Formula 1: Chinese Grand Prix not being broadcast on ESPN2

The last time the Chinese Grand Prix was on the Formula 1 schedule and actually contested as planned, Rich Energy and the legendary William Storey were still on the grid.

It's been quite some time, but Shanghai International Circuit is once again scheduled to host the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

It did host a 19-lap sprint race earlier this weekend, so Sunday's 56-lap main event around the 16-turn, 3.388-mile (5.452-kilometer) road course in Jiading, Shanghai, China is not the first true race at the track since 2019. The sprint race took place on Saturday and was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen from fourth place on the grid.

The fact that this weekend is a sprint race weekend eliminated two of the three practice sessions for the drivers and teams to refamiliarize themselves with a track that has not been used for a Formula 1 race in a half-decade. This did provide a bit of uncertainty throughout the early stages of the weekend.

Chinese Grand Prix not on ESPN2

ESPN is set to provide live coverage of the Chinese Grand Prix, making it the third of 12 races on ESPN's portion of the 24-race schedule.

The season opener in Bahrain and the most recent race in Japan were both shown on ESPN as well; the two races in between in Saudi Arabia and Australia were both shown on ESPN2.

Sunday's race is the final Grand Prix scheduled to be shown on ESPN until the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which is set to be contested later than it usually is this year on Sunday, June 23.

In total, ESPN2 is slated to account for seven of the other 12 races on the schedule. The remaining five include the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday, May 19; the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit on Sunday, July 7; the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on Sunday, November 3; the Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit on Sunday, December 1; and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, December 8.

ABC is the other network on the broadcast schedule in the U.S. and it is set to show five events: the Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome on Sunday, May 5, the Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on Sunday, May 26; the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, June 9; the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, October 20; and the Mexico City Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, October 27.

FanDuel Sportsbook, which is giving fans a bonus $150 just for betting $5 on Verstappen, lists the three-time reigning world champion as the heavy favorite to win Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.

Odds and availability subject to change

Tune in to ESPN at 2:55 a.m. ET this Sunday, April 21 for the live broadcast of the Chinese Grand Prix from Shanghai International Circuit. If you have not yet started a free trial of FuboTV, do so today and don't miss it!