Scheduling: The 2020 Mexico City E-Prix / Rally Sweden

Formula E heads north from Chile to Mexico, for round three of the 2019-20 season.

For UK viewers, the race takes place in prime-time hours, with the main event beginning at 22:00. As always, the action airs live across BBC’s digital platforms and Eurosport, with additional highlights airing on Discovery’s free-to-air channel Quest.

Meanwhile, BT Sport plays host to a depleted Sweden leg of the World Rally Championship, with half of the expected itinerary wiped due to unseasonably warm weather.

As a result, the Swedish rally now has 11 stages, but that could still change further, meaning that the scheduling details below could change further as the week unfolds.

Formula E – Mexico City
Shakedown, Practice and Qualifying air live on YouTube
15/02 – Qualifying
=> 17:30 to 19:00 (BBC’s digital platforms)
=> 17:35 to 18:45 (Eurosport 2)
15/02 – Race
=> 22:00 to 23:00 (BBC’s digital platforms)
=> 21:55 to 23:00 (Eurosport 2)
16/02 – 06:00 to 07:00 – Highlights (Quest)

World Rally Championship – Sweden (All Live)
Also airs live on WRC+ (£)
13/02 – 19:00 to 20:00 – Stage 1 (BT Sport/ESPN)
=> 19:08 – Stage 1
14/02 – 05:45 to 15:30 – Stages 2 to 4 and Stage 8 (BT Sport Extra 1)
=> 07:42 – Stage 2
=> 09:08 – Stage 3
=> 10:00 – Stage 4
=> 14:00 – Stage 8
15/02 – 05:45 to 15:30 – Stages 5 to 7 and Stage 16 (BT Sport Extra 3)
=> 07:42 – Stage 5
=> 09:00 – Stage 6
=> 10:05 – Stage 7
=> 14:00 – Stage 16
16/02 – 07:45 to 12:45 – Stages 17 and 18 (BT Sport Extra 1)
=> 09:00 – Stage 17
=> 11:10 – Stage 18

World Rally Championship – Sweden
Live stage times on linear BT Sport channels to be confirmed
14/02 – 22:00 to 22:30 – Day 1 Highlights (BT Sport 3)
15/02 – 23:00 to 23:30 – Day 2 Highlights (BT Sport 3)
16/02 – 23:00 to 23:30 – Day 3 Highlights (BT Sport 1)
18/02 – 20:00 to 21:00 – Highlights (ITV4)

When further revised details about WRC’s Sweden coverage are confirmed for the weekend, this post will be updated.

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Scheduling: The 2020 F1 Pre-Season Tests

Every day. Every minute. Live.

Formula 1 springs back into life with two pre-season tests, both of which take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.

Last year, F1 experimented by airing the first test live via their over-the-top platform, with Sky Sports also covering the afternoon sessions live.

Thanks to the positive response, F1 are taking testing further than ever before this year, with every minute airing live via Sky Sports for fans in the UK and Italy, as well as F1 TV Pro for the territories the over-the-top service is available in.

11 new countries get their hands on F1 TV Pro for the first time this season, including South Africa. However, the UK remains absent from the list.

As well as opening up garages during testing, F1 promises an improved live timing feed for testing which will presumably feed through to the on-screen graphics set.

In addition to the on-track action, a one-hour wrap-up show called The Story so Far will air following the first five days. As of writing, there is no word on who will be covering testing, but F1 says it will be a hybrid of Sky and F1 talent on hand to call the action.

For F1 TV Access subscribers (which UK fans can subscribe to), F1 has confirmed that exclusive content from Will Buxton and Jolyon Palmer will feature during the testing period, as well as lunch time press conferences for fans to watch.

In total, 53 hours of live action is set to air over the six days of testing, more than enough to whet the appetite ahead of the season opening Australian Grand Prix in March.

F1 Testing – Barcelona (Sky Sports F1)
11/02 – 17:30 to 18:15 – Ferrari Car Launch
13/02 – 13:30 to 14:00 – McLaren Car Launch
19/02 – 07:55 to 18:00 – Day 1
=> 07:55 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session
=> 17:00 – The Story so Far
20/02 – 08:00 to 18:00 – Day 2
=> 08:00 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session
=> 17:00 – The Story so Far
21/02 – 08:00 to 18:00 – Day 3
=> 08:00 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session
=> 17:00 – The Story so Far
26/02 – 08:00 to 18:00 – Day 4
=> 08:00 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session
=> 17:00 – The Story so Far
27/02 – 08:00 to 18:00 – Day 5
=> 08:00 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session
=> 17:00 – The Story so Far
28/02 – 08:00 to 17:00 – Day 6
=> 08:00 – Morning Session
=> 12:00 – Break
=> 13:00 – Afternoon Session

As always, schedules are subject to change, and this article will be updated if needed.

Update on February 6th – F1 has today issued a press release confirming testing details, which is now included in the main body above.

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Scheduling: The 2020 Rally Monte Carlo

All day. All weekend. All live. The World Rally Championship returns in style this weekend with its traditional season opener at the south of France, and for the third year running, all the action airs live.

Every stage will air live via both BT Sport’s Red Button service and WRC’s over-the-top platform for fans to watch. There are several movers and shakers in the presentation line-up to begin the 2020 season.

With Kiri Bloore expecting a baby soon, Abi Stephens steps into the presenting shoes for Monte Carlo, joined by Julian Porter in the WRC paddock.

Becs Williams returns to the commentary booth, joined by a variety of personalities throughout the weekend, whilst Jon Desborough continues to provide commentary for the stages airing live on mainstream television.

Hayley Edmonds replaces Molly Petit, who is on maternity leave, Edmonds providing interviews for the TV live stages.

Meanwhile, both Emyr Penlan and Ben Constanduros will provide interviews for the All Live stages during the rally. One absentee this season is Colin Clark, who announced earlier this week that he is moving to American outlet DirtFish for 2020 after 15 years with WRC.

For those without All Live and BT Sport, highlights of the championship switch from 5Spike to ITV4, with highlights expected to air in a Tuesday evening time slot for most of the season.

With nearly 23 hours of live coverage from Monte Carlo across four days, there is plenty to whet the appetite for rally fans this weekend.

World Rally Championship – Monte Carlo (All Live)
Also airs live on WRC+ (£)
23/01 – 18:00 to 22:30 – Esports, Stages 1 and 2 (BT Sport Extra 1)
=> 19:30 – Stage 1
=> 21:26 – Stage 2
24/01 – 06:45 to 16:45 – Stages 3 to 8 (BT Sport Extra 1)
=> 07:36 – Stage 3
=> 08:56 – Stage 4
=> 10:21 – Stage 5
=> 12:54 – Stage 6
=> 14:14 – Stage 7
=> 15:39 – Stage 8
25/01 – 07:30 to 16:00 – Stages 9 to 12 (BT Sport Extra 2)
=> 08:30 – Stage 9
=> 09:56 – Stage 10
=> 13:00 – Stage 11
=> 14:26 – Stage 12
26/01 – 06:45 to 12:45 – Stages 13 to 16 (BT Sport Extra 2)
=> 07:17 – Stage 13
=> 08:00 – Stage 14
=> 09:55 – Stage 15
=> 11:00 – Stage 16

World Rally Championship – Monte Carlo
23/01 – 19:30 to 20:30 – Stage 1 (BT Sport 3)
24/01 – 22:00 to 22:30 – Day 1 Highlights (BT Sport 3)
25/01 – 13:00 to 14:00 – Stage 11 (BT Sport 1)
25/01 – 22:00 to 22:30 – Day 2 Highlights (BT Sport 1)
26/01 – 08:00 to 09:00 – Stage 14 (BT Sport 2)
26/01 – 11:00 to 12:30 – Stage 16 [Power Stage] (BT Sport 2)
26/01 – 19:00 to 19:30 – Day 3 Highlights (BT Sport 1)
28/01 – 20:00 to 21:00 – Highlights (ITV4)

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Scheduling: The 2020 Santiago E-Prix

After a two-month gap since Saudi Arabia, Formula E roars back into action in South America for the Santiago E-Prix.

The Santiago race was under some jeopardy prior to the festive period, with social unrest taking place elsewhere in Chile, however the race is understood to be going ahead as planned.

In a surprise move, practice airs live for the first time on the BBC, in addition to qualifying and the race. Motorsport Broadcasting is working to confirm if this is a one-off arrangement, or permanent for the remainder of the season.

Discovery’s Eurosport platform is also covering qualifying and the race, albeit the former airs on tape-delay; with Quest airing late-night highlights.

Fans wanting to watch shakedown will need to venture to Formula E’s social media pages for Santiago.

On a Formula E related note, Motorsport Broadcasting would like to send best wishes and positive vibes over to legendary commentator Bob Varsha, who has commentated on Formula E, Formula 1, and IndyCar, amongst other championships in his illustrious career.

RACER confirmed earlier this month that Varsha is battling a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer. Fans wishing to help support Varsha and his family at this time can do so over on a GoFundMe page that has been set up.

Formula E – Santiago
Shakedown, Practice and Qualifying air live on YouTube
18/01 – 10:55 to 11:55 – Practice 1 (BBC’s digital platforms)
18/01 – 13:10 to 13:55 – Practice 2 (BBC’s digital platforms)
18/01 – Qualifying
=> 14:45 to 16:15 (BBC online)
=> 18:05 to 18:45 (Eurosport 2)
18/01 – Race
=> 18:00 to 20:30 (BBC’s digital platforms)
=> 18:45 to 20:00 (Eurosport 2)
19/01 – 00:00 to 01:00 – Highlights (Quest)

As always, I will amend the schedule if details change.

Update on January 16th – Speaking to this site, Formula E says that it intends to air as “many sessions as possible live across the BBC this season,” with practice airing on the network where possible.

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Scheduling: The 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2019 season. The championship ends in December for the first time since 1963, when the South African round that year took place on December 28th.

The race as usual airs exclusively live on Sky Sports, although one person who will not be out in Abu Dhabi with Sky is Damon Hill, as mentioned by the man himself during their Brazilian Grand Prix broadcast.

Post Abu Dhabi, Sky are showing live coverage of the final of this year’s F1 Esports Series, which takes place on Wednesday 4th December.

Over on Channel 4, Mark Webber joins Steve Jones and David Coulthard for their final weekend of the year. Channel 4’s relationship with Formula 1 continues into 2020 and beyond, having signed a new contract with Sky Sports to cover the sport until the end of 2022.

As of writing, it is unknown whether Whisper will be producing Channel 4’s coverage in 2020, an answer on that front is due imminently.

Channel 4 F1
30/11 – 17:00 to 18:30 – Qualifying Highlights
01/12 – 18:05 to 20:00 – Race Highlights

Sky Sports F1
Sessions
29/11 – 08:45 to 10:45 – Practice 1 (also Sky Sports Main Event)
29/11 – 12:45 to 14:55 – Practice 2 (also Sky Sports Main Event)
30/11 – 09:45 to 11:30
=> 09:45 – Practice 3
=> 11:10 – Paddock Walkabout
30/11 – 12:00 to 14:40 – Qualifying
=> 12:00 – Pre-Show
=> 12:55 – Qualifying
01/12 – 11:30 to 16:30 – Race
=> 11:30 – Pit Lane Live
=> 12:30 – On the Grid
=> 13:05 – Race
=> 15:00 – Paddock Live
=> 16:00 – Notebook

Supplementary Programming
28/11 – 13:00 to 13:30 – Drivers’ Press Conference
28/11 – 15:00 to 15:30 – Welcome to the Weekend
29/11 – 12:00 to 12:30 – The Brundles Race the Nordschleife
29/11 – 15:30 to 16:00 – The Story so Far (also Sky Sports Main Event)
30/11 – 15:45 to 16:15 – The F1 Show
04/12 – 19:00 to 21:30 – F1 Esports Pro Series Grand Final

BBC Radio F1
All sessions are available live on BBC’s F1 website
28/11 – 21:00 to 21:30 – Preview (BBC Radio 5 Live)
29/11 – 08:55 to 10:35 – Practice 1 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
29/11 – 12:55 to 14:35 – Practice 2 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
30/11 – 09:55 to 11:05 – Practice 3 (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
30/11 – 12:55 to 14:05 – Qualifying (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)
01/12 – 13:00 to 14:55 – Race (BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra)

Formula Two – Abu Dhabi (Sky Sports F1)
29/11 – 07:25 to 08:15 – Practice (also Sky Sports Main Event)
29/11 – 14:55 to 15:30 – Qualifying (also Sky Sports Main Event)
30/11 – 14:40 to 15:45 – Race 1
01/12 – 09:20 to 10:20 – Race 2

This article will be updated if schedules change.

Updated on November 28th – Sky are also airing a 30-minute programme throughout the Abu Dhabi weekend as Martin and Alex Brundle tackle the Nordschleife.

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