Free British F1 live stream: Where to watch Formula 1 Silverstone GP

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The F1 series moves to the UK's world-famous Silverstone circuit this week. Yesterday's qualifying was a real treat for home fans as three Brits came out on top to start today's race in P1-3 (Russell, Hamilton, then Norris), continuing this season's resurgence for UK drivers. With the inevitable rain, and Copse Corner swallowing up cars for fun, this is one race you won't want to miss. Here's everything you need to know about where to watch a free British F1 live stream wherever you are in the world.

As also detailed in our season-long free F1 live stream guide, we can help you watch every race this season via similar options to today's. And if the free live streams aren't for you, we thoroughly recommend the super-extended highlights show from the UK, which replays almost the entire race—we've dedicated a section to this later in the article.

The race is streaming for free in some countries, and that's where we come in, as we can show you how to get around geo-restrictions that block viewers from watching outside the channel's base country. We'll dive into greater detail below, but essentially, if you want to join in from overseas, you'll need a VPN to spoof your viewing device's location to match the broadcast. It's super simple to get going, and you'll be able to use this same method to watch every race this season, along with even more streaming opportunities like the below events:

• See also: Free MotoGP live stream | Where to watch Euro 2024 for free | Where to watch Wimbledon for free

Where to watch a free British F1 live stream

This weekend's simplest option for a free British GP live stream is using a VPN to tune into one of the free streams mentioned above. If you miss the live race, the extended highlights show from the UK we mentioned is a great alternative and comes with full English commentary.

Our preferred option among 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've used these free F1 live streams all season (and 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 Servus TV - ORF1 has the British GP.

How to watch free British GP 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 Channel 4 (UK) | ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium) | RTL2 (Luxembourg).
• Watch on the live sections of the sites.
• Race start: Today, 10 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. BST / 4 p.m. CEST / 10 p.m. AWST (Mon).

Are there extended British F1 highlights later?

In the UK, Channel 4 has an extended highlights show a few hours after today's race at 6:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 p.m. BST / 12:30 a.m. (Mon) CEST / 6:30 a.m. AWST (Mon).

While this highlights show usually includes plenty of discussion and interviews before and after the race, an excellent proportion of the runtime is usually dedicated to the race itself. For example, the first week's live race lasted about 92 minutes, and I timed the actual race highlights section of the show at 72 minutes. however, due to Channel 4 also, showing the full race live for free this week earlier in the day, the highlights show will only run for 60 minutes this week.

Overall, in weeks when there's no free English commentary option, it's still my preferred viewing option compared to forking out for a subscription service or watching it without English commentary. 

You can also watch these highlights on-demand the day after. That said, we sometimes notice that this version is a bit shorter than the usual highlights program. You might be able to watch the full race-on demand afterwards, too - but this can vary with live events.  

You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK.

How to watch F1 Britain live stream in the US

ABC and ESPN covers Formula 1 racing throughout the season. If you don't have access to the channel, consider a couple of cord-cutting options. Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $40 a month, but there's a special offer right now that knocks your first month down to $20. You can also find today's race on ESPN+, which is much cheaper, but this looks like the last race this channel is getting this season.

How to watch British F1 GP live stream in the UK

Want a free option? Channel 4 runs an excellent extended highlights show (see above) a few hours after each race, which is a solid alternative given the length of the show. 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 covers every race weekend, so you won't need to switch between it and networks like TNT, as 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 want, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 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 HD in 2024.

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.