How to watch the 2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix: start time, live stream and TV schedule

F1 heads to Miami this weekend, with a forecast of rain and a sprint format both bringing extra unpredictability to the Grand Prix.

Having never hosted a sprint race before, teams will have to adapt to the shorter-form of racing around Miami’s International Autodrome — a twisting street circuit which maintains the feel of a permanent course. Luckily, UK viewers should be able to catch every minute of racing action via subscription with every session available to watch from 4pm onwards each day — a nice change of pace from the early rises for the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix. Channel 4 will also be broadcasting highlights of the weekend.

Since its inaugural race in 2022, the Miami GP has proved to be an overtaking challenge, with cars finding it difficult to follow each other through the winding Sector 1 (although Max Verstappen managed to climb from ninth on the grid to win last year). So outright pace in qualifying could prove decisive.

While Red Bull remains favourite to take the top spots, McLaren‘s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri found form in China, with the former securing pole position in the sprint and second in the Grand Prix. With similarly long straights and an abundance of medium-speed corners, the Woking outfit could also fast on the Floridan coast. Mercedes is looking to advance, bringing  vital upgrades to its W15 as well as a refreshed approached to sprint race weekends, with a view to moving Lewis Hamilton and George Russell up into podium contention.

With two qualifying sessions, two races and the prospect of rain, the Miami GP won’t be one you want to miss.

 

Miami Grand Prix live stream and TV schedule 

All times in BST

	F1 sprint qualifying Friday 3 May	F1 sprint race Saturday 4 May	F1 qualifying  Saturday 4 May	Miami GP Sunday 5 May
Session start time	9.30pm	5pm	9pm	9pm
Live coverage Sky Sports, Sky Go, NowTV	9pm	4pm	8pm	7.30pm
Highlights Channel 4	1am & 9.05am on Saturday	1.15am & 8am on Sunday	1.15am & 8am on Sunday	1.30am & 9.40 on Monday

 

How to watch F1: live stream and TV details for 2024 Miami Grand Prix

Each minute of every F1 session will be broadcast live in the UK, for paying subscribers only.

Live TV: All on-track sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 starting with the only Free Practice session of the weekend on Friday at 5.30pm. Subscribers also have access to onboard streams from each of the 20 cars, including radio messages, allowing them to follow a favourite driver on their phone while watching the main feed on TV. The onboard streams are also available on TV, as is a ‘Battle Channel’ offering split-screen coverage of the best fights for position.

Live stream: Sky Sports F1 subscribers in the UK can watch all the running live on the Sky Go app. Now TV subscribers can also see live coverage of every session via Sky Sports F1. It also offers onboard views of each driver through in-app bonus streams for monthly subscribers. These can be viewed concurrently with the main stream on a separate screen.

Live timings are available through the F1 app.

Highlights: Channel 4 will show highlights of the weekend, with action from Friday’s sprint qualifying session, Saturday’s sprint race and grand prix qualifying session as well as Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix available to watch later on the following days of each event.

 

Miami International Autodrome and details

With the Hard Rock Stadium at its heart, home to NFL’s Miami Dolphins, the 3.36 mile International Autodrome is one of the newest additions to the F1 calendar and first drew attention to itself with a design that is supposed to encourage close racing. The run down to Turn 1 — a slow right-hander — often bunches the field together from the start, resulting in wheel-to-wheel contact and the odd piece of flying carbon fibre. Turns 2-7 then stretch the pack out, with a combination of flowing corners that challege the determination of drivers and the grip of the cars. High kerbs can throw even the most talented pilots off course, as Charles Leclerc showed in the final part of qualifying last year where his Ferrari span at Turn 6 and into the armco.

Two mammoth DRS-assisted straights, separated by a slow technical section, make up the remainder of the lap, where the majority of overtaking will be done. The 0.9 mile run from Turns 8-11 is often favoured by drivers wanting to make their way up through the field, as it ends with heavy braking zone before cars go single-file through the circuit’s only chicane: an uphill left-hand zag which immediately zigs back to a downhill right-hander.

Although races in Miami have rarely forced race fans to grip the edge of their seats, the addition of a sprint race — a format which often keeps the field close together — could reveal a new side to the circuit. Max Verstappen will of course be favourite, but with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren all in hot pursuit, it may not necessarily be a walkover.

2024 Miami Grand Prix full session times

All times in BST

	Friday 3 May	Saturday 4 May	Sunday 5 May
F1	Free Practice 1 — 5pm Sprint qualifying — 9.30pm	Sprint race — 5pm GP Qualifying — 9pm	Miami Grand Prix — 9pm