Formula 1: How to Watch and Stream the 2024 United States GP

yesterday

Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Formula 1 - Figure 1
Photo CNET

The Drivers' Championship battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen resumes in Austin, Texas.

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards.

See at Sky

F1 streaming in the UK

Sky Sports and Now TV

After almost a month away from the track, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris return to action and their battle for the F1 Drivers' Championship with this weekend's United States Grand Prix. 

Last month's Singapore GP saw McLaren star Norris win in style and take another chunk out of defending champ Verstappen's lead in the standings. The gap between the two is now reduced to 52 points.

Norris' win and Oscar Piastri's third-place finish behind Verstappen at the Marina Bay Circuit means McLaren now have a 41-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. 

The main race takes place Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1:55 p.m. CDT local time in Texas, which is 2:55 p.m. ET and 11:55 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, 7:55 p.m. BST in the UK and 5:55 a.m. AEST on Monday morning in Australia. It will be held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The race will air in the US on ABC and ESPN Plus.

Formula 1 - Figure 2
Photo CNET

The entire race weekend, including practice sessions and qualifying, will be shown in the US on ESPN's family of TV and streaming networks. Folks looking to follow all of it will need access to the ABC and ESPN news channels on cable or live TV streaming services, or the ESPN Plus streaming service. We've broken down everything you need to know to stream today's race, and all the other F1 races this season.

Lando Norris' (right) win at the Singapore GP has kept the pressure on Driver's Championship leader Max Verstappen.

Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesLivestream the United States GP in the US

Whether or not you have cable, ESPN's stand-alone streaming service is great for casual fans of Formula 1 and is a must-have accessory for fanatics. It costs $11 a month (or $110 a year) and currently, ESPN has a deal with F1 to show 18 out of 23 Grands Prix races this year. The catch is that ESPN Plus doesn't always air the free practice or qualifying sessions, but it tends to air Sprint races and the Sprint Shootout. 

If you're an F1 fan who's also looking to get your Disney fix, the Disney trio bundle (Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus) might end up being an even better buy. It's great for fans who love catching the parts of the race weekend that typically air on EPSN2 or ESPNews, and who want the latest Marvel movies or Star Wars shows.

Formula 1 - Figure 3
Photo CNET

If you're a diehard fan of motorsports and Formula series racing, ESPN Plus might not be for you, given that it rarely covers F2, F3 or Porsche Supercar racing. That's why ESPN Plus is ideal for casual fans who enjoy catching a race every once in a while, or super fans who don't want or need all of the extra bells and whistles of F1 TV but want to beef up their coverage options.

Read our full review of ESPN Plus.

How to watch F1 online from anywhere with a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view Formula 1 action locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. 

With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this. 

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. 

Formula 1 - Figure 4
Photo CNET
James Martin/CNET

Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to livestream the United States GP in the UK

F1 in the UK is shown on Sky Sports and Channel 4 -- Sky Sports airs the races, practice rounds and qualifying, while free-to-air Channel 4 offers highlights broadcast after the day's action takes place. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the race via its app, but cord-cutters can watch Sky TV with unlimited Sky Sports on a Now TV membership.

Sky Sports

Those in the UK will need Sky Sports to watch F1 racing in 2024. If you subscribe to Sky, you can get the £27 Complete Sports package in order to get the races. 

Formula 1 - Figure 5
Photo CNET

Cord-cutters can also opt for the £35-a-month package on Now TV and get unlimited Sky Sports.

Livestream the United States GP in Canada

Canadian F1 fans can watch every GP this season including this race on TSN and its streaming service TSN Plus. Existing TSN cable subscribers can watch at no extra charge using the details of their TV provider.

TSN

TSN Plus is a direct-streaming service that costs CA$8 a month and also offers coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, NASCAR and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

Livestream the United States GP in Australia

The United States GP can be watched Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports. 

A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.

The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts. 

Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.

Formula 1 - Figure 6
Photo CNET
When, where and what time are the races?

Races are held on Sundays and are usually spaced two weeks apart. Here's the entire schedule.

F1 2024 schedule
DateRace Time March 2 Bahrain GP10 a.m. ETMarch 9 Saudi Arabian GP12 p.m. ETMarch 24 Australian GP12 a.m. ETApril 7 Japanese GP1 a.m. ETApril 21 Chinese GP3 a.m. ETMay 5 Miami GP4 p.m. ETMay 19 Romagna GP9 a.m. ETMay 26 Monaco GP9 a.m. ETJune 9 Canadian GP2 p.m. ETJune 23 Spanish GP9 a.m. ETJune 30 Austrian GP9 a.m. ETJuly 7 British GP10 a.m. ETJuly 21 Hungarian GP9 a.m. ETJuly 28 Belgian GP9 a.m. ETAug. 25 Dutch GP9 a.m. ETSept. 1 Italian GP9 a.m. ETSept. 15 Azerbaijan GP7 a.m. ETSept. 22 Singapore GP8 a.m. ETOct. 20 United States GP3 p.m. ETOct. 27 Mexican GP4 p.m. ETNov. 3 Brazilian GP12 p.m. ETNov. 24 Las Vegas GP1 a.m. ETDec. 1 Qatar GP12 p.m. ETDec. 8 Abu Dhabi GP8 a.m. ET
Quick tips for streaming the races using a VPN With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming F1 races may vary.If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

Other Services & Software

Formula 1 - Figure 7
Photo CNET
Read more
Similar news