It'll either be No. 1 or No. 8 in the coming weeks.
If Max Verstappen holds onto the lead over the next two races of the 2021 Formula 1 season, then the 24-year-old wunderkind will unseat Lewis Hamilton and secure his first F1 world championship — and potentially signal the beginning of the end of Hamilton's dominance over the sport.
MORE: Watch Formula 1 live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Hamilton, though, hasn't made it easy for Verstappen or Red Bull. By winning the last two races, the Mercedes driver firmly planted himself back in the discussion for world championship No. 8, and should things break his way this Sunday, then he'll have a chance to take the title from Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
Entering this Sunday's race, the top two racers are separated by just eight points. If Hamilton wants any hope of an eighth world title, he'll need Verstappen to miss at least one podium. If not, it's essentially a wrap.
The 2021 F1 season is reaching its crescendo. Here's what you need to know about this weekend's F1 race:
What channel is the F1 race on today?
- Race: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 5
- TV channel: ESPN2
- Live stream: fuboTV /ESPN+
The ESPN family of networks will broadcast all 2021 F1 races in the United States using Sky Sports' feed, with select races airing on ABC later earlier the season.
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 today?
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 5
- Start time: 12:30 p.m. ET
The 12:30 p.m. ET start time for Sunday's race means the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will start at 8:30 p.m. local time. Lights out will likely take place just after 12:30 p.m. ET. ESPN's prerace show usually airs in the hour before the start of the race.
Below is the complete TV schedule for the weekend's F1 events at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. All times are Eastern.
| Date | Event | Time | TV channel |
| Friday, Dec. 3 | Practice 1 | 8:30 a.m. | ESPNU |
| Friday, Dec. 3 | Practice 2 | Noon | ESPN2 |
| Saturday, Dec. 4 | Practice 3 | 9 a.m. | ESPNews |
| Saturday, Dec. 4 | Qualifying | Noon | ESPNews |
| Sunday, Dec. 5 | Race | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Formula 1 live stream for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
For those who don't have a cable or satellite subscription, there are five major OTT TV streaming options that carry ESPN — fuboTV, Sling, Hulu, YouTubeTV and AT&T Now. Of the five, Hulu, fuboTV and YouTubeTV offer free-trial options.
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
In all, there are 23 scheduled races in the 2021 F1 season, with the Portuguese Grand Prix sliding onto the docket the first week in March. The originally scheduled Vietnam Grand Prix was removed after the arrest of Nguyen Duc Chung , while the Chinese Grand Prix is up in the air. It was originally scheduled for April 11 but will likely not take place this season.
The Singapore Grand Prix was also removed from the schedule, with the Turkish Grand Prix returning to the schedule in its stead.
All races will be broadcast in the U.S. on the ESPN family of networks, with the United States Grand Prix and Mexico City Grand Prix both airing on ABC.
Please note: The on-the-hour start times do not include the broadcast start time, which is typically five minutes before the start of the race. Times do not include ESPN's customary prerace shows.
MORE: Live stream F1 races all season on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Here's the latest schedule:
| Date | Race | Course | Start time (ET) | 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. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| May 2 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Algarve International Circuit | 10 a.m. | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| May 9 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| May 23 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| June 6 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 8 a.m. | ESPN | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) |
| June 20 | French Grand Prix | Circuit Paul Ricard | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| June 27 | Styrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| July 4 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| July 18 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 a.m. | ESPN | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| Aug. 1 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 a.m. | ESPN | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
| Aug. 29 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Sept. 5 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Sept. 12 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 9 a.m. | ESPN2 | Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) |
| Sept. 26 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| Oct. 10 | Turkish Grand Prix | Intercity Istanbul Park | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
| Oct. 24 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 p.m. | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Nov. 7 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | 2 p.m. | ABC | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) |
| Nov. 14 | São Paulo Grand Prix | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace | Noon | ESPN2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| Nov. 21 | Qatar Grand Prix | Losail International Circuit | 9 a.m. | ESPNews | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) |
| Dec. 5 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Street Circuit | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |
| Dec. 12 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 8 a.m. | ESPN2 | TBD |