Free F1 live stream: Where to watch Formula One GP races from anywhere

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Only four races remain in the season, but we have you covered for free F1 live streams for all of them in 2024. Wherever you are in the world, we can help you watch every single lap. As the planet's most popular motorsport, 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 and Sprint events as well. 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 (usually lasting 90-150 minutes) to help you catch up. We've used these options throughout the season, and will continue to check they're correct for each race as we'll be watching them, too.

• See also: Free MotoGP live stream | Where to watch Champions League | How to watch NFL games

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.

Upcoming free live options are based in mainland Europe. This means forgoing English commentary, but you can use 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 in English, too.

Our preferred option among all the best VPN providers to access free Formula 1 live streams from overseas 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've used these F1 live streams for multiple seasons now and still double-check VPN compatibility with each channel every race weekend. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races often alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV. The Brazilian race will be shown on ServusTV this weekend.

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 ServusTV (Austria) / ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium).
• 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. The length of the show has varied quite a lot this season and can run from around 70 minutes up to two and a half hours.

You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK. Next is the Sao Paulo, Brazil GP highlights, which are on at 5 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. GMT / 11 p.m. CET / 5 a.m. AWST.

The actual race highlights are often very comprehensive. For example, we've timed it this season on one of the longer 2.5 hour shows, and it 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 usually the best option if you want English coverage without signing up for a paid 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 USA

ESPN has the widest US coverage has coverage of Formula 1 racing this season, but some races will be on ESPN2/ABC instead (see schedule below). If you don't already have access to these channels, 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. You'll also find the required channels on Fubo, which has a higher monthly fee with prices from $79.99 per month after any promotional discounts for the first month, but you can start with a 7-day free trial. DirecTV Stream is an even more comprehensive cord-cutting option as far as channel choice goes, but prices start at $86.98 a month after the free trial.

ESPN+ is also an option for some races this season. See the schedule below for a list of the remaining F1 races you can get on the service this year. For casual fans, this is the most affordable option in the US, with prices starting at just $10.99 a month.

As mentioned earlier, going for a free live stream from Europe will be cheaper than all the above US options.

Remaining 2024 US F1 TV schedule

• Brazil GP - ESPN2/ESPN+
• Las Vegas GP - ESPN/ESPN+
• Qatar - ESPN2
• Abu Dhabi - ESPN2/ESPN+

How to watch F1 live streams in the UK

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 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 mainland Europe will also show the qualifying sessions each race weekend. Qualifying at the Brazil GP is on Saturday, November 2, and starts at 2 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. GMT / 8 p.m. CET / 2 a.m. AWST.

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.