How to Stream Formula One World Championship Races from Anywhere in the World

Formula 1 is the most viewed motorsport around. Its inaugural season was back in 1950, but its roots can be traced even further to the 1920s. Its current form has been around since the 1980s, with the world drivers championship being rebranded to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Where to stream Formula One races online

The 2023 season is set to start in early March in Bahrain and runs through November, with the last race at Abu Dhabi. This season is set to have a record-breaking 24 Grand Prixs held across 24 different tracks and countries.

The last two seasons have been dramatic, to say the least, Max Verstappen is now a double world champion, having won in both 2021 and 2022. This next season won’t be easy for him; Lewis Hamilton will want to wrestle the crown back. Sebastian Vettel has retired, paving the way for youngsters George Russell and Charles Leclerc to come in and take the pole position.

Formula One viewership is undoubtedly growing. The 2021 season had an average of 70.3 million viewers per race, with a huge uptick in certain countries. In particular, in the USA, there was a 58% increase in US F1 watchers compared to 2021.

This might be due to the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas reentering the calendar or down to the epic battle between Verstappen and Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. More and more people are tuning in, and some say Formula One is only behind the World Cup and Olympics in terms of viewership.

Viewers in the U.S.A.

The majority of F1 races will be on ESPN in 2023. The exception is the four live races that ABC has the rights to, Miami, Montreal, Mexico City, Austin, and Monaco, on a delay. There are a whole host of ways to access ESPN nowadays, it’s available through cable packages and, in recent years, has been included in a lot of streaming services.

For the cord-cutters out there, here are your options for live TV streaming services that can connect to ESPN;

• SlingTV – $40/mo – Offers the first month at $20.
• FuboTV – $69.99/mo – Offers a seven-day free trial.
• Hulu+Live TV – $69.99/mo – No free trial.
• DirecTV Stream – $69.99/mo – Offers a five-day free trial.

If ESPN isn’t your jam, there is one other option, there is one more option that has been delighting Formula 1 fans the world over, F1TV Pro.

This online-only channel is owned and created by the sports national governing body themselves and gives subscribers added insight you wouldn’t be getting with any other broadcaster.

F1TV Pro gives you live streams of every F1, F2, F3, and Porsche Supercup race. It includes access to every driver’s onboard camera on-demand, as well as team radios and historic races. The meager price point of $79.99 is another selling point. If you’re just in for the F1 and don’t want any other channels, this is by far and away the best option for you.

Viewers in Canada

Viewers in Canada can watch every race live in either French or English on RDS and TSN, respectively. Both channels give access to qualifying and the race, but TSN offers coverage of the practice session on their app.

TSN and RDS are included in many Canadian cable packages. For those who have moved away from cable and cut the cord, there is a new TSN app that offers a monthly pass for $19.99/mo. The TSN app is available on your portable devices as well as computers and Smart TVs, such as Apple TV and Roku.

Similar to the USA, F1TV Pro is available for Canadians.

Viewers in Australia

Australians can watch their home Melbourne GP for free on Network 10. This gives access to the whole race event, from Practice 1 through to the Grand Prix.

The rest of the season is behind a paywall. Fox Sports have recently renewed its rights. If you are a cord-cutter, there is still a way to access the action.

Kayo Sports is an online sports channel that can be installed on most devices. They have dedicated apps on mobile devices and gaming consoles. Kayo Sports is pretty cheap; it comes in at $25/mo for its most basic package and ranges up to $35/mo. They offer a free trial for new customers.

Viewers in the UK

Much like Australia, the British GP is on free-to-air television on Channel 4. Channel 4 also has highlights of qualifying and races.

Since 2012 Sky Sports have had a dedicated F1 channel, Sky Sports F1. Sky Sports F1 shares race coverage with F1TV; the only difference is the pre and post-race offerings. If you want to subscribe, you already need a Sky package to add the F1 channel will cost an extra £18 a month.

If you’re a fan of certain iconic races and only want access for a few days, Now Sports Pass offers daily or monthly passes. For these, you don’t need a Sky package, perfect for those Freeview watchers.

Free Formula One live streams

Similar to the UK, Australia, and the USA, some countries (Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, and Mexico) that have a Grand Prix will show the race and qualifying on free-to-air television.

There are a few countries and channels that show all the races on free-to-air television. However, it is unlikely that these have English coverage; check them out below.

• Albania – RTSH
• Austraia – ORF Eins and Servus TV
• Luxembourg – RTL

2023 Formula 1 schedule

Using a VPN to stream live Formula One

So you’ve taken the plunge and decided that F1TV Pro is the best option for you. Unfortunately, you live in the UK or Australia and can’t subscribe to the service. This is due to how broadcasting rights work nowadays, they are sold off to specific broadcasters, and any effort to access a service from a different country will be geo-blocked.

What you need is a tool that can circumnavigate these geo-blocks so you can access F1TV Pro from wherever you’d like.

That tool is a VPN.

What is a VPN and how is it helpful

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a computer tool that makes it look as if you are browsing the internet from a different country. It does this by assigning your IP address to another country. With this new IP address, you can see content that would normally be geo-blocked.

If you’ve signed up for F1TV Pro but live in the UK, if you go to your VPN and select a server in any country where F1TV Pro is available, you would then be given green light into the app, and you’d be off!

What you need in your VPN

Since 2012 there are a whole host of VPN providers have sprung up. These range from high-end paid for VPNs to free plug-ins for your internet browser, some browsers like Opera have VPNs built in.

To effectively stream Formula 1 on your device, your VPN needs to be up to scratch. Here’s what you should be looking for:

• Speed – A skipping stream is a nightmare. Imagine hearing Martin Brundle calling lights out while your stream still shows cars on the grid. Your VPN needs to be fast enough for you to stream in HD. This rules out free VPNs as they don’t have the requisite speeds. Look for a VPN with dedicated streaming servers.
• Location – If you want to access the free Luxembourg, Austria, or Albania streams, you need a VPN that has servers in these countries. Without these servers, you will still be geo-blocked.
• Secure – You need a secure VPN. A lot of premium VPNs have military-grade encryption and zero-log policies. These are key features to protect you and keep you safe as you are pinging your IP around the globe.

How to install your VPN

Best VPNs for streaming Formula One races from anywhere

Here are three of our favorite VPNs for streaming sports.

ExpressVPN

Our top pick!

• Always evades internet control in the PRC
• Keeps ahead of the Netflix VPN detection algorithm
• Benchmark tests show excellent speed

Check best price ExpressVPN Review

ExpressVPN is one of the oldest and most trusted VPNs out there. They hit all of our key points. They have servers that are optimized for streaming in Albania, Austria, and Luxembourg for those wanting to stream for free. They also have a huge selection of American servers if you decide you want F1TV Pro. Being an old hand in the game, they have some of the best security protocols out there as well as 24/7 customer support for the less techy amongst us.

Express VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you subscribe and pay for 12 months now, they will throw in an extra 3 months.

Surfshark

• Smart DNS service, understands the technology
• Comprehensive security add-on package.
• No data throughput limits and has a no-logs policy

Check best price Surfshark Review

Surfshark has over 3200+ servers across 100 countries, including Albania, Austria, and Luxembourg. Surfshark is really user-friendly and easy to install. It has features other VPNs don’t have, such as 2FA and ad blockers. It has strong AES 256 encryption and private DNS and leak protection. One of Sursharks main selling points is its affordability, it’s much cheaper than NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

NordVPN

• More US city locations than its rivals
• Includes malware protection
• No-logs policy

Check best price NordVPN Review

NordVPN runs over 5500 servers across 59 countries, including Albania, Austria, and Luxembourg. NordVPN doesn’t keep any logs, and your data is never stored. They have a strong cybersecurity setup that includes a malware protection kit as well. NordVPNs servers are stable and have dependable connections, because of this, streaming sports isn’t a problem, and there is rarely lag or a buffer. It can be installed directly onto your device and is extremely user-friendly.

NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and offers months for free if you subscribe and pay for a year or two in advance. They also have three different tiers of membership, so be sure to check them out.

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