The Qatar Grand Prix runs November 27 to 29, 2026, at the Lusail International Circuit, on the weekend after Thanksgiving. For US fans it is a Sunday morning race: lights out is 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific. Below is the full weekend schedule in every US time zone and the UK, how to watch in the US, and where to find a crowd.
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 by late November, 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 Nov 27, 8:30 AM | Fri Nov 27, 7:30 AM | Fri Nov 27, 6:30 AM | Fri Nov 27, 5:30 AM | Fri Nov 27, 1:30 PM |
| Practice 2 | Fri Nov 27, 12 PM | Fri Nov 27, 11 AM | Fri Nov 27, 10 AM | Fri Nov 27, 9 AM | Fri Nov 27, 5 PM |
| Practice 3 | Sat Nov 28, 9:30 AM | Sat Nov 28, 8:30 AM | Sat Nov 28, 7:30 AM | Sat Nov 28, 6:30 AM | Sat Nov 28, 2:30 PM |
| Qualifying | Sat Nov 28, 1 PM | Sat Nov 28, 12 PM | Sat Nov 28, 11 AM | Sat Nov 28, 10 AM | Sat Nov 28, 6 PM |
| Race | Sun Nov 29, 11 AM | Sun Nov 29, 10 AM | Sun Nov 29, 9 AM | Sun Nov 29, 8 AM | Sun Nov 29, 4 PM |
Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so Phoenix matches the Mountain column. The UK column is GMT. Qatar is three hours ahead of the UK, so the race starts at 7 PM local time in Lusail.
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, so the Qatar weekend lines up with the long holiday weekend in the US. Practice 1 and Practice 2 run on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Practice 3 and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday morning. If you are off work on Friday, this is one of the few weekends of the year when you can watch practice live without taking time off.
The race timing suits the East Coast best: an 11 AM start is a late breakfast or brunch with the race on. In the Central and Mountain zones it is a mid-morning start. On the West Coast, lights out is 8 AM, so plan coffee rather than a crowd. Qualifying on Saturday afternoon in the East and Saturday morning in the West is easy to catch between holiday plans.
Traveling for the holiday? 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.
Qatar is round 22 of 23. It comes one week after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which runs on a Saturday night, so the two weekends could hardly be more different for US viewers. Abu Dhabi closes the season a week later. 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 morning, qualifying is Saturday and the race is Sunday morning. Put all three in your calendar in your own time zone using the table above.
3. Sign in before the holiday. If you are watching at a relative's house, check that the screen there has the Apple TV app and that you can sign in on it. Doing this on Thursday saves a scramble at lights out on Sunday.
Watching from outside the US? Our 2026 viewing guide covers broadcasters country by country.
A late-morning Sunday start in the East is good timing for a bar or brunch watch party. Try our guides for New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Chicago, or browse every city. Holiday weekend hours can differ from usual, so confirm with the venue that it is open, showing this race and keeping the sound on to the flag.
The race starts Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 11 AM Eastern Time. That is 10 AM CT, 9 AM MT and 8 AM PT in the US, 4 PM in the UK, and 7 PM local time in Lusail.
Practice 1 is Friday, November 27 at 8:30 AM ET and Practice 2 is Friday at 12 PM ET. Practice 3 is Saturday, November 28 at 9:30 AM ET and qualifying is Saturday at 1 PM ET. The race is Sunday, November 29 at 11 AM ET.
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, November 28, 2026 at 1 PM ET, which is 12 PM CT, 11 AM MT and 10 AM PT.
Yes. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, so practice runs on the Friday after Thanksgiving, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday morning in the US.
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. On the West Coast the race starts at 8 AM, 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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