Formula 1: How to watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on TV and what to know

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about Sunday's Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix. It's the fifth round of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

— In the U.S., ESPN.

— Other countries are listed here.

– Sunday: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, 50 laps of the 6.2-kilometer (3.8-mile) Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Starts at 1900 GMT (1 p.m. ET)

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the newest venues on the F1 calendar after making its debut in 2021. Hosting F1 is part of Saudi Arabia's push to become a major player in global sports. Jeddah is fast for a street circuit and walls close to the track mean the slightest error brings heavy punishment. It's the second night race in a row after last week's Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen is the only driver to win in Jeddah twice. Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez have one win each.

Oscar Piastri became the first driver to win two races this season with a dominant drive from pole position to victory in Bahrain. It was a dramatic race behind him as George Russell contended with electrical problems and held off Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris to take second. Verstappen had problems with his Red Bull and placed sixth. Norris leads the 2025 driver standings by three points from Piastri.

Formula 1 champion Verstappen took pole position in qualifying after standings leader Lando Norris crashed. Red Bull’s Verstappen beat Piastri’s time by .01 of a second on his final run to take pole. Russell was third fastest for Mercedes. Norris had not set a time in the third part of qualifying when he lost control over a curb and ran wide into the wall.

Get caught up:

— Max Verstappen takes pole position for the Saudi Grand Prix.

— The F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren's drivers but Max Verstappen is still hopeful

— Oscar Piastri cruises to win at Bahrain Grand Prix, with Lando Norris third

— Max Verstappen says he’s ‘relaxed’ despite speculation about his Formula 1 future

— Lando Norris feels ‘nowhere near’ his best as Formula 1 title contest heats up inside McLaren

— Concerns mount at Red Bull after Max Verstappen’s ‘catastrophe’ as F1 heads to Saudi Arabia

58 — McLaren's gap over its nearest challenger Mercedes in the constructors' standings shows how it's the only team to be consistently fast at all tracks so far.

69 — Verstappen has scored all but two of Red Bull's 71 points this season. Tsunoda's ninth place in Bahrain was the first time any of his teammates finished in the top 10 since November.

7 — Rookie Oliver Bearman made a splash on debut in Saudi Arabia last year with seventh place as an emergency stand-in for Ferrari. Now at Haas, that's still Bearman's best finish in F1.

“The car came alive in the night. We made some final changes and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive, the grip was coming to me." — Verstappen.

“I was pretty happy with it. There wasn’t too much more left in that lap.” — Piastri.

"We’re disappointed to have such a big setback but I’ve got to take it on the chin. I apologized to the team, to my mechanics and the engineers.” Norris.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

McLaren driver Lando Norris' car is carried out of the track after crashing during the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, pole position, is flanked by McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, left, second fastest time and Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain, third fastest time after the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, pole position, left, cheers with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, second fastest time, after the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands thumbs up after setting the pole position in the qualifying session ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain makes a pit stop during the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir circuit, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Andrej Isakovic Pool via AP)

Mechanics push Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands on the starting grid before the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain celebrates second place at the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia holds trophy after winning the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spiked Tuesday to at least 2,000 people killed, activists said, even as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown.

The number of dead, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, dwarfs that in any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. These demonstrations, which began in anger over Iran's ailing economy, soon targeted the theocracy, particularly 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The toll may put increased pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump to act after he warned Iran he might intervene militarily to protect peaceful demonstrators. Iran's foreign minister has signaled that communication remains open with Washington, but acknowledged the gaps between the nations remain vast.

The activist group said 1,847 of the dead over more than two weeks of protests were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Another nine children were killed, and nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests also were killed. It said over 16,700 people had been detained.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.

Iranians' calls gave a glimpse of life after being cut off from the outside world Thursday night.

Witnesses described a heavy security presence in central Tehran, burned-out government buildings, smashed ATMs and few passersby. Meanwhile, people remain concerned about what comes next, including the possibility of strikes after Trump said he could possibly use the military to defend peaceful protesters. Trump also has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington.

“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave only his first name out of concerns for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”

Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests remain on many people's minds. “People — particularly young ones — are hopeless but they talk about continuing the protests,” he said.

Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press on Tuesday morning and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.

Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers, according to the witnesses. Police stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.

Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. Banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.

However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

It also appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in their homes and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.

State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.

Khamenei, in a statement carried by state TV, praised the tens of thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations nationwide on Monday.

“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”

State TV on Monday aired chants from the crowd, which appeared in the tens of thousands, of “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”

Trump believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.

Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.

Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)