The 2021 Formula 1 Season is entering its second half with the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 1. To ensure that our readers can watch the event from anywhere in the world, we’ve put together this article. It explains how you can use a VPN to overcome geo-restrictions that are sometimes imposed by service providers.
Follow the quick step-by-step guide below to set up a VPN and watch the Hungarian Grand Prix:
- Select a reliable VPN provider. We recommend ExpressVPN as it has blazing fast speeds and a great network of servers.
- Download and install the app that’s suited to your operating system.
- Fire up the app and select a server of your choice. In our expereince, the SRF stream based out of Switzerland offers a good quality free live stream of Formula 1 races.
- Once connected to the server you’ve selected, navigate to your preferred streaming provider and select the Hungarian Grand Prix event.
- Witness the historic faceoff between Hamilton and Verstappen!
For more info on the race and how a VPN helps bypass geo-restrictions, read the rest of the article!
Formula 1 is back after a two-week hiatus with the Hungarian Grand Prix! The 2021 Hungarian GP will be held on 1 August 2021 at the scenic Hungaroring in Budapest. The race is the last one before we head into a near month long break from Formula 1 action. Given how close the driver’s standing are, the winner of the Hungarian Grand Prix could have a distinct edge going into the latter half of the Formula 1 season.
Watching the race can prove challenging for users for a couple of reasons. The first is that live streams of the Hungarian GP may be geo-blocked by the streaming providers. People who are travelling for work or leisure may, thus, be unable to tune into race. Second, some users may not have purchased a subscription to the service which streams Formula 1 races in their country and just want to watch the Grand Prix for free.
What if we told you that a Virtual Private Network (VPN) solves both these problems? Not only does a VPN help bypass geo-blocking, it also allows you to access free and legal streams from other nations. In this article, we explain how you can set up a VPN to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix from anywhere. We also provide links to some free and legal streams.
How to Set Up a VPN to Watch the Hungarian GP?
Formula 1 is officially streamed by companies who have purchased the relevant licenses and rights. Often, the license requires the companies to restrict their streams to certain geographic locations. To honour their license agreements, these countries use your IP address to determine your location. If you happen to be outside the licensed region, the stream will simply not work or will display an error.
A VPN encrypts your internet activity to make it seem like you’re accessing the internet from a different location. This allows you to trick the streaming provider into thinking that you’re in their licensed geographic region. Moreover, a VPN also allows you to access free and legal streams that are available in different parts of the world.
Now that we know how a VPN is helpful in streaming Formula 1 races, let’s understand how to set up a VPN.
Step-by-step guide on setting up a VPN to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix
- Pick a VPN provider you like and purchase a subscription. Since watching Formula 1 streams will require good speeds and great unblocking capabilities, we recommend ExpressVPN.
- Download the relevant app or software from the VPN provider’s website. ExpressVPN works on most operating systems, including Mac, Linux, Windows and Android.
- Install the app by following the on-screen instructions.
- After installation, open the app and connect to a VPN server in the country that your stream is based in. So, if you want to watch the stream provided by SRF, you’d need to choose a server in Switzerland.
- Once you’re connection is established, you’re all set to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix. All you need to do is find the event on your streaming provider’s app.
- Sit back and enjoy the pulsating and scintillating action.
Note: We recommend ExpressVPN due to its speed, unblocking capability and ease of use. That said, we recognise that ExpressVPN may be expensive for certain people. Instead, you can check out more pocket friendly alternatives, such as CyberGhost. For a detailed breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of different VPN providers, be sure to check out our VPN comparison tool.
Which Sites Stream the Hungarian Grand Prix for Free?
As we mentioned earlier, using a VPN allows you to access free and legal streams from other nations. We’ve put together a list of a few sites that are known to stream Formula 1 races live and free of cost:
| Country | Broadcaster | Commentary Language | Stream URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Match TV | Russian | matchtv.ru/on-air |
| 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 |
| Switzerland | SRF | German | www.srf.ch/play/tv/live/srf-info |
If you don’t reside in any of these countries, you’ll probably need a VPN to access these streams. Just follow the steps listed above and you should be ready to watch the Grand Prix without any complications.
Where is the Hungarian Grand Prix Being Officially Broadcast?
If you have a subscription to a cable TV package or a streaming service, there’s a good chance that you can simply use these services to watch the Hungarian GP. Of course, if you’re not in the location where you usually watch TV or stream content, then you’ll need to use a VPN to change your location. We’ve made it easy for you to identify which broadcasters/streaming providers will be showcasing the race this Sunday by compiling the list below:
| 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 |
Race Timings and Schedule
With the racing action coming thick and fast over the weekend, we wouldn’t want our readers to miss any of it! The entire schedule for the weekend’s events has been provided below:
| Event | Date and time (in BST) |
|---|---|
| First practice | July 30 (10:30 – 11:30) |
| Second practice | July 30 (14:00 – 15:00) |
| Third practice | July 31 (11:00 – 12:00) |
| Qualification | July 31 (14:00 – 15:00) |
| Final race | August 1 (14:00 – 16:00) |
Driver’s Standings and the State of Play
Lewis Hamilton’s controversial win at Silverstone helped reduce the margin with Max Verstappen in the driver’s standings to only eight points. Mercedes continued its good form by claiming a one-two in the first two practice rounds of the Hungarian GP. If it can keep up the strong showing, it can further close the gap on Red Bull in the Constructor’s Championship.
The top 5 drivers heading into the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix are:
| Position | Racer (team) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 185 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 177 |
| 3 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 113 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) | 108 |
| 5 | Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) | 104 |
