Formula 1 racing fans are gearing up for the latest development in the Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash saga at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix this weekend. The latest Formula 1 Grand Prix, a 53-lap, 5.8-kilometer run revs up at the Sochi Autodrom on Sunday, September 26.
F1 fans outside their home country might have trouble accessing Formula 1 live streams due to international geo-blocking restrictions. We’ve got a quick fix to get you streaming Formula 1 racing for free, from anywhere in the world. Simply unblock websites with a VPN.
- Find a good VPN. For live streaming the Russian Grand Prix, we recommend NordVPN.
- Download the VPN app onto the device you want to stream the race with.
- Open the app and log in with the information you created during registration.
- Connect to a VPN server in Switzerland. Once connected, keep the VPN running and click our recommended SRF link.
- Enjoy the Formula 1 race live and for free!
Want to find out more about live streaming the Russian Grand Prix and other Formula 1 racing events? Check out the full article below.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton continue their duel for the F1 Driver’s Standings lead this weekend at the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom.
There have been plenty of collisions on the road between the two, with Verstappen taking a penalty for his role in the recent crash at Monza. That followed Hamilton’s 10-second penalty for sending Verstappen flying into the track wall during the Silverstone race. More high-octane competition racing action is expected in Sochi on Sunday.
Race fans traveling abroad could find themselves unable to access Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix due to geo-blocking restrictions. For those fans looking for a loophole to get in on Formula 1 racing, there are plenty of streams on the internet being broadcast from various countries for free. If you want to watch them from anywhere in the world, you’ll need a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
If you’re unable to access your home stream or don’t have one, we’ll make sure you don’t miss a moment of the Russian Grand Prix, Sunday, September 26 at 7:00 am (EST).
Free Live Streams of the 2021 Russian Grand Prix
If you’re interested in a free live stream of the Russian Grand Prix, there are a lot of countries to choose from. These aren’t going to have English language commentary, but you won’t have to pay a penny. We like using Switzerland’s SRF broadcast to stream the entire Grand Prix season. Here’s a quick list of the 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 |
Use a VPN to Live Stream the Russian Grand Prix
If you weren’t using a VPN when you clicked one of the above streams — like Switzerland’s SRF — you might have seen an error message saying that the content wasn’t available in your country. International licensing agreements won’t allow devices to access these kinds of links if they’re out of the country.
This is where VPNs really get you to the finish line. With just a click, a VPN can assign you a new IP address from a server in Switzerland so you can connect to the RSF feed. Once connected to that Swiss server, the website lets you access the race. If you want to stream the Russian Grand Prix for free now, follow this quick guide:
Step-by-step guide: Get a VPN to stream the Russian Grand Prix
- Register for a VPN. For live streaming the Russian Grand Prix we’d like to point you toward NordVPN. This VPN is an excellent pick for speed, security, and privacy protection. It’s even part of our list of the five best VPNs.
- Download the VPN app onto the device you want to stream the Russian Grand Prix with. NordVPN works across laptops and desktops, mobile phones, Smart TVs, and tablets.
- Open the app and log in with the credentials you created during the sign-up.
- Connect to a VPN server in Switzerland. Once connected, click on this SRF link.
- You’re ready to live stream the Russian Grand Prix!
If you’re trying to connect to your home stream instead, or to any of the other free streams we’ve provided above, just connect to the Formula 1 broadcaster’s country at step 5.
Using Free VPNs to Stream the 2021 Russian Grand Prix
There are some great free VPNs out there that can be used for all kinds of useful online activity — like browsing, unblocking websites, and providing encryption — but when you’re streaming live sports and other content, premium VPNs are your better bet.
When you use the free trials that many top VPN providers have, you can set up your VPN and watch Formula 1 totally free. Just cancel your subscription in time. You can find out how to set up NordVPN’s trial here.
If you’re trying to stream the 2021 Russian Grand Prix with a free VPN, here are some problems you could encounter:
- Buffering and quality: Free VPNs might have speed caps, or their servers could be overloaded. This means your stream might lag or you’ll have to wait for it to load properly, meaning you might miss parts of the race. When thousands of users are competing for bandwidth, performance suffers. For better speeds, you can get more bandwidth by paying for an upgrade or just watch a low-quality stream and wait for the Russian Grand Prix to buffer and load.
- Number of servers: Countries like Switzerland, Albania, and Luxembourg are streaming the Russian Grand Prix for free. If you sign up for a free VPN, there’s really no guarantee it will have servers in those countries, as opposed to NordVPN or other premium providers. This means many free VPNs don’t actually give you access to the free streams listed above.
- Data limits: A lot of free VPNs work with data limits. Once you reach this limit, you won’t be able to use the VPN any longer — at least not that day or month. Streaming live sports eats up a lot of bandwidth allotted data, so after a while, you might get a message that says you’ve reached your daily or monthly limit. To solve this, you’ll have to buy more data or take out a subscription.
- No privacy protection: Free VPN services can still make money without charging for memberships. They might charge for upgrades and add-ons, or they can log and sell your activity to third parties and advertisers. If you want to use a VPN to browse the internet anonymously, for privacy protection and security, then a VPN that logs your activity won’t help you. Check out our article on the best no-log VPNs if you’re concerned about privacy protection.
For streaming the Russian Grand Prix, we recommend going with a premium provider. But if NordVPN isn’t in your budget, make sure to check out the three best cheap VPNs. All three have servers in Switzerland for the SRF stream.
Russian Grand Prix Schedule
| Date | Event | Time (EST) | Track Time (Sochi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Sept. 24 | First practice Second practice |
4 am – 5 am 8 am – 9 am |
11:30 – 12:30 15:00 – 16:00 |
| Saturday, Sept. 25 | Third practice Qualifications |
5 am – 6 am 8 am – 9 am |
12:00 – 13:00 15:00 – 16:00 |
| Sunday, Sept. 26 | The Russian Grand Prix | 8 am – 9 am | 15:00 – 17:00 |
Driver Standings
Though neither racer finished in the top five of the Italian Grand Prix due to their controversial crash, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen continue to grapple over the No. 1 spot in the overall 2021 Formula 1 Driver Standings. Hamilton is just five points shy of Verstappen going into the 2021 Russian Grand Prix — a 53-lap, 5.8-kilometer run at Sochi Autodrom on Sunday, September 26.
Mercedes continues to muscle a lead over Red Bull in the Constructor Standings at 362.5 to 344.2.
The top 5 drivers going into this weekend’s Grand Prix are as follows:
| Position | Racer (team) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 226.5 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 221.5 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) | 141 |
| 4 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 132 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) | 118 |
Which Countries Broadcast the Russian Grand Prix?
Most of the providers below require a paid subscription to view their content, but if you want to access your stream, you can get to them with a VPN. 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 |
