The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix runs December 4 to 6, 2026, at the Yas Marina Circuit, and it is the last race of the season. For US fans it is an early Sunday morning race: lights out is 8 AM Eastern, 5 AM Pacific. Below is the full weekend schedule in every US time zone and the UK, how to watch in the US, and how to plan an early start with other fans.
Apple holds exclusive US rights to Formula 1 from 2026. Practice, qualifying and the race stream with an Apple TV subscription, and Apple makes all practice sessions and selected race weekends available without one. Check Apple’s official F1 viewing guide for this weekend, or read our full 2026 viewing guide for other countries.
Times come from the official 2026 calendar data (via the Jolpica F1 API, as published on the WatchF1 schedule). US clocks are on standard time in December, so these are EST, CST, MST and PST. Formula 1 can change session times or the calendar, so check the schedule again on race week.
| Session | Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) | UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Fri Dec 4, 4:30 AM | Fri Dec 4, 3:30 AM | Fri Dec 4, 2:30 AM | Fri Dec 4, 1:30 AM | Fri Dec 4, 9:30 AM |
| Practice 2 | Fri Dec 4, 8 AM | Fri Dec 4, 7 AM | Fri Dec 4, 6 AM | Fri Dec 4, 5 AM | Fri Dec 4, 1 PM |
| Practice 3 | Sat Dec 5, 5:30 AM | Sat Dec 5, 4:30 AM | Sat Dec 5, 3:30 AM | Sat Dec 5, 2:30 AM | Sat Dec 5, 10:30 AM |
| Qualifying | Sat Dec 5, 9 AM | Sat Dec 5, 8 AM | Sat Dec 5, 7 AM | Sat Dec 5, 6 AM | Sat Dec 5, 2 PM |
| Race | Sun Dec 6, 8 AM | Sun Dec 6, 7 AM | Sun Dec 6, 6 AM | Sun Dec 6, 5 AM | Sun Dec 6, 1 PM |
Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so Phoenix matches the Mountain column. The UK column is GMT. Abu Dhabi is four hours ahead of the UK, so the race starts at 5 PM local time at Yas Marina. Fans in Toronto can follow the Eastern column and fans in Vancouver the Pacific column.
Abu Dhabi is the earliest race weekend of the closing stretch for US viewers. Practice 1 starts at 4:30 AM Eastern on Friday, which is the middle of the night on the West Coast. Practice 2 is easier: 8 AM in the East and 5 AM in the West. Practice 3 is another very early session on Saturday, and qualifying follows at 9 AM Eastern, 6 AM Pacific.
The race itself starts at 8 AM Eastern on Sunday. That is a coffee and breakfast start on the East Coast, a 7 AM start in the Central zone and a 6 AM start in the Mountain zone. On the West Coast, lights out is 5 AM. If you are in the Pacific zone, set two alarms and get the Apple TV app signed in the night before, so you are not hunting for a password in the dark.
If you can only watch one session live, make it the race. If you can manage two, qualifying on Saturday morning is the friendliest slot of the weekend for most of the country, and it sets the grid for the final Sunday.
Traveling in early December? The session times in the table follow your clock, not the track. Find the column for the time zone you will be in that weekend, not the one you live in, and set reminders before you leave.
Abu Dhabi is round 23 of 23. It closes a run of three race weekends in a row: the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday night, November 21, the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday morning, November 29, and then Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning, December 6. Before that, the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 8 opens the final four.
For US fans the three closing weekends could hardly feel more different. Las Vegas is a prime-time race in the West. Qatar is a late-morning race in the East over the Thanksgiving holiday. Abu Dhabi is the early one, with every session before noon on the East Coast and most of them before sunrise on the West Coast.
Because it is the final round, whatever is still open in the standings is settled here, and there is no next race to make up lost ground. After the checkered flag the calendar goes quiet until the 2027 season. The full schedule lists every remaining session in Eastern and Pacific time.
From 2026, Formula 1 in the United States is on Apple TV. You watch in the Apple TV app on an Apple TV box, an iPhone or iPad, a Mac, a smart TV with the Apple TV app, or a web browser. Before race weekend:
1. Check what this weekend includes. Apple makes every practice session and selected race weekends available without a subscription. Its official F1 viewing guide says which sessions need the subscription this week.
2. Note the times. Practice is Friday, starting before dawn in most of the US. Qualifying is Saturday morning and the race is Sunday morning. Put all three in your calendar in your own time zone using the table above.
3. Set up the night before. With a 5 AM start on the West Coast and an 8 AM start in the East, there is no time to install an app or reset a password at lights out. Open the Apple TV app on Saturday night, sign in and find the race so it is ready to play.
Watching from outside the US? Our 2026 viewing guide covers broadcasters country by country.
An 8 AM Sunday start in the East works for a breakfast watch party, and the season finale is a good excuse to gather. Try our guides for Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Houston and Dallas, or browse every city. Many bars do not open that early on a Sunday, so confirm with the venue that it is open, showing this race and keeping the sound on to the flag.
On the West Coast a 5 AM start is a tall order for most venues. A watch party at home with friends, or a group chat running alongside the race, may be the more realistic plan.
The race starts Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 8 AM Eastern Time. That is 7 AM CT, 6 AM MT and 5 AM PT in the US, 1 PM in the UK, and 5 PM local time in Abu Dhabi.
Practice 1 is Friday, December 4 at 4:30 AM ET and Practice 2 is Friday at 8 AM ET. Practice 3 is Saturday, December 5 at 5:30 AM ET and qualifying is Saturday at 9 AM ET. The race is Sunday, December 6 at 8 AM ET.
The race starts at 1 PM UK time on Sunday, December 6, 2026. Qualifying is at 2 PM on Saturday, December 5.
Apple TV holds exclusive US rights to Formula 1 from 2026. Every session streams with an Apple TV subscription, and Apple makes all practice sessions and selected race weekends available without one. Check Apple's official F1 viewing guide for this weekend's availability.
Qualifying is Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 9 AM ET, which is 8 AM CT, 7 AM MT and 6 AM PT.
Yes. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is round 23 of 23 on the 2026 calendar, one week after the Qatar Grand Prix.
Browse WatchF1's city guides for bars and fan gatherings, then confirm with the venue that it is showing this race, its opening hours, sound and any reservation or ticket requirements. The race starts at 8 AM in the East and 5 AM in the West, so check that the venue opens early.
Find a place to watch with other fans. Browse your city’s listings, then check the session, opening hours and admission details with the venue before heading out.
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