F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream: How to watch, start time, channel

The F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream is nearly upon us after the F1 roadshow returns from its summer break.

And it must have been a welcome respite for some drivers, following a couple of races that were packed with incident. Max Verstappen, for one, won’t have enjoyed the British and Hungarian Grands Prix — he crashed in both and duly lost his championship lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

In Britain, Hamilton and Verstappen had come together, with the young Dutchman coming off worse in the collision then engaging in a war of words with Hamilton that only raised tensions further. In Hungary, Verstappen was instead wiped out by Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas, eventually recovering to take 10th while the Brit finished third.

And that wasn’t the end of the drama, with Esteban Ocan taking his maiden F1 win ahead of Seb Vettel, before Vettel was then disqualified for a fuel irregularity. If we get even half of the action in Belgium, we’ll be happy. 

Of course this race takes place at one of the all-time great circuits, the long and winding Spa. With plenty of opportunities to overtake, some lengthy straights and the thrilling Eau Rouge sequence to test the drivers, this will be one Grand Prix not to miss.

You can watch it all online via an F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream — so read on to find out how to do just that.

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream for free

Most countries have an F1 live stream on one channel or another, but many of them require a subscription. However, if you’re lucky enough to live in Austria or Belgium then you can watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream for free.

The race will be shown on free-to-air television in both countries, which is a nice bonus for those of you who happen to be Austria or Belgium this weekend. 

In Austria, the race will be shown on public broadcaster ORF, while in Belgium it will be on Telenet.

If you’re based in Austria or Belgium but aren’t at home for the Belgian Grand Prix, don’t worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We’ll show you how to do that below.

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream from outside your country

It’s natural that you might want to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream from your home country, but what if you’re not there when the race is on?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you’re surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you’re in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.

For instance, a Brit who’s currently in the U.S. could watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream on Sky Sports, even though they’re not in the U.K. 

They’re totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We’ve tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It’s fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you’re in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you’d select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Sky Sports or another website and watch the race.

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in the US

ESPN is the place to turn for the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in the U.S., and there are several ways you can access it.

As well as being available through your cable service across the weekend, you can also stream the race via the ESPN app, or on the Watch section of ESPN’s website. However, you’ll need to authenticate with your satellite, cable or live TV provider credentials to watch any sessions. Also note that Formula 1 is not available on ESPN Plus, ESPN’s standalone streaming service; you need access to live ESPN channels.

ESPN is available through most cable packages as well as cable TV replacement services, including Sling TV, Fubo.TV, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. Either way, coverage of the big race starts at 9 a.m. ET today (Sunday, August 1). 

If you don’t want to pay for live ESPN in some fashion or another, your best alternative is F1 TV Pro. This is F1’s own official F1 live stream service, and as with ESPN’s own coverage, it uses the feed from Sky Sports F1. 

F1 TV Pro costs $10 per month or $80 for the season, which is much better value considering there are set to be 23 races this year. Plus you also get Formula 2, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup races, and F1’s archive of classic Grands Prix.

And remember, if you’re usually based in the U.S. but aren’t there at the moment, you can still watch the services you already subscribe to via a VPN such as ExpressVPN — meaning you can view an F1 live stream from anywhere in the world. 

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in the UK

As usual, Sky Sports F1 will show all of the Belgian Grand Prix action, and in up to 4K resolution. 

You’ll need to be a Sky Sports subscriber to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream: the Sky Sports F1 channel is available for £18 per month, and there are packages available that give you lots more channels for only a bit extra. 

To follow it in ultra high-definition 4K, you’ll need to pay a little more: you’ll need a Sky Q set-top box and a package that includes both Ultra HD and Sky Sports F1. In total, that’d come to £45 a month, plus a £20 one-off payment if you’re not an existing subscriber.

A far cheaper option is to buy a Now Sports Pass. This will give you all 11 of the Sky Sports channels for a limited time, with pricing starting at £9.99 for a Day Pass and £33.99 for one month. There’s no 4K available here though.

Again, if you’re usually based in the U.K. but are elsewhere at the moment, you can still watch the services you subscribe to by using one of the best VPN services.

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in Canada

TSN airs all Formula 1 races in Canada in English, while RDS has coverage in French. F1 TV Pro also remains an option for fans looking for an F1 live stream. 

All sessions are broadcast on TSN, and if you receive the network through your cable or satellite provider, you can use TSN Go by signing in with your TV service credentials. Cord-cutters will want to check out TSN Direct, which comes in day- and month-long passes for $8 or $20 CAD, respectively. The TSN app will allow you to live stream the race from your phone, streaming box or supported device.

Not actually in Canada at the moment? ExpressVPN and other VPN services can help you access the services you already subscribe to.

How to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in Australia

Fox Sports has the rights to the F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream in Australia, which means you can watch the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix online via Foxtel. 

Kayo Sports is another option. This service offers new subscribers a 14-day free trial, while one-month subscriptions start at $25. 

You can also use one of the best VPN services to follow the action from your home country even when you’re elsewhere.

F1 Belgian Grand Prix live stream: Practice, qualifying and race weekend schedule

The Belgian Grand Prix weekend starts on Friday (August 27) with the first two practice sessions, while qualifying is on Saturday. 

The race itself takes place on Sunday (August 29). Here’s the full schedule:

Friday, August 27

• Practice 1: 5.30 a.m. – 6.30 a.m. ET (2.30 a.m. – 3.30 a.m PT / 10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. BST)
• Practice 2: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. ET (6 a.m. – 7 a.m PT / 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. BST)

Saturday, August 28

• Practice 3: 6 a.m. – 7 a.m. ET (3 a.m. – 4 a.m PT / 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. BST)
• Qualifying: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. ET (6 a.m. – 7 a.m PT / 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. BST)

Sunday, August 29

Race: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. ET (6 a.m. – 8 a.m PT / 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. BST)

F1 Belgian Grand Prix — current driver standings

F1 2021 car and driver line-ups

Full 2021 F1 calendar