High RPM Formula 1 intensity continues! This time, the Spanish Grand Prix will be hosting the fourth round of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. Drivers, crew members, and F1 machines are all revving up for the various events that will take place between the 7th and 9th of May, 2021. The sun-kissed tarmac of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya located in Montmeló, a favorite of F1 teams for pre-season testing, is where the practice sessions, qualifications, and races are set to happen.
F1 is returning to its traditional schedule for the first time since the Bahrain round at the Spanish GP this weekend. In the last round, Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead over Max Verstappen by eight points at the Portuguese GP. This weekend, Verstappen will be looking at strategies to redeem himself. The rivalry hype between the Mercedes (Hamilton) and Red Bull (Verstappen) teams is set to continue at the Spanish GP as the race for the F1 world championship intensifies. Let’s not forget McLaren and Lando Norris will also be looking to add a bit of spice to the mix.
F1 fans will not want to miss even a moment of the action, so it is important to know what to do if you find yourself abroad and cannot access your preferred streams or channels. Good news! We have an easy solution for that. The Spanish GP is being broadcast on several channels worldwide as standard, but what do you do if you’re abroad? Fans can catch the Spanish GP for free from anywhere in the world by using a VPN.
Where To Watch Formula 1?
First of all, here is some information that includes a standard list of the broadcasters that hold F1 broadcasting rights;
| 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 |
Reminder: Most of the viewing options above will require a subscription (paid). The issue is that, if you are not located in these regions during the event, you may have difficulties accessing the Spanish GP live. However, some free broadcasters allow you to watch their stream for free as long as your IP address matches. This is why you need a VPN, and we will show you how to match your IP address to the stream below.
Watch the Spanish GP for Free with a VPN
Watching online streams from anywhere is an issue because your connection and your device are telling those hosting the live content (the website) where you are located based on your IP. Because of these regional broadcasting ‘blocks’, you will not be able to access some streams e.g. if you are out of your home country but have a subscription, the host website will not let you in. Some groups of countries, such as the EU have eased these regulations with some paid services where you will have access from anywhere in the EU zone. In most cases though, this won’t be possible; US streams will mostly work in the US and the same will apply to the UK as it has left the EU.
What a VPN does is that it removes this issue by modifying your IP address to make it seem that you are located elsewhere. Thanks to this clever little tool, you can unblock online streams, and access them regardless of where you are in the world. With a premium VPN provider, the issue of regional blocks is gone so not only can you watch the F1 season, but so much more. All of this means you can watch the Spanish GP from abroad as well as access other free F1 streams. Below you will find these free streams that offer the F1 GP live experience, which you will access with a VPN.
| Country | Broadcaster | 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 |
Now, let’s get you set up with the Step-by-Step VPN guide below!
Step-by-Step VPN Guide For Watching F1 Online
We have tested all of the above streams successfully with SurfShark VPN.
If you want to watch the Spanish F1 GP this weekend abroad or for free via the free live streams, then follow these steps:
- Get a premium subscription with a VPN provider. The link for SurfShark VPN is below:
- Once you complete your subscription (select a suitable one for the device that you have), please download the VPN (or on Play/App stores for mobile devices)
- Once downloaded, install the VPN and sign in
- Now we come to the important part. So, to use the free streams above, please choose your free stream first from the box above. Then type the corresponding country into your VPN server search box and connect. Alternatively, if you already have a paid subscription (and have consulted our big list at the beginning), repeat the process
- Now, please open your web browser and visit the stream URL. Copy and paste the URL from the ‘Stream URL’ column in the table above
- Enjoy the fourth-round Spanish GP over the weekend!
Tip: We can also show you how to get a free trial with Surfshark!
Spanish F1 GP Session Timing and Schedule
The Spanish F1 GP will keep running the revised weekend schedule for this round, which includes shortened practice sessions on Friday that are 60 minutes each (with an additional session on Saturday). A Q1, Q2, and Q3 knockout qualifying format will be in place for Saturday afternoon that will decide Sunday’s Spanish GP grid.
For your reference, here are the 2021 F1 Spanish GP Session Timings:
| Event | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | May 7 (10:30 – 11:30 BST) |
| Free Practice 2 | May 7 (14:00 – 15:00 BST) |
| Free Practice 3 | May 8 (11:00 – 12:00 BST) |
| Qualifying | May 8 (14:00 – 15:00 BST) |
| Race | May 9 (14:00 BST) |
