The Formula One 2020 season starts this week in Australia where Lewis Hamilton and team Mercedes are gunning for glory once again to achieve a record winning streak. You can get an F1 live stream from anywhere you happen to be using this guide on how to live stream F1.
Australian Grand Prix 2020 – where and when
Australia is the venue for the first Grand Prix of the 2020 F1 season, with a challenging track 3.3 miles/5.3 km long that speeds its way around the Melbourne Circuit.
All times you need to know are below, with the first shown in local AEDT time.
Practice 1 Friday, March 13 at 12pm (which is 1am GMT, 6pm PT, 9pm ET)
Practice 2 Friday, March 13 at 4pm (5am GMT, 10pm PT, 1am ET)
Practice 3 Saturday, March 14 at 2pm (3am GMT, 8pm PT, 11pm ET).
Qualifying Saturday, March 14 at 5pm local time (6am GMT, 11pm PT, 2am ET).
The Australian Grand Prix starts Sunday, March 15 at 4.10pm local time. So that’s 5.10am GMT, 10.10pm PT, 1.10am ET
The 2020 F1 season sees Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton as the favourite team and driver to take the titles. Should that happen, it will place Hamilton alongside the legend of Michael Schumacher who won seven times. It will also make Mercedes the first team to ever win seven constructors’ titles in a row.
But it’s not all plain sailing, despite Ferrari going through some engine controversy. Team Red Bull is a strong contender for the titles with Max Verstappen racing extremely well last season. That said, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has also been on strong form. If both those teams can offer a consistent car performance this season, the young drivers could upset Hamilton’s bid for glory.
The opening Australian Grand Prix will be held at the Melbourne Circuit which is relatively long at 5.3KM and one of the faster tracks. It demands a well-sorted chassis and reactive driving on several corners. Last year Hamilton’s pole lap set an average speed of over 235kph, so expect this to be a blistering start to the season.
You can see all the exciting racing using an F1 live stream from anywhere in the world – here’s how.
How to watch the Australian Grand Prix from outside your country
To see how you can stream F1 live from the Australian Grand Prix in the UK, Australia, the US, Canada and New Zealand, then scroll a little further down this page to see the broadcast options. But if you try and tune in to your native stream from outside your country, you’ll quickly discover that it’s geo-blocked.
That’s where a VPN can come in really handy. It’s a piece of software readily available to download and install that allows you to simulate the IP address on your laptop (or mobile phone, tablet, streaming device, console, etc) so that it appears to be in a completely different country. Ideal, assuming that it doesn’t breach any Ts&Cs from the broadcaster you’re trying to tune in to.
That might sound complicated, by VPNs – or Virtual Private Networks – are actually surprisingly easy to operate. Simply select one of our top three best VPN picks below (or opt straight for our number one favorite ExpressVPN), open it up and pick out your country of choice from the ‘choose location’ menu, and then start watching as if you were sat back at home. Easy!
Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. Or give it a try with its 30-day money back guarantee. It’s fast, secure, easy to use and works across pretty much any mobiles device and streaming box you can think of.
How to watch the F1 in Australia for FREE!
Generally speaking, the majority of this year’s F1 action will once again be shown on the paid-for services Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.
But lucky folk Down Under get to watch your home Grand Prix absolutely FREE of charge thanks to Channel One on Network Ten. If you’re not going to be near a TV for the race this weekend, then you can get the 10 Play app on iOS or Android for your mobile device, instead.
If you want to prepare now for the season, the Kayo Sports Basic Package costs $25 per month and allows users to stream across two devices simultaneously. Alternatively, the service also offers a Kayo Sports Premium Package, which provides three concurrent streams for $35 per month.
Their apps mean you can access this from your chosen device wherever you are (although you’ll need a VPN if you’re taking that abroad).
Stream Australian Grand Prix live in the UK
Sky Sports F1 has all the live coverage exclusively this year, so ideal if you’re already subscribed to Sky Sports. Using the Sky Go app will let you watch on various other devices, too, including laptops, Apple and Android mobile devices and via your PlayStation or Xbox. Not subscribed yet? Add the F1 package for £10 per month, for a limited time, or add Sky Sports for £20 per month.
Channel 4 will air the British GP live for free but for the rest of the season it will simply offer belated highlights of the races.
If you don’t want to subscribe to Sky just to watch this Grand Prix, then you can grab a Now TV Sports Pass instead. It costs £9.98 per day, £34 for a whole month or £198 for the season (aka about a fiver a week, or £9 per race).
Not in the UK this weekend? Fear not, check out our advice on using a VPN above, and it will let you watch the UK coverage from wherever on Earth you are.
Watch the Australian Grand Prix in the US: live stream F1
In the US, ESPN has the rights to show the F1 live. That’s great news if you have cable, but if you’re a cord-cutter you could try a free trial to another streaming service like Sling and Fubo and watch on there.
Out of the US and want to watch the coverage? No worries – just use a VPN and register to a location showing the race.
How to watch a Australian GP F1 live stream in the Canada
RDS and TSN have the rights to show the Formula 1 north of the border in 2020. Alternatively, you could try services like Sling or Fubo which have free trials and don’t require cable.
For those travelling, you can use a VPN to change your virtual location and still enjoy the race as if you were back in Canada.
How to get an Australian live stream in New Zealand
This year New Zealand will get coverage of the F1 through Spark Sport. This is available for $19.99 per month but also offers a seven day free trial – ideal if you just want to catch one race.
Should you go elsewhere in the world and want to still sign-in to watch your subscription you can, using a VPN.
