2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix session timings and preview
Formula 1 will head to Imola this weekend for the second round of the 2021 season. Scroll down to view the full schedule for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.


Added to last year's calendar on a one-off basis in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers at Imola have managed to strike a deal with F1 to retain the race on the calendar for another year.
But unlike the two-day 2020 event, this year's Imola round will run to the full schedule, with three practice sessions followed by qualifying and the race itself on Sunday.
And if the season opener in Bahrain is anything to go by, F1 fans can expect another thrilling fight in the Emilia Romagna GP, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen once again expected to battle it out for victory.
The race will also provide a better understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of Mercedes and Red Bull, although the overwhelming feeling withing the paddock is that the Honda-powered RB16B has a slight advantage to the W12.
McLaren could also be challenging for a spot on the podium this weekend, while AlphaTauri could potentially break inside the top five thanks to the steps engine partner Honda has made over the winter.
Ferrari should also not be discounted but the team has stressed that the full extent of its progress may not be known for another four races.
Further down the grid, expectations will be high from the rebranded Alpine team to score its first points after two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon drew a duck in Bahrain.
Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas are also yet to score points heading into the second round of the season.
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Prix session timings
Session | GMT | BST | CEST | ET | PT | AEST | JST | IST |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FP1 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 05:00 | 02:00 | 19:00 | 18:00 | 14:30 |
FP2 | 12:30 | 13:30 | 14:30 | 08:30 | 05:30 | 22:30 | 21:30 | 18:00 |
FP3 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 05:00 | 02:00 | 19:00 | 18:00 | 14:30 |
Qualifying | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 08:00 | 05:00 | 22:00 | 21:00 | 17:30 |
Race | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 | 23:00 | 22:00 | 18:30 |
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in the UK
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 10:00 - 11:00 BST
- Free Practice 2: 13:30 - 14:30 BST
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 10:00 - 11:00 BST
- Qualifying: 13:00 - 14:00 BST
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 14:00 - 16:00 BST
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in Europe
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 11:00 - 12:00 CEST
- Free Practice 2: 14:30 - 15:30 CEST
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 11:00 - 12:00 CEST
- Qualifying: 14:00 - 15:00 CEST
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 15:00 - 17:00 CEST
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in the US
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 05:00 - 06:00 ET / 02:00 - 03:00 PT
- Free Practice 2: 08:30 - 09:30 ET / 05:30 - 06:30 PT
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 05:00 - 06:00 ET / 02:00 - 03:00 PT
- Qualifying: 08:00 - 09:00 ET / 05:00 - 06:00 PT
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 09:00 - 11:00 PT / 06:00 - 08:00 PT
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in Australia
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 19:00 - 20:00 AEST
- Free Practice 2: 22:30 - 23:30 AEST
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 19:00 - 20:00 AEST
- Qualifying: 22:00 - 23:00 AEST
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 23:00 - 01:00
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in Japan
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 18:00 - 19:00 JST
- Free Practice 2: 21:30 - 22:30 JST
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 18:00 - 19:00 JST
- Qualifying: 21:00 - 22:00 JST
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 22:00 - 00:00 JST
2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna session timings in India
Friday 16th April 2021
- Free Practice 1: 14:30 - 15:30 IST
- Free Practice 2: 18:00 - 19:00 IST
Saturday 17th April 2021
- Free Practice 3: 14:30 - 15:30 IST
- Qualifying: 17:30 - 18:30 IST
Sunday 18th April 2021
- Race: 18:30 - 20:30 IST
Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the Formula 1 schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.
Pirelli tyre allocation for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
For Imola, Pirell is bringing C2, C3 and C4 compounds from its tyre range.
Related video

The secret of Imola’s lucky F1 paddock cat
Alonso delays biography to tell the "truth" after retirement

Latest news
How Ferrari's Monaco headache became its Silverstone migraine
OPINION: Ferrari won the British Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, but it ultimately cost Charles Leclerc a chance to make a bigger dent in Max Verstappen's title lead by leaving the Monegasque out on old tyres towards the end. Like Monaco, indecision over strategy proved to be the Scuderia's biggest issue - and if the team doesn't reflect, the headache can only intensify
The five factors that won Sainz a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston's latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Verstappen exclusive: Why F1's champion isn't fazed by Silverstone return
Max Verstappen is the world’s number one racing driver… and he’s determined to keep it that way. Speaking exclusively to GP Racing's OLEG KARPOV, the Red Bull driver explains why he’s relishing the 2022 championship battle with Charles Leclerc – and why he’s not worried about returning to Silverstone, the scene of the biggest accident of his career last year
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue.
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger .
Inside AlphaTauri’s Faenza F1 factory
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s Oleg Karpov on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow.