How and Where to Watch F1 Races for Free

If Formula 1 isn’t broadcast on free-to-air channels in your country, the only legal way to stream it for free is through a VPN.

Our tests determined that the best free F1 streaming site is RTBF Auvio. It hosts Full HD live streams of every F1 race, including qualifiers and Grand Prix events.

However, RTBF Auvio is not available on Fire TV devices. For Firestick, we recommend ServusTV and ORF, which host 50% of races each. But there are several more free F1 streaming websites available.

Here’s a quick summary of the methods required to watch F1 for free on different devices:

Platform	Best Free F1 Streaming Site	Method	Set-up Difficulty
Desktop (Windows & Mac)	RTBF Auvio	VPN App	Easy
Mobile (iOS & Android)	RTBF Auvio	VPN App	Easy
Android TV	RTBF Auvio	VPN App	Easy
Fire TV	ServusTV & ORF	New Account Region & VPN App	Medium
Apple TV & Roku	RTBF Auvio	VPN App & AirPlay	Medium

We provide detailed step-by-step instructions in the following sections.

How to Watch F1 on Desktop or Laptop (Windows & Mac)

Accessing free F1 live streams is easier on a computer than any other device. Simply use a VPN to get a Belgium IP address and then open the RTBF Auvio website.

To watch the race with English commentary, use your VPN’s split tunneling feature and access BBC Radio 5 on a separate browser.

You can see us using ExpressVPN to stream a geo-blocked F1 race in the video below:

How to Live Stream F1 on Mobile (Android, iPhone & iPad)

Normally, to access geo-blocked apps on mobile, your Apple or Google account must be linked to a country where the app is available.

However, our research found that you can access RTBF Auvio from a mobile web browser. You don’t need to download the app to use it.

How to Live Stream F1 on Android TV

In contrast to Fire TV, RTBF Auvio has an app for Android TV, which is accessible regardless of your app store account’s region

How to Stream F1 on Fire TV

Sadly, most free-to-air F1 broadcasters are not available on Fire TV. To access the apps on these devices, you’ll need to create an Austrian Amazon account and download ServusTV and ORF.

How to Watch F1 Races on Apple TV & Roku

The RTBF Auvio tvOS app isn’t available unless your App Store account is registered in Belgium.

However, we’ve found a workaround using AirPlay. As this doesn’t require the destination device to be connected to a VPN, it was also compatible with the Roku, LG, Samsung, and other AirPlay-compatible devices we tested it with.

We’ve used and analyzed over 50 F1 streaming sites from over 30 countries. Only five matched our criteria of being free-to-air, legal, and offering live streams in HD.

However, all of these services are geo-blocked, meaning you can only access them from certain countries. Using a VPN, you can change your IP address and access these platforms from anywhere in the world.

In the table below, you can compare seven popular Formula 1 content platforms:

Streaming Site	Do We Recommend?	IP Address Location	Commentary Language	Race Coverage	Price	Legal Status
RTBF Auvio	Yes	Belgium	French	24 races	100% Free	Legal
ServusTV	Yes	Austria	German	12 races	100% Free	Legal
ORF	Yes	Austria	German	12 races	100% Free	Legal
M4 Sport	Yes	Hungary	Hungarian	24 races	100% Free	Legal
F1TV Pro	Yes	USA	English	24 races	$10.00 per month	Legal
NOW	No	UK	English	24 races	$45.00 per month	Legal
Illegal Websites	No	Anywhere	English	24 races	100% Free	Illegal

1. RTBF Auvio

The best free F1 streaming site, with every race available in Full HD.

Pros	Cons
Broadcasts every F1 race	Not available on Fire TV
1080p streaming quality	No English commentary option
Doesn’t require any payment details	Requires account registration
Intuitive interface
Compatible with many VPN services

RTBF Auvio is the best choice for streaming Formula 1 for free. It shows every F1 race in Full HD, including practice rounds, qualifying races, and the Grand Prix. However, you’ll need an IP address from Belgium in order to access it.

It has a more attractive and user-friendly interface than even the paid-for platforms we tested, like NOW and F1TV Pro. It’s also run and operated by the public broadcaster in Belgium, meaning it’s a totally legitimate and legal service to use.

It’s great for watching other sports too — we used it to live stream MotoGP races for free, for example.

However, unlike ServusTV and ORF, RTBF Auvio doesn’t have a Fire TV app. We weren’t able to download it on our Firestick, though we used it on our Apple TV, Roku, and LG TV via AirPlay.

2. ServusTV

The best choice for streaming free F1 races on Fire TV.

Pros	Cons
Available on all platforms & devices	Only has 50% of races
No sign up required	Commentary is in German
Modern & intuitive interface
Desktop video player supports AirPlay

ServusTV is a free-to-air service owned by Red Bull. Disappointingly, it only broadcasts half of all F1 races, with ORF showing the other half. You will have to use the services in conjunction to watch every race and both require an Austrian IP address.

Unlike every other 100% free F1 platform, ServusTV is compatible with every streaming device, including Firestick and Apple TV. We discovered that you can even AirPlay content to LG TVs or Apple TV from the desktop video player, which is a feature unique to ServusTV.

The tile interface website and apps are well-designed and feel like a premium service. You can easily find any live F1 race from the home screen and start streaming immediately.

3. ORF TVthek

Basic streaming service that’s compatible with many devices.

Pros	Cons
Apps for Fire TV & Android TV	Doesn’t support 1080p resolution
Doesn’t require any personal details	Outdated and confusing design
	Only broadcasting half of races
	Not available in English

ORF TVthek is a reputable free-to-air streaming website in Austria. It has the rights to the other half of F1 races that ServusTV doesn’t broadcast.

ORF’s website and apps haven’t been updated for a long time, making them difficult to navigate and missing some modern features. For instance, it doesn’t broadcast in 1080p resolution, nor does it provide a shortcut to F1 races from its home screen.

That said, unlike RTBF Auvio and M4 Sport, ORF TVthek has apps for Fire TV and Android TV. Using it alongside ServusTV is the only way to stream every F1 race for free on these devices.

4. M4 Sport

Broadcasts every F1 race through a poorly designed website.

Pros	Cons
Shows every F1 race	Only available on desktop and mobile
Allows you to manually select video resolution	Complex UI
	Hungarian commentary

M4 Sport is the official streaming platform of Hungary’s public TV service. It’s trustworthy and the only other option to watch every race 100% for free if you don’t want to use RTBF Auvio.

However, M4 Sport is the most confusing free F1 streaming site we tested. The website and apps are cluttered, with video feeds mixed with news, on-demand videos, and podcast links. It took over five times longer to find and stream a F1 race on M4 Sport than on any other platform.

More positively, M4 Sport is the only completely free service in this list that allows you to manually choose video resolution. We prefer this as you can force the stream to show in Full HD resolution, rather than rely on it updating the resolution automatically.

5. F1TV Pro

Premium F1 streaming service with a seven-day free trial.

Pros	Cons
Best-in-class commentary and analysis	Only free for 7 days
English commentary	Free trial is only available intermittently
Apps available for every platform	Doesn’t support 4K Ultra HD
Comparatively cheap paid subscriptions	Requires a US payment method

F1TV Pro is an excellent paid-for streaming service that enables you to live stream all F1 races and access on-demand analysis. It’s not available in the UK and some other countries, so you’ll need a VPN to access it.

F1TV Pro is the only F1 streaming website we recommend that has English commentary and punditry. It even allows you to manually choose your commentary feed, allowing you to switch to Sky’s feed of Croft and Brundle.

However, F1TV is held back as it’s not a 100% free service. To access it without paying, you’ll have to take advantage of its seven-day free trial. Even then, this free trial is only available during random times of the year.

Our research found that many popular free Formula 1 streaming sites broadcast unlicensed races, making them illegal. Additionally, some contained malware, which could put your device at risk.

Moreover, all of the premium services we tested charged excessive subscription fees. For these reasons, we strongly recommend using a VPN to access a legally-compliant free or reasonably-priced alternative streaming service.

In this section, we’ll explain in detail why you should avoid two of the most popular alternative F1 streaming sites.

Dubz Network / F1LIVESTREAM.TOP

Dubz Network and F1 Live Stream are associated websites that host unlicensed F1 races for free. Streaming content from these websites is illegal and you should not do it under any circumstances.

We analyzed these websites using VirusTotal’s scanner and found that they contained malicious files, making them a potential source of malware. View the results from our tests in the screenshot below:

The user experience of Dubz Network and F1 Live Stream is also worse than any other website we used. The excessive number of on-page ads makes it difficult to view the website’s content.

Additionally, these platforms struggle to keep up with demand during peak viewing. Though we were able to stream the analysis before the race without an issue, the video would stop and buffer whenever the race started.

NOW (Sky Sports)

NOW is a premium UK-based online streaming service from Sky Sports. It’s legal to use and has the rights for every F1 race, including practice and qualifying, with English commentary and analysis.

NOW has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to access F1 content. The dedicated Sky Sports F1 live channel can be easily found in the sports tab. Unlike many free services, it also has apps for all streaming devices, including Fire TV and Apple TV.

However, we don’t recommend NOW as F1TV Pro is a far better option if you don’t need a 100% free service. Now costs the equivalent of $44.00 per month, which is over four times as expensive as F1TV Pro.

Even with its lower price, F1TV Pro offers higher streaming quality, broadcasting in 1080p resolution compared to NOW’s 720p. It also provides the same level of English commentary and analysis.

Every legal free F1 streaming site is geo-blocked, meaning you need an IP address from a particular country to access it. With a VPN, you can spoof your location to access it from anywhere.

Not every VPN works, though. As VPN services allow users to bypass licensing agreements, many free streaming services attempt to detect and block VPNs.

You can use both of these services for free, either by taking advantage of a refund offer or a completely free subscription plan.

The Best VPNs for Live Streaming Formula 1 Compared

Use the table below to directly compare the two best VPNs for streaming F1 for free:

	ExpressVPN	Proton VPN Free
No. of Free F1 Sites Unblocked	5	1
Type of Free Access	30-day money-back guarantee	100% free
Data Cap	Unlimited bandwidth	Unlimited bandwidth
International Speed (out of 100Mbps)	85Mbps	85Mbps
Simultaneous connections	8	1
Router App	Yes	No
Customer Support	24/7 live chat	Email support

1. ExpressVPN: Best VPN Free Trial for F1

Accesses every free F1 streaming site with fast global download speeds.

Pros	Cons
Works with all F1 streaming websites	Only free for 30 days
30-day free trial using its money-back guarantee	Requires payment information
Fast connection speeds for streaming in HD	Smart DNS service is incompatible with F1 content platforms
Router app for Chromecast & Roku
24/7 live chat

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for accessing F1 live streams. The VPN successfully circumvented geo-blocks on every F1 streaming service we tested, including RTBF Auvio and ServusTV.

Although ExpressVPN is a premium VPN service, you can use it for free for 30 days by using its money-back guarantee. Simply select a subscription plan on its website and request a refund within the 30-day period.

Reliably Streams All Free F1 Content Platforms

In our tests, ExpressVPN was one of only five VPNs capable of accessing every free F1 streaming site. However, it ranks higher than its competitors because it could access these services 100% of the time.

Other VPNs, like PIA and IPVanish, only worked intermittently. We even experienced a few instances where we missed an entire race as these services struggled to resolve the issue.

You can see the full results of our Formula 1 VPN research in the table below:

VPN Service	ServusTV (Austria)	ORF Eins (Austria)	RTBF Auvio (Belgium)	F1TV Pro (US)	M4 Sport (Hungary)
Atlas VPN Free	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕
CyberGhost	✕	✕	✓	✓	✓
ExpressVPN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Hide.me	✓	✕	✓	✓	✓
IPVanish	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
NordVPN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Private Internet Access	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
PrivateVPN	✓	✓	✕	✕	✓
Proton VPN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ProtonVPN Free	✕	✕	✕	✓	✕
PrivadoVPN Free	✕	✕	✕	✓	✕
Surfshark	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓
Windscribe	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Windscribe Free	✕	✕	✕	✓	✕

Using ExpressVPN, live F1 streams always loaded in the highest resolution without any delay or buffering.

While connected to far-away ExpressVPN servers on a 100Mbps connection, we recorded an impressive average download speed of 85Mbps. Given that no free F1 streaming sites support 4K (UHD) live streams, you’ll need a minimum download speed of only 10Mbps to access the content in the maximum resolution.

Intuitive Apps Available for Every Device

ExpressVPN is the only F1 VPN that offers apps for every possible platform, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Fire TV. The router app also extends compatibility to devices that don’t support dedicated VPN apps, allowing us to bypass geo-blocked Formula 1 races on Roku and Chromecast.

The only downside is that ExpressVPN’s Smart DNS tool doesn’t work with any free F1 streaming platform. You will need to use the router app for Apple TV and Smart TV, rather than just updating your DNS address.

Still, this is still a vastly better experience than every other VPN we tested. To watch races on our TV with other VPNs, like NordVPN and CyberGhost, we had to either establish a virtual router from our laptop or manually configure them on a router. Both these alternatives are complex and demand technical expertise beyond that of an average user.

ExpressVPN is also extremely easy to use on every device. To get an IP address that can access an F1 streaming site, all you need to do is select the country and hit the large ‘on’ button from the app’s home screen. Its interface is consistent across devices, making it straightforward and consistent to use on any device.

2. Proton VPN Free: Best 100% Free VPN for F1

Unblocks F1TV Pro with unlimited bandwidth and no payment details required.

Pros	Cons
Completely free	Only works with F1TV Pro
No monthly data cap	No router app or Smart DNS feature
Fast download speeds using WireGuard	One simultaneous connection
Strong privacy & security features	No live chat support

Proton VPN Free is the only free VPN with unlimited bandwidth that works with an F1 streaming website. Using it, we could access F1TV Pro in Full HD by connecting to its free US server location.

Free, but Only Works with One Free F1 Streaming Site

Unlike ExpressVPN and other premium VPN services, Proton VPN doesn’t require payment details and offers entirely free access.

However, it is limited to only one F1 streaming site – F1TV Pro. Hence, you will still need to enter payment details to access F1TV’s seven-day free trial. This option compares poorly to instead taking advantage of ExpressVPN’s 30-day free trial.

Compared to other free VPNs that also support F1TV Pro, such as Windscribe and PrivadoVPN, Proton VPN stands out for its unlimited data usage. The other free VPNs provide only 10GB of free monthly data, meaning we could only watch around four hours of races each month.

Secure & User-Friendly Apps for Fire TV & Other Popular Platforms

To watch F1TV Pro on your TV, you can use Proton VPN Free’s app for Firestick or Android TV. The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate, allowing quick connections to a US server.

However, Proton VPN doesn’t offer a Smart DNS feature, nor does it have a dedicated app for routers. You can manually configure it on certain routers, but this process was difficult and took multiple attempts during our hands-on testing.

More positively, all of Proton VPN’s apps are open-sourced, allowing anyone to view and verify the source code. All apps also support WireGuard and encrypt traffic using ChaCha20.

This sets Proton VPN apart from every other free VPN that doesn’t impose data limits, all of which are insecure, log user data, and contain ads. In fact, Proton VPN’s security rating of 9.0 is higher than any other free VPN we tested.

To identify the best VPNs for streaming geo-blocked F1 races, we performed hands-on testing with 65 VPNs and five free F1 streaming sites. ExpressVPN and Proton VPN Free were the only VPNs that met or exceeded our F1 VPN testing criteria.

In the table below, see a selection of other popular VPNs that we analyzed, alongside the reasons they fell short in our evaluations:

VPN Service	Reason for Exclusion
CyberGhost	Doesn’t work with ServusTV, ORF Eins, RTBF Auvio No router app Smart DNS doesn’t work with F1 streaming sites Slow speeds connecting to Mexico
IPVanish	No router app No Smart DNS feature Unintuitive app design
NordVPN	Doesn’t work with RTBF Auvio No router app Smart DNS doesn’t work with F1 streaming sites
PrivadoVPN Free	Doesn’t work with any 100% free F1 streaming site No browser extensions No router app No Smart DNS feature No live chat customer support
Private Internet Access	No router app Smart DNS doesn’t work with F1 streaming sites
Surfshark	Doesn’t work with F1TV Pro No router app Smart DNS doesn’t work with F1 streaming sites
Windscribe Free	Doesn’t work with any 100% free F1 streaming site 10GB monthly data cap No live chat customer support