to move up the running order.

Ahead of 2024’s visit, the circuit has also been completely resurfaced following complaints from MotoGP riders who said that the circuit was too bumpy. It’s currently unknown as to what effect this will have on the cars or race day tyre strategy — making clear running in Friday’s singular free practice session all the more important.

 

What’s the weather in Austin this weekend?

The forecast for the 2024 United States Grand Prix is expected to be completely dry, with an average temperature of 29C across the weekend.

Cloudy skies during Friday’s free practice and sprint qualifying sessions are expected to make way for bright sunshine during Saturday’s sprint race and grand prix qualifying — providing peak conditions for racing.

More dry weather is predicted for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with a 20% chance of rain, 8mph winds and temperatures set to reach 30°C.

2024 United States Grand Prix full session times

All times in BST

	Friday 18 October	Saturday 19 October	Sunday 20 October
F1	Free Practice 1 — 6.30pm Sprint qualifying — 10.30pm	Sprint race — 7pm GP qualifying — 11pm	US Grand Prix — 8pm