Free F1 live stream: Where to watch Formula One GP races from anywhere in 2025

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The new F1 season is almost upon us this weekend for the opening race of the season in Australia, where Lewis Hamilton will make his debut for Ferrari. Like the last two seasons here at Business Insider, I'm highlighting various free F1 live streams for every lap all season long, wherever you are in the world. 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, I'll also help you tune into F1 qualifying and sprint 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. 

This guide 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. I've used these options for years and will continue to check they're correct for each race as I'll be watching them, too.

• See also: 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 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 Melbourne race will be shown on ORF1 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) | RTL (Luxembourg) | 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 varies 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 Australian GP highlights, which are on Sunday 9 a.m. ET / 1 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. CET / 9 p.m. AWST (Mon).

The actual race highlights are often very comprehensive. For example, we've timed 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 want to watch from outside 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 of Formula 1 racing this season, but some races will be on ESPN2/ABC instead. If you don't already have access to these channels, consider these cord-cutting options.

Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $46 a month, but a special offer now sees that first month's price slashed to just $23.

DirecTV Stream is another comprehensive option for cord-cutters. It recently introduced a wider range of specific genre bundles, and the MySports option is excellent for F1 fans as it includes all the channels you need for just $69.99 a month.

You'll also find the required channels on Fubo, which has a higher monthly fee, starting at $84.99 monthly after any promotional discounts for the first month. You get a 7-day free trial to start with at least.

ESPN+ will also be an option for some races this season, but we have not seen any on the schedule so far, as only ESPN is listed for the first three races of the season. The US-based races are usually shown here though. This is the most affordable paid option for casual fans in the US, at just $11.99 a month.

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

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 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 £14.99 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 1080p HD in 2025.

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 in this guide for the US and mainland Europe will also show the qualifying sessions each race weekend. Qualifying at the 2025 Australian GP starts on Saturday, March 15, at 1 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. BST / 6 a.m. CEST / 1 p.m. AWST.

How to watch F1 sprint events

The same viewing options listed above will also cover you for the F1 Sprint events, which usually take place on Saturdays during race weekends.

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. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.