Free F1 live stream: Where to watch every Formula 1 GP race weekend from anywhere
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22 more races of free F1 live streams await us in the new 2024 season, and wherever you are in the world, we can help you watch every single lap. As the most popular motorsport in the world, there are plenty of options. And if you're a die-hard fan looking for the whole race weekend experience, we'll help you tune into F1 qualifying events. All for free.
This hub has everything you need to know about where to watch Formula 1 live streams each week, with multiple countries covered. Due to varying popularity and time zones, some countries charge more than others, and many lock it behind pricier paywalls.
We're big fans of cutting down on streaming costs, so we'll find the cheapest F1 deals for you. More importantly, we can help you watch F1 online for free every week, thanks to numerous live streams around Europe. And if the race is on at a time you can't make, there are options for full replays and an extended highlights show (lasting 90-150 minutes) to help you catch up. We used these options throughout last season, too, and will continue to check they're correct for each race this year as we'll be watching them, too.
- See also: Free Champions League Live stream | How to watch Miami Open live streams | March Madness live stream
For anyone outside the free F1 live stream countries listed below, geo-restrictions will block you from watching online unless you use a VPN to unlock them. A VPN (a virtual private network) will help simulate your device's location to be in the same country as the F1 broadcast country of your choosing, letting you watch along like a local.
Where to Watch a free F1 live stream
The simplest option for a free F1 live stream this weekend is to use a VPN to tune into one of the free options mentioned above. F1 is usually a premium purchase in Australia, but their home GP is on a free TV streaming site, making it our top pick for international F1 fans.
There isn't usually a free option in English, as many free F1 live streams come from mainland Europe. Instead, you would have to rely on the data at the side of the screen or driver comms, which are both usually in English. You could also use an online text commentary site or BBC Radio 5 Live to keep up with events behind the scenes. The extended highlights show we've mentioned is also in English.
Our preferred option of all the best VPN providers is ExpressVPN, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're unsatisfied. Better yet, you can get an extra three months for free and save 49% on a subscription. Check out our ExpressVPN review for more information on the security app.
We used these F1 live streams throughout last season and still double-check VPN compatibility with each channel every race weekend. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV - Servus has the Australian GP. F1 on 10 Play in Australia is just a one-off for their home GP, too.
How to watch F1 live streams with a VPN
- Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
- Install it on the device you're using to watch the race.
- Turn it on and set it to a country with a free live stream.
- Go to 10 Play (Australia) | ServusTV (Austria) / ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium) | RTL2 (Luxembourg).
- Watch on the live sections of the sites.
Are there extended F1 highlights later?
In the UK, Channel 4 has an excellent (and free!) extended highlights show a few hours after each race. As with the races, the time can vary wildly to mid-afternoon, early evening, or even later. So far this season, the highlights show has lasted for two and a half hours, which is much longer than last season.
You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK. Next up are the Australian F1 highlights on March 24, which will be shown at 12:30 p.m. GMT.
The actual race highlights are very comprehensive, too. For example, we've timed it this season, and the two-and-a-half-hour show dedicated 75 minutes to the highlights of a race that lasted around 90 minutes in full. The rest of the show features pre and post-race interviews and discussions.
This is the best option if you want English coverage and don't want to sign up for a sports streaming service. Even with the cost of a VPN accounted for, if you need one (and if you want to watch from outside of the UK, you will), you're coming out on top.
You can also watch these highlights on-demand the day after. That said, we sometimes notice this version is slightly shorter than the usual highlights program.
How to watch Formula 1 live streams in the US
ESPN has coverage of Formula 1 racing throughout the season. If you don't already have access to the channel, there are a couple of cord-cutting options for you to consider. Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $40 a month, but a special offer now sees that first month's price slashed to just $20.
Hulu's Live TV bundle also carries ESPN and is a very comprehensive bundle overall as it also includes Disney+ and ESPN+. This means it's pricier than Sling, though, and will cost you $76.99, but you can cancel anytime.
ESPN+ covers the first three races of the season, the third of which is up next in Australia. We're not seeing the fourth race (Japan) in the listings, though, so you might need ESPN proper for the remaining races this year. We'll keep an eye out to see if ESPN+ comes through again, especially as it's only $10.99 per month.
How to watch F1 live streams in the UK
The only free live Formula 1 race you'll likely get in the UK will be the British GP at Silverstone, as the last few seasons have seen Sky share coverage with Channel 4 for the event.
As for the rest of the season, Channel 4 runs an excellent extended highlights show a few hours after each race, which is a solid free alternative. They even do qualifying highlights a few hours after that wraps up the day before, too.
If you really want to see everything live, a Sky Sports deal is your best bet, and this is a great way to get it in glorious 4K, too. Sky has every race weekend, so you won't need to hop around between it and networks like TNT like you do for the Premier League.
If you don't want a traditional TV contract and would prefer a monthly option you can drop whenever you wish, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 for a day pass or £34.99 a month.
The main appeal of Now TV is it runs on a rolling one-month contract, but if you need it every week, it's arguably a better deal to get a proper Sky Sports package as you'll get way more bang for your buck. Also, Now TV is still operating in the dark ages and has the gall to charge extra for HD in 2024.
If you're craving an English F1 live stream from overseas, though, the online-only Now TV is at least compatible with a VPN, as are the free Channel 4 highlights mentioned earlier.
How to watch F1 qualifying
All the international streaming options mentioned earlier in this guide for the US and Europe will also show the qualifying sessions each race weekend. Australian qualifying is on Saturday, March 23, and starts at 1 a.m. ET, 5 a.m. GMT, 6 a.m. CET, 1 p.m. AWST. 90 minutes of highlights will be shown on Channel 4 in the UK at 10:15 a.m. GMT.
Note: Using VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
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