How to watch 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: F1 live stream and start times

Don’t miss a moment as F1 returns to hallowed ground this weekend, making its first 2023 stop on Italian soil for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. All of the action will be broadcast on TV and live-streamed as usual, and we’ve got the details below.

Miami offered glitz and glamour but there will also be celebration in the air at Imola, which marks its 70th anniversary this year. Also filling the sky could be a blanket of cloud, with rain predicted throughout the weekend.

Could unpredictable weather give Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin the chance of preventing a Red Bull victory for the first time this season? Or will the upgrades that many teams are bringing to Italy help to close the gap?

Here’s how to watch the action on TV or through official live streams, with start times for every session, including qualifying and the race.

How to watch F1: live stream and TV details for the 2023 Emilia Romagna GP

Unlike last year’s event, Imola will not host a sprint race weekend in 2023, meaning a return to F1’s regularly scheduled race weekend, composed of three practice sessions, qualifying and the Grand Prix.

All five sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports, with Channel 4 showing free-to-air highlights of qualifying and the race later the same day. For viewers in the UK, there is a one-hour time difference.

Live TV: In the UK, all sessions will be broadcast live on the Sky Sports F1 channel, beginning with Free Practice 1 at 12pm BST on Friday.

Live Stream: Sky Sports F1 customers can live stream the weekend action from the Sky Go app. Similarly, Now TV also carries the Sky Sports F1 Channel and passes can be bought for individual grand prix weekends.

Highlights: Channel 4 will broadcast extended highlights with its own coverage of Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, with starting times found below.

F1 live stream and TV schedule

All times in BST 

Imola circuit details and weather forecast

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will host Italy’s first race of the 2023 F1 calendar on the historic Imola circuit.

Featuring 19 corners and just one DRS zone, overtaking is a tough task but offers a thrilling ride for the drivers – some of whom have named Imola as one of the best tracks on the calendar. Turn 11, 12 and 13 make up arguably the best section of track, notoriously named the Acque Minerali, which sees cars dive downhill from over 170mph, before climbing back up towards the equally famous Variante Alta chicane.

Heavy rain is expected for all three days of the racing weekend, with wind gusts of up to 14mph also giving drivers a serious challenge. The area surrounding the circuit has been subject to flooding in the weeks leading up the event, but organisers have assured that racing will go ahead.

The poor weather also potentially scuppers F1 plans to test a new qualifying format, which would see drivers use hard tyres in Q1, medium tyres in Q2, and soft tyres in Q3.

Who will win the 2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?

Imola is set to provide the first truly unpredictable race of the 2023 F1 season. Whilst Red Bull appears to be miles clear of the field from a performance perspective, upgrade packages and poor weather could allow other teams to close the gap.

Nevertheless, the lack of overtaking opportunities means qualifying is perhaps the most important element to this race weekend, opening the door for Charles Leclerc or even George Russell – both of whom have shown incredible one-lap pace. Rain masters Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton could also be in contention throughout the weekend, with both drivers earning a podium visit so far this season. Who knows, Kevin Magnussen could even claw his way to the front, with a dazzling replication of his well-timed wet weather performance in Brazil last year?

But that being said, until upgrade packages hit the track, Red Bull remains favourite to collect another victory in Imola — Verstappen aiming to increase his lead on his sole championship rival.

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix full session times