The 2023 F1 season concluded in Abu Dhabi just three months ago, but the new season is already upon us.
While the driver lineup is identical to last year, plenty has changed on many of the cars. And there are lots of big questions as we head into the new season.
Will Max Verstappen win a fourth straight title? How will Lewis Hamilton perform in his final year for Mercedes before joining Ferrari? Can Carlos Sainz leave the Scuderia on a high?
You don’t have to wait long to find out. Here’s everything you need to know about watching F1 in 2024, including the first race of the season in Bahrain.
When is the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix?
The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place this weekend. Here are the key times you need to know:
- Qualifying – 1 March at 7pm local time (4pm UK, 11am ET, 8am PT)
- Race – 2 March at 6pm local time (3pm UK, 10am ET, 7am PT)
Both of the first two races in a season will be taking place on a Saturday. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins on Sunday 10 March, so the Saudi Arabian GP has been moved forward by a day. And FIA rules mean there must be at least a full week between races, so the Bahrain GP got moved to Saturday too.
How to watch every F1 race (and testing) for free in the UK
- Sky showing every race live
- Extended qualifying, plus highlights on Channel 4 shown a few hours after the race
- Channel 4 only has British GP live
F1 is fast becoming a pay-to-watch sport. But there are ways to watch without paying, especially if you’re happy to watch highlights later in the day.
Sky still has the exclusive rights to show live races in the UK (as well as Italy and Germany), meaning the only coverage on free-to-air TV in the UK will be available on Channel 4. The British Grand Prix is the only race of the season that’s broadcast live on Channel 4, and that’s already happened in 2023.
Channel 4’s streaming service – known simply as ‘Channel 4’ – allows you to watch live from wherever you are. , but it can take a while for the highlights to appear there if you don’t catch them as they’re being broadcast. The highlights show usually lasts more than two hours and is allowed to cover 70% of the action.
You can watch Channel 4 on your TV, of course, but you can also watch using the All 4 app on your phone or tablet (but not live), or in a web browser via the website. See the full range of options on the Channel 4 website.
The other way to watch for free – especially if you want to watch races live – is to use a VPN and stream them from broadcasters in other countries which show races on free-to-air channels (but not necessarily with English commentary).
How to watch F1 races on Sky Sports
If you’re happy to pay a subscription fee so you can watch entire races live, then Sky is the only official option in the UK.
Races are now broadcast in 4K HDR, though you’ll need a Sky Glass TV, or a Sky Q box that’s capable of sending the 4K HDR signal to your compatible TV. That means one which supports the HLG type of HDR, because that’s what Sky uses. You’ll also need the appropriate Ultra HD add-on for your Sky TV package.
Since March 2023, the relevant channel is known as ‘Sky Sports F1 UHD’, reflecting the fact it now supports 4K HDR as standard.
If you just want F1, the Sky Sports F1 channel currently costs £15 extra for 12 months on top of your existing contract, which starts at £25 per month for 18 months. Alternatively, you can get all 9 Sky Sports channels for £22 extra.
For an all-in-one entertainment package, Sky TV, Sky Sports and Netflix via Sky Stream will cost you £46 per month for 18 months.
You can also get all the Sky Sports channels via the TNT Sports ‘Big Sport’ bundle for £43 per month with £41.99 upfront.
F1 owners Liberty Media operate an online streaming service known as F1 TV Pro, but it isn’t available in the UK due to Sky’s exclusive. However, there is a workaround, as we’ll explain below.
How to watch F1 races on Now
If you don’t want to pay for Sky TV (maybe because you only want F1) then there is an alternative: you can subscribe via Sky’s streaming service, Now (formerly Now TV). That’s available on your phone, tablet, games consoles, via a web browser and also via an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, Roku device and others.
It usually costs £34.99 per month for the Sky Sports Pass, plus an extra £6 per month for Now Boost, which adds 1080p video (instead of 720p), allows simultaneous streaming on up to 3 devices (rather than just one) and removes ads.
But until 12 February, anyone can get Now Sports for just £21 per month for 12 months, and that includes a one-month free trial of Boost. That includes the 2024 season in full – learn more in our separate article on the Now Sky Sports deal.
BT broadband customers can also get Sky Sports channels as part of a Now add-on for their EE TV (formerly BT TV) package.
Can you get F1 TV Pro in the UK?
Not officially, but it is possible. In case you didn’t know, F1 TV Pro is the official streaming service of Formula 1, but you can’t subscribe in the UK because of Sky’s exclusive deal for live races.
F1 TV Pro is only available in the likes of the Netherlands, Canada and the US. It costs $79.99 per year or $9.99 per month in the US, which is significantly cheaper, and you can access any onboard camera or team radio whenever you’d like.
That extends to helmet cameras, which broadcast live footage from 6-8 drivers each race weekend. Sky have access to these, but you can only choose which to watch via F1 TV Pro.
But in the UK, the exclusive deal with Sky means you can only get a live timing service for £19.99 per year or £2.29 per month. Liberty Media, which runs F1, has previously said that using a VPN to access it will result in your subscription being terminated with no refund.
However, we know from first-hand experience that you can successfully watch the service in the UK via Surfshark – it currently starts at $59.54/£46.54 for 24 months (plus two months free), which works out at $2.29/£1.79 per month.
After you sign up, simply install the Surfshark app on the device you’d like to use for F1 TV Pro, then connect to any server based in the US.
![Surfshark VPN connected to US server on a laptop](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/surfshark-connected-to-us-server.png?w=1200)
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Once connected, head to the Formula 1 website on a browser where you have Apple Pay or Google Pay details saved (usually Safari or Chrome) and click ‘Subscribe Now’ under F1 TV Pro.
Create an account if you haven’t already, then click the ‘name on card’ field and let Apple or Google Pay autofill all the details for you. Click the box to agree to all the terms and conditions, then click ‘Complete Order’ to finish.
However, despite this method working in the past, there’s no guarantee it will now. The risk of losing your subscription with no refund will always be there, so only go ahead with this if you’re willing to accept the consequences.
If you don’t want to pay for F1 TV Pro and you’re in the US, F1 races will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
Can you watch F1 online in 2024?
Indeed you can. Coverage is available using the following apps:
![How to watch F1 races online - highlights](https://images.techadvisor.com/cmsdata/features/3618424/how-to-watch-f1-races-highlights_thumb.jpg)
Remember, if you watch any live TV in the UK, you’ll need a TV Licence. This currently costs £159 per year.
How to watch F1 online with a VPN
If you’re not in the same country as the TV broadcaster, you won’t be able to watch F1 online without a VPN. For example, you can’t watch using the Sky Go or Now apps from outside the UK, or access the Channel 4 catch-up service.
However, there is another way – using a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN makes it appear that you’re located in the same country as the broadcaster when you connect to a server in the appropriate country.
We’re using NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial, but there are plenty of great alternatives in our best VPN round-up.
Download the relevant VPN app
![NordVPN download page](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/download-nordvpn.jpg?quality=50&strip=all&w=1200)
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Head to the download page for the VPN you’d like to install and click ‘Download App’. The likes of NordVPN are available on a range of devices.
Connect to a US or UK server
![NordVPN](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NordVPN-Interface-photo.jpg?quality=50&strip=all)
Sam Singleton
Open the app and sign in to your account if necessary. Then, select any US or UK server and connect to it.
Depending on the service you’re using, it might look quite different to the above. But this should be relatively easy to find.
Start watching as usual
![Sky Sports F1 watch page](https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/watch-sky-sports-f1.png?w=1200)
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Head to the website or app you’d usually use to start watching, then sign in if you haven’t already.
You should now be able to stream content as normal and without any restrictions.
Is there a way to watch F1 races live for free?
Officially, no. But there is a way. In 2024, F1 will be shown on free-to-air channels ServusTV and ORF in Austria, plus Belgian channel RTBF.
You’ll need a VPN (see above) to watch these channels outside of those countries, so connect to the appropriate country – Austria or Belgium – and then head to their respective websites and figure out how to navigate to the right channel and you’ll be ale to watch the live stream.
Obviously, unless you speak the relevant languages, the commentary won’t be at all useful, but the good news is that you can listen to English commentary by tuning into BBC Radio 5 Live. You don’t need an actual radio of course: you can also listen via the BBC Sounds app or on the BBC website – a free account is all that’s required.
We’ve also been informed by a Tech Advisor reader that F1 is shown free to air on an Arabic satellite channels MBC Action and MBC Persia service. They’re available on a number of satellites at varying frequencies, but require a very good satellite installation and setup to pick up the signals.
Full F1 calendar 2024
Round | Race date | GP | Circuit |
1 | 2 March | Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit |
2 | 9 March | Saudi Arabia | Jeddah Corniche Circuit |
3 | 24 March | Australia | Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit |
4 | 7 April | Japan | Suzuka Circuit |
5 | 21 April | China | Shanghai International Circuit |
6 | 5 May | Miami | Miami International Autodrome |
7 | 19 May | Emilia Romagna | Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari |
8 | 26 May | Monaco | Circuit de Monaco |
9 | 9 June | Canada | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
10 | 23 June | Spain | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya |
11 | 30 June | Austria | Red Bull Ring |
12 | 7 July | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit |
13 | 21 July | Hungary | Hungaroring |
14 | 28 July | Belgium | Spa-Francorchamps |
15 | 25 August | Netherlands | Circuit Zandvoort |
16 | 1 September | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
17 | 15 September | Azerbaijan | Baku City Circuit |
18 | 22 September | Singapore | Marina Bay Street Circuit |
19 | 20 October | United States | Circuit of the Americas |
20 | 27 October | Mexico | Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez |
21 | 3 November | Brazil | Autódromo José Carlos Pace |
22 | 24 November | Las Vegas | Las Vegas Street Circuit |
23 | 1 December | Qatar | Losail Circuit |
24 | 8 December | Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina Circuit |
Sprint races in 2024
The format will be run at six races this season:
- Round 5 – China
- Round 6 – Miami
- Round 11 – Austria
- Round 19 – United States
- Round 21 – Brazil
- Round 23 – Qatar
There’s been a slight change to the format of Sprint weekends for 2024. After one free practice session, the Sprint Shootout will take place on a Friday, determining the order for Saturday’s Sprint.
That will take place first on a Saturday, before qualifying for the main race follows. During Sprint weekends, the race itself will still take place on a Sunday.
The actual Sprint sessions are unchanged.
The Sprint Shootout delivers a quick-fire version of the usual three-session qualifying. The slowest five cars will be eliminated from Q1 (12 minutes) and Q2 (10 minutes), but the medium tire will be mandatory. In the eight-minute Q3 session, everyone must be on the soft tyre.
Once this grid is determined, the sprint race will take place over 100km. Points will be awarded to the top eight finishers, from 8 for the winner to one point for P8.