The 2023 MotoGP season finally kicks off this weekend at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal! It’s the first time since 2006 that the season kicks off in Europe and the race is scheduled to start on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM (GMT) local time. If you’re in the U.S., you can enjoy a 10:00 AM (EST) race start.
Don’t miss the MotoGP season opener in Algarve! Follow our quick guide below to find out how you can watch it for free:
Want to know more about tuning into free streams? Keep reading to find out! We’ll also cover everything you need to know about the exciting MotoGP season opener in Portugal — there are some huge changes that will spice up the action this year!
The world’s best motorcycle riders are finally back in action at the 2023 Portuguese Grand Prix! On Sunday, March 26 at 2:00 PM local time (GMT), MotoGP riders take on the mighty Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal for the 2023 season opener. U.S. MotoGP fans across the pond can enjoy a 10:00 AM (EST) race start over breakfast.
Francesco Bagnaia took a special World Championship last season, and he’s looking to defend his title with the number one plates on his bike this season. His title defense starts this weekend in Portugal, and it’s going to be a tough one! MotoGP has overhauled the weekend format, stay tuned to find out more about the all-new event — sprint races!
You can watch the entire MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix 2023 for free using Servus TV. If you’re not in Austria or Germany, you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) to reroute your internet connection so you can watch for free on their media player.
We’ll show you how!
How to Watch the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix 2023 for Free
MotoGP is a sport that is growing in popularity worldwide. However, there are lucky viewers in some countries that can tune into the race for free! If you’re in Austria, Thailand, and Switzerland, for example, you can live stream every single race of the 2023 MotoGP season for free.
It’s actually relatively easy for you to connect to these streams, too. All you need to do is change your IP address to a different country by using a VPN. Once you’ve rerouted your internet connection through a foreign server, websites will read your location as such. Sounds tricky, but the software’s easy to download and makes it happen with a click.
Keen on watching the 2023 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix for free? We’ll show you how to do it below:
Step-by-step guide: Watch the 2023 MotoGP Portugal for free from anywhere
- Choose a VPN provider. We recommend using Surfshark because of its excellent connection speeds and collection of over 3,200 servers in 100 countries.
- Create an account and download the VPN on the device you will be streaming from. Surfshark is available on all major platforms, like Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, and also has browser extensions.
- Log into your account by following the instructions when you launch the app.
- Connect to a server in Austria.
- Stream from Servus TV once you’re connected to a server in Austria.
- Open the 2023 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix and enjoy an incredible season opener!
If you’re not keen on paying for a VPN, you can use Surfshark’s 30-day free trial to watch all of the action from this weekend’s MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix without paying a cent. You can even tune into the Argentinian Grand Prix, the U.S. Grand Prix, and some upcoming F1 action too!
List of Free Streams 2023 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix
With your VPN up and running, you can tune into any live stream in the world. May as well make it a free one! Try the best MotoGP free live streams below:
| COUNTRY | ONLINE BROADCASTER | Streams | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria (Recommended) | Servus TV | Live streams of all 21 rounds | None |
| Belgium | RTBF | Live streams of all 21 rounds | Email, name, birthday, Belgian postcode |
| Germany | Servus TV | Live streams of all 21 rounds | None |
| Luxembourg | RTL ZWEE | Live streams of all 21 rounds | None |
| Italy | TV 8 | Some live streams and replays | None |
| Switzerland | SRF SWEI | Some live streams and replays | None |
| Thailand | PPTV | Live streams of all 21 rounds | None |
| United States | Sling TV | Live streams of all 21 rounds | Subscription |
MotoGP VideoPass
MotoGP VideoPass is the official MotoGP streaming service. It’s a great way to keep up with all of the action from anywhere in the world. The only problem is that it is quite pricey. You’ll need to fork out €139.99 for a full season of MotoGP VideoPass.
Normally you could use a VPN to save money on subscriptions with streaming services by accessing sites from different countries. However, that’s not the case with MotoGP VideoPass. The service has a standard international rate, which means it remains the same regardless of where you are located. Nevertheless, if you’re tired of hopping from stream to stream and you’re okay with the price, it’s worth subscribing to!
Can I Use a Free VPN to Watch the 2023 MotoGP Portugal?
Many race fans have been tempted to watch MotoGP with a free VPN and a free live stream. Unfortunately, though, it’s not worth the trouble. Here’s why:
- Buffering and poor image quality: Free VPNs come with slower connection speeds than premium VPNs. You’ll have to deal with buffering, slow loading times, and even a pixelated image if you want to use a free VPN.
- No free streams: You’ll have an extremely limited number of global servers to choose from if you use a free VPN. That means you might not be able to connect to a server that allows you to stream MotoGP races for free.
- Frustrating viewing experience: If you’re not paying for a VPN, they need to make money somehow. Free VPNs come with some annoying and intrusive ads that will block your entire screen — often at the most exciting moments of the race too!
If you still don’t want to pay to use a VPN, try out our list of the best free VPNs or use Surfshark’s 30-day money-back guarantee.
2023 MotoGP Portugal Schedule
| Date | Session | Local time (GMT) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, March 24 | Free Practice 1 | 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
| Friday, March 24 | Free Practice 2 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, March 25 | Free Practice 3 | 10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. |
| Saturday, March 25 | Qualifying 1 | 10:50 p.m. – 11:05 p.m. |
| Saturday, March 25 | Qualifying 2 | 11:15 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. |
| Saturday, March 25 | Sprint | 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 26 | Warm-up | 9:45 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. |
| Sunday, March 26 | Race | 2:00 pm |
You can also find out about Moto2 and Moto3 on the official MotoGP schedule.
2023 MotoGP Portugal Grand Prix: What to Expect
MotoGP has finally returned after a long wait. Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati took the 2022 MotoGP championships, ending a 15-year trophy drought for the Italian manufacturer. The fairytale victory was only sweetened by the fact that Bagnaia was the first rider in history to overcome a massive 91-point deficit to take the title — a truly incredible feat.
Fabio Quatararo will be hoping that he can take the fight back to Bagnaia and Ducati this season. The Frenchman started the season off strong, but he soon hit some fierce competition and we saw an exhilarating end to the 2022 season.
This year, we’ve got 21 races to get through, the longest MotoGP season in history! India and Kazakhstan are brand new additions to the calendar, and these tracks are going to be a test for MotoGP racers.
Suzuki’s shock exit at the end of the 2022 season not only left many MotoGP fans scratching their heads, but their riders high-and-dry without seats. Suzuki’s top performers have since shifted to Honda — Joan Mir moving to the Honda Factory team, and Alex Rins to the satellite LCR Honda crew.
Sprint races incoming
MotoGP is filming a behind-the-scenes documentary on Amazon Prime called MotoGP Unlimited throughout this season. Of course, that’s not the only idea that’s taken a page out of Formula 1’s book.
Get used to the MotoGP sprints because they’re here to stay! They’ve been introduced in an attempt to revive interest in the sport, as the numbers have been dwindling in recent years.
How do MotoGP sprint races work?
Sprint races will take place on Saturday afternoons at 3:00 PM (track local time).
Qualifying moves to the morning session, and it will decide the starting grid for the Sprint races. Sprint races are half the distance of the full MotoGP race, so expect these races to be short bursts of action-packed, high-octane exhilaration.
Riders will be awarded half points for their finishing positions in the Sprint races, so there is still a lot at risk, and it could heavily influence the outcome of the season.
Aerodynamics in MotoGP?
There have been some major technical changes coming into the 2023 season. The biggest concern is the ban on ride-height devices. These innovative designs were pioneered by Ducati, which contributed to their incredibly quick race bike. However, now that they are banned, they might lose their advantage — we’ll have to wait and see how it affects them.
Aerodynamics is critical to any form of motorsport, but MotoGP is taking extensive steps reminiscent of Formula 1 car. At preseason testing, several bikes showed up with winglets on the rear of the bike behind the driver (take a peek at the wings on the back of Bagnaia’s bike in our featured image at the top of this article). Each team had its own unique design, and these have been added by the teams to aid rear stability under braking. It’s an interesting concept, and we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Each team can change its aero design once in MotoGP. This means that teams can run two aero designs throughout the entire season. This is mainly done to keep the costs down, but it’s also going to prevent other teams from copying the best concept early on.
Engine development remains frozen for this season, so there has been no change in the engine department.
2023 MotoGP Standings
| Position | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo | 0 |
| 2. | Fabio Quartararo | Monster Yahama | 0 |
| 3. | Enea Bastianini | Gresini Racing | 0 |
| 4. | Aleix Espargaró | Apirilia Racing | 0 |
| 5. | Jack Miller | Red Bull KTM | 0 |
