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 levels of popularity and time zones, you'll find some countries charge more than others, with many locking it behind the pricier paywalls. 

We're big fans of cutting down on streaming costs, so we'll find the cheapest F1 deals for you, but 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 | Free Six Nations live streams | Indian Wells 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

This weekend's simplest option for a free F1 live stream is using a VPN to tune into one of the free European streams mentioned above. You don't get English commentary, but the data at the side of the screen provides a narrative in any language. Live driver comms are usually in English, too. 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 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 have double-checked VPN compatibility with each channel's programming schedule today to ensure the race is on. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV - ORF1 has the Saudi GP.

If you insist on English commentary, you could always take advantage of Fubo's 7-day free trial in the US. If you're outside the US and want to try this option, you'll need a VPN and a form of US payment.

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.
• Head over to 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 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, but the TV listings for the show have not yet been confirmed this far out from the race  - at the time of writing.

The actual race highlights are very comprehensive, too. We've timed it in the past, 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.

If you want English coverage and don't want to sign up for a sports streaming service, this is by far the best option out there. 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'll also find these highlights available to watch 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 carries 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. 

If you don't need such a comprehensive cord-cutting package, though, you might be better off picking up a subscription to ESPN+, as that's only $10.99 per month and will carry most races this season - we can confirm the first three are on the current listings schedule.

Fubo TV also has ESPN, but is more expensive and usually $79.99. However, it's currently reduced to $59.99 monthly for your first two months as a special promo. It's packed with channels, though, and is a favorite amongst cord-cutting sports fans. Better yet, you can get a 7-day free trial, so enjoy the race for free and cancel your sub before the week is up if you don't want to keep it.

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, though, and would prefer a monthly option that you can drop whenever you want, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 for a day pass, or £34.99 a month, although there's a promo on at the moment that drops that price to £21.99 for the next 12 months.

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.

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.