Formula 1: How to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV and what to know

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Here’s a guide that tells you what you need to know about Sunday’s Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix. It’s the fifth round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

How to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV

— In the U.S., ESPN.

— Other countries are listed here.

What is the Saudi Arabian GP schedule?

– Sunday: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 50 laps of the 6.2-kilometer (3.8-mile) Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Starts at 1900 GMT (1 p.m. ET)

Where is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking place?

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the newest venues on the F1 calendar after making its debut in 2021. Hosting F1 is part of Saudi Arabia’s push to become a major player in global sports. Jeddah is fast for a street circuit and walls close to the track mean the slightest error brings heavy punishment. It’s the second night race in a row after last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is the only driver to win in Jeddah twice. Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have one win each.

What happened in the last race?

Oscar Piastri became the first driver to win two races this season with a dominant drive from pole position to victory in Bahrain. It was a dramatic race behind him as George Russell contended with electrical problems and held off Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris to take second. Verstappen had problems with his Red Bull and placed sixth. Norris leads the 2025 driver standings by three points from Piastri.

What happened in qualifying in Saudi Arabia?

Formula 1 champion Verstappen took pole position in qualifying after standings leader Lando Norris crashed. Red Bull’s Verstappen beat Piastri’s time by .01 of a second on his final run to take pole. Russell was third fastest for Mercedes. Norris had not set a time in the third part of qualifying when he lost control over a curb and ran wide into the wall.

What do I need to know about F1 so far?

Get caught up:

— Max Verstappen takes pole position for the Saudi Grand Prix.

— The F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren’s drivers but Max Verstappen is still hopeful

— Oscar Piastri cruises to win at Bahrain Grand Prix, with Lando Norris third

— Max Verstappen says he’s ‘relaxed’ despite speculation about his Formula 1 future

— Lando Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren

— Concerns mount at Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s ‘catastrophe’ as F1 heads to Saudi Arabia

Key stats at Jeddah

58 — McLaren’s gap over its nearest challenger Mercedes in the constructors’ standings shows how it’s the only team to be consistently fast at all tracks so far.

69 — Verstappen has scored all but two of Red Bull’s 71 points this season. Tsunoda’s ninth place in Bahrain was the first time any of his teammates finished in the top 10 since November.

7 — Rookie Oliver Bearman made a splash on debut in Saudi Arabia last year with seventh place as an emergency stand-in for Ferrari. Now at Haas, that’s still Bearman’s best finish in F1.

What they said after Saturday’s qualifying

“The car came alive in the night. We made some final changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me.” — Verstappen.

“I was pretty happy with it. There wasn’t too much more left in that lap.” — Piastri.

“We’re disappointed to have such a big setback but I’ve got to take it on the chin. I apologized to the team, to my mechanics and the engineers.” Norris.

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