Lewis Hamilton with pole position No. 99.
The Mercedes driver enters Saturday’s race at Imola in the control position, finishing with the fastest lap in Saturday’s qualifying. In a bit of a surprise, Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas finished eighth with some difficulties wrangling the first sector of the track.
It was a day to forget for Carlos Sainz in his second qualifying session with Ferrari, finishing outside the top 10 on the grid. Teammate Charles Leclerc had a much better go of it in his car, finishing fourth overall, locking in a second-row seat for Ferrari in, what they hope to be, a rebound season.
Elsewhere, George Russell remains undefeated on Saturdays vs. teammates, once again outpacing Williams colleague Nicholas Latifi, after a small scare from Latifi on the final lap. It wasn’t a great day for veterans either, with Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel both finishing in the second half of the grid.
MORE: Watch Formula 1 live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The grid is set for this Sunday’s return to Imola. Here’s what it looks like:
Formula 1 starting lineup for 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took the poll after an exciting qualifying for the first race weekend of the 2021 F1 marathon this year, but Lewis Hamilton returns to his throne atop the F1 grid for Saturday’s race.
| Position | Driver (Team) |
|---|---|
| 1. | Lewis Hamilton (Hamilton) |
| 2. | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
| 3. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| 4. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) |
| 5. | Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) |
| 6. | Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) |
| 7. | Lando Norris (McLaren) |
| 8. | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
| 9. | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
| 10. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) |
| 11. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) |
| 12. | George Russell (Williams) |
| 13. | Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) |
| 14. | Nicholas Latifi (Williams) |
| 15. | Fernando Alonso (Alpine) |
| 16. | Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) |
| 17. | Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) |
| 18. | Mick Schumacher (Haas) |
| 19. | Nikita Mazepin (Haas) |
| 20. | Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) |
What channel is the F1 race on Sunday?
- Race: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, April 18, 2021
- TV channel: ESPN2
- Live stream: WatchESPN, fuboTV
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2021 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports’ feed, with a few races heading to ABC later in the season.
In addition, ESPN Deportes serves as the exclusive Spanish-language home for all 2021 F1 races in the U.S.
What time does the F1 race start on Sunday?
- Date: Sunday, April 18
- Start time: 9 a.m. ET
The 9 a.m. ET start time for Sunday’s race means the Emilia Romagna GP will start at 3:00 p.m. local time. The on-the-hour start time means lights out will likely take place at 9:05 a.m. ESPN’s pre-race show usually airs in the hour prior to the start of the race.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the weekend’s F1 events at the Emilia Romagna GP. All times are Eastern.
| Date | Event | Time | TV channel |
| Friday, April 16 | Practice 1 | 5:00 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Friday, April 16 | Practice 2 | 8:30 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Saturday, April 17 | Practice 3 | 5:00 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Saturday, April 17 | Qualifying | 8:00 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sunday, April 18 | Race | 9:00 a.m. | ESPN2 |
Formula 1 live stream for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
For those who don’t have a cable or satellite subscription, there are four major OTT TV streaming options that carry ESPN — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and AT&T Now. Of the four, Hulu and YouTubeTV offer free trial options.Formula 1 live stream for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Below are links to each.
For those who do have a cable or satellite subscription but are not in front of a TV, Formula 1 races in 2021 can be streamed live via phones, tablets and other devices on the ESPN app with authentication.
Formula 1 schedule 2021
Formula 1 returns in 2021 with a zaftig 23 race schedule, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28, and concluding with the costomary Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Dec. 12.
The Portuguese Grand Prix returns for its second-consecutive running after a 22-year absence. Also making its debut this year is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix taking pace on the Jeddah Street Circuit, scheduled for December.
All times Eastern.
| Date | Race | Course | Start time | TV channel | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 11 a.m. | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes |
| April 18 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 9 a.m. | TBD | TBD |
| May 2 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Algarve International Circuit | 10 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| May 9 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| May 23 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| June 6 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 8 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| June 13 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 2 p.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| June 27 | French Grand Prix | Circuit Paul Ricard | 9 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| July 4 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| July 18 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| Aug. 1 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | TBD |
| Aug. 29 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Sept. 5 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Sept. 12 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Sept. 26 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Oct. 3 | Singapore Grand Prix | Marina Bay Street Circuit | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Oct. 10 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka International Racing Course | 1 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Oct. 24 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| Oct. 31 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | 3 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| Nov. 7 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace | Noon | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Nov. 21 | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park Circuit | 1 a.m. | ESPN News | TBD |
| Dec. 5 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Street Circuit | 11 p.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Dec. 12 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |