Italian Grand Prix 2021 start time: Practice, sprint qualifying, race schedule on TV
Your complete guide to the Italian Grand Prix 2021 start time, plus full TV schedule for race weekend including practice, sprint qualifying and the GP itself at Monza.
The F1 calendar 2021 takes us to Monza next for the Italian Grand Prix with a simmering title battle continue to swing back and forth between two racing icons.
Max Verstappen sealed victory in front of a raucous crowd on his home turf at Zandvoort in the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, and that has restored him to the top of the tree with a three-point gap over Lewis Hamilton.
In the grand scheme of the season, three points is effectively a rounding error, a negligible gap that could easily be filled with one result.
Hamilton will hope that result comes here on a track he has dominated in the past. The Mercedes star has won five times here between 2012 and 2018.
In 2019, it was Charles Leclerc who delighted the Tifosi with a victory for Ferrari, while Pierre Gasly exploited a famously frantic race at Monza behind closed doors in 2020 to secure his first ever F1 Grand Prix win.
More like this
RadioTimes.com brings you the complete guide to the Italian Grand Prix 2021 including start time, dates and TV details, as well as exclusive analysis from Sky Sports F1 commentator Crofty ahead of every race.
When is the Italian Grand Prix?
The Italian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 12th September 2021.
Check out our full F1 2021 calendar for the list of dates and upcoming races.
Italian Grand Prix start time
The race begins at 2pm on Sunday 12th September 2021.
We've included the full schedule for the rest of the weekend, including practice and qualifying times below.
Italian Grand Prix schedule
Friday 10th September
From 1pm on Sky Sports F1
Practice 1 – 1:30pm
Qualifying – 5pm
Saturday 11th September
From 10:30am on Sky Sports F1
Practice 2 – 11am
Sprint qualifying – 3:30pm
Sunday 12th September
From 12:30pm on Sky Sports F1
Race – 2pm
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
How to watch Italian Grand Prix on TV
The Italian Grand Prix will air live on Sky Sports F1.
All races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event throughout the season.
Sky customers can add individual channels for just £18 per month or add the complete sports package to their deal for just £25 per month.
Live stream Italian Grand Prix online
Existing Sky Sports customers can live stream the race via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices.
You can watch the Grand Prix with a NOW Day Membership for £9.99 or a Monthly Membership for £33.99, all without signing up to a contract.
NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via BT Sport.
Italian Grand Prix preview
With Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
Will George Russell signing for Mercedes in advance affect the race?
DC: We did see in Hungary, George said to the Williams team: "Look, whatever you do, prioritise Nicholas [Latifi], if it means ruining my race, prioritise Nicholas, because he can score the most amount of points for this team." He will still play the team game at Williams.
He's been there three years, he owes Williams an awful lot. They've not given him a car that he would have wanted in terms of racing in the upper echelon of the midfield but he has produced some standout performances there. He has been able to do that because of a very good car on a Saturday in qualifying as we know.
Will Valtteri Bottas continue to be a team player at Mercedes?
DC: He is paid to be a team player, he is paid to race for Mercedes and not always for himself. How does it change the dynamic with Lewis? I don't think it does. I think as teammates they will still be okay. Valtteri is not going to be the most delighted man on the planet to be leaving Mercedes but he's a professional.
He knows that it's still good for him to be racing as high as he can for Mercedes, to be winning the Constructor's Championship, even though he won't win a Driver's Championship this year. Knowing Valtteri as I do, I don't think there'll be a problem when push comes to shove.
However, if he's leading a race and Lewis is second and the team ask him to swap places, where is the incentive for him to give up a win? In the past year he has moved aside for his teammate, he's done that in the knowledge that he will get other chances to win. With all due respect to Alfa Romeo, those chances might not be coming in the future.
Who does the track favour?
DC: Everybody knows Monza; it's one of those tracks that you can't help but know. It's 100 years of the Italian Grand Prix so we're celebrating this year at Monza. It is the fastest race of the season in terms of speed and in terms of duration of time as well. The Tifosi will be out in the sunshine, Monza will look beautiful, we can't wait to go there because it is one of our favourite races of the season.
Is it a favourite race for Lewis Hamilton? He's won here five times but it's the only track in the 2019 and 2020 seasons that he didn't actually win on. Red Bull haven't won there since 2013, they haven't been on the podium here since then either, but it's a very different season this time around. I can see a reversal from Zandvoort and Hamilton taking this one but it wouldn't take much for Max Verstappen to win it because the cars are so closely matched.
I'm not expecting Ferrari to win but wouldn't it be great to see the Scuderia on top of the podium with Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc. It's an unmissable weekend on one of the tracks that we all absolutely love seeing cars go as fast as they possibly can.
If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub.
