Racing fans have been watching Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battle it out all season for Formula 1’s top spot on the rankings lists, and the contest continues this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix. But you may not be able to access Formula 1 racing without a subscription to a sports streaming service. If you do have a subscription, it could be geo-blocked due to broadcasting restrictions.
Want to watch the Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, Aug. 29 at 9 am (EST) for free no matter where you are? Follow these steps:
- Sign up for a VPN. For streaming sports content, we recommend NordVPN. It has a strong network of reliable servers across many countries.
- Install the NordVPN software on your favorite streaming device.
- Open the app and log in using the credentials you created.
- Connect to one of NordVPN’s servers in Switzerland.
- Now you can access SRF’s free live stream of the Belgian Grand Prix! If you have a subscription to a sports provider, just connect to a server in your home country instead of Switzerland at Step 4.
Want to learn more about live streaming Formula 1 racing? We’ve got some other live streams and more information about using a VPN to unlock sports across the globe.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been vying for the top stop in the Driver’s Standings all season, and the battle rages on between the pair this weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
It’s been a real back-and-forth bout between the two, with Hamilton dominating the early part of the season and Verstappen snagging the lead at May’s Monaco Grand Prix and topping the leaderboards through mid-summer. But with Hamilton’s high-scoring finishes in England and Hungary, the Brit again climbed to No. 1 in the standings at 195 points. Verstappen trails by just eight at 187.
Race fans could find themselves unable to access Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix if they’re traveling abroad, due to geo-blocking issues. Fortunately for those interested in Formula 1 racing, there are several free live streams available across different countries. How do you access them? The key is a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Whether you can’t access your home stream or don’t have one, we’ll make sure you don’t miss a moment of the Belgian Grand Prix, Sunday, Aug. 29 at 9:00 am (EST).
Free Live Streams of the Belgian Grand Prix
If you’re looking for a free live stream of F1 racing, there are a host of countries to choose from. Though these aren’t going to have English-language commentary, they are usually free. We recommend using Switzerland’s SRF broadcast to stream any Grand Prix racing event. We’ve compiled a list of free providers below:
| Country | Broadcaster | Commentary Language | Stream URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | SRF | German | www.srf.ch/play/tv/live/srf-info |
| Albania | RTSH | Albanian | tv.rtsh.al/kanalet/rtsh-sport |
| Luxembourg | RTL | Luxembourgish | play.rtl.lu/live |
| Brazil | Band | Portuguese | www.band.uol.com.br/ao-vivo |
| Russia | MatchTV | Russian | matchtv.ru/on-air |
How to Watch the Belgian Grand Prix Free with a VPN
Due to international sports licensing agreements, these links won’t work if your IP address isn’t within the provider’s country of origin. If you clicked on Switzerland’s SRF link, for example, you might have gotten an error message explaining that the content wasn’t available in your country.
This is where a VPN changes the game. In a matter of seconds, a VPN can assign you a new IP address from a server within Switzerland so that you’re able to connect to the SRF feed. Now that you’re connected to a Swiss server, the website lets you access the content. If you’re ready to stream the Belgian Grand Prix for free now, follow the steps below:
Step-by-step guide: Use a VPN to stream the Belgian Grand Prix
- Sign up for a VPN that’s suitable for sports streaming. For the Belgian Grand Prix, try NordVPN. This VPN finds its way to the top of our lists again and again for speed, security, and privacy protection.
- Download the app onto the device you want to stream the Belgian Grand Prix on. NordVPN works on laptops, mobile phones, and Smart TVs.
- Open the VPN app and log in with the credentials you created earlier.
- Connect to a VPN server in Switzerland. Once connected, click on the SRF link provided above.
- Live stream the Belgian Grand Prix!
If you’d like to connect to your home stream instead, or any of the other free streams we’ve provided above just connect to the Formula 1 provider’s country at step 5.
Can I Use a Free VPN to Stream the Belgian Grand Prix?
The most reputable free VPNs have their time and place to be used, but streaming live sports isn’t one of them. Many have data and speed caps that affect playability, and to get better service, you’ll likely end up paying more than you would for a premium provider in upgrades. Here are some of the issues you could run into streaming the Belgian Grand Prix with a free VPN.
- Number of servers: If you look at our list of countries that are streaming the Belgian Grand Prix for free, you’ll notice they’re coming from countries like Switzerland, Albania, and Luxembourg. If you sign up for a free VPN, there’s no guarantee it will even have servers in those countries, as opposed to NordVPN or other premium providers.
- Buffering and quality: When you use a free VPN, you’re probably going to experience slow internet speeds. This could be from speed caps, but it’s usually due to a server overload, with thousands of users scrambling for bandwidth. You can either get more bandwidth by paying for an upgrade or settle for a pixelated or constantly stuttering stream of the Belgian Grand Prix.
- Data limits: Sometimes you’ll sign up for a free VPN and start streaming content. In the beginning, everything seems great. Your speeds are incredibly fast, and they’ve got servers in countless countries, and security protocols are top of the line. But streaming live sports uses up a lot of bandwidth allotted data, and after a little while, you may get a message saying: “You have reached your monthly traffic limit.” If you don’t buy extra volume or a subscription, you’re out of luck.
- No privacy protection: Free VPN services have to make money one way or another, which they can do in several ways. If you’re not paying for upgrades and add-ons, they can log and sell your activity to third parties and advertisers. If you’re using a VPN for anonymous browsing, privacy protection, and security, then a VPN that logs your activity doesn’t quite add up. Check out our article on the best no log VPNs if you’re concerned about privacy protection.
For streaming the Belgian Grand Prix, we recommend going with a premium provider. But if NordVPN isn’t in your budget, make sure to check out the 3 best cheap VPNs. All three have servers in Switzerland for the SRF stream.
| Date | Event | Time (EST) | Track Time (Belgium) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. Aug. 27 | First practice Second practice |
5:30 am – 6:30 am 9:00 am – 10:00 am |
11:30 am – 12:30 pm 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm |
| Sat. Aug. 28 | Third practice Qualifying |
6:00 am – 7:00 am 9:00 am – 10:00 am |
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm |
| Sun. Aug. 29 | The Belgian Grand Prix | 9:00 am – 11:00 am | 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
Driver Standings
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen continue their fight over the No. 1 slot in the 2021 Formula 1 Driver Standings, with Hamilton coming off a solid 43-point grab during the British and Hungarian Grand Prix. During the last two races, Verstappen only scored 2, allowing Hamilton to slip into No. 1 with an eight-point cushion. Though Esteban Ocon finished first with 25 points in Hungary, he’s in tenth place overall.
Mercedes has muscled a 12-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructor Standings at 303 to 291. Mercedes managed to outscore Red Bull 58 to 2 at Silverstone and the Hungaroring in August to take the lead. Ferrari holds a distant third spot at 163.
The top 5 drivers going into the British Grand Prix are as follows:
| Position | Racer (team) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 195 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 187 |
| 3 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 113 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) | 108 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) | 104 |
Which Countries Broadcast the Belgian Grand Prix?
Want to know who broadcasts Formula 1 in your country? Most of these providers require a paid subscription to view their content, If you’re unwilling or unable to buy a subscription, you can use a VPN to access any of the free streams we listed earlier. But, there are several ways to watch Formula 1 online. Here’s a list of all the countries or regions and broadcasters offering F1 streams.
| Country or Region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Africa | SuperSport |
| Albania | RTSH |
| Asia | Fox Sports Channels, STAR Sports (Indian Subcontinent) |
| Australia | Fox Sports Channels, Network Ten |
| Austria | Servus TV, ORF |
| Azerbaijan | AzTV, Idman Azerbaycan |
| Belgium | RTBF, Telenet, Play Sport Open, VRT |
| Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia | Sport Klub |
| Brazil | Bandeirantes |
| Bulgaria | Nova, Diema Sport |
| Canada | RDS, RDS 2, TSN, Noovo |
| China | CCTV, Tencent, Guangdong TV, Great Sports TV |
| Cyprus | Cytavision |
| Czech Republic, Slovakia | AMC |
| Denmark | TV3+, TV3 Sport, Viaplay |
| Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania | Viaplay |
| Eurasia | Setanta Sports |
| Finland | C More Max, MTV |
| France | Canal+ |
| Germany | Sky Deutschland, RTL |
| Greece | ERT, Cosmote TV |
| Hungary | M4 |
| Israel | The Sports Channel |
| Italy | Sky Italia, TV8 |
| Japan | Fuji TV |
| Latin America | Fox Sports Channels, ESPN |
| Luxembourg | RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg |
| Malta | Go Sports |
| The Middle East, North Africa (MENA) | MBC Action, Shahid |
| Netherlands | Ziggo, NOS |
| New Zealand | Spark Sport |
| Norway | V sport 1, V sport +, Viaplay |
| Poland | Eleven Sports, Polsat |
| Portugal | Eleven Sports |
| Romania | Digisport, Telekom Romania, Look Sport |
| Russia | Match TV |
| Sweden | Viaplay, V sport motor, TV10 |
| Switzerland | SRF, RSI, RTS |
| Turkey | S Sport, S Sport Plus |
| Ukraine | Setanta Ukraine |
| United Kingdom, Ireland | C4, Sky Sports |
| USA | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
