Free China F1 live stream: Where to watch this week's Formula 1 Shaghai GP
There's a free China F1 live stream available today from Shanghai, and if you miss the race, we've also found an excellent extended highlights show.
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The fifth Formula One race of the season is almost here, and you're in the right place to see all the action live from Shanghai before the series moves over to Miami next month. Our guide has everything you need about where to watch a free China F1 live stream. No matter which country you're in, we'll ensure you don't miss out.
Verstappen resumed normal winning form in Japan recently and looked very comfortable in yesterday's Sprint race, finishing way ahead of the pack. Perez lines up alongside him on the starting grid today, but we're excited to see Alonso starting up in third. Will he play it safe and defend for points, or try and take on the Red Bulls on the first corner before Max disappears for his usual Sunday stroll?
As also detailed in our season-long free F1 live stream guide, we can help you watch every race this season via similar options to today's one. And if the free live streams aren't for you, we thoroughly recommend the super-extended highlights show from the UK, which replays almost the entire race—we've dedicated a section to this later in the article.
The race is showing for free in some countries, and that's where we come in, as we can show you how to get around geo-restrictions that block viewers from watching outside the channel's base country. We'll dive into greater detail below, but essentially, if you want to join in from overseas, you'll need a VPN to spoof your viewing device's location to match the broadcast. It's super simple to get going, and you'll be able to use this same method to watch every race this season, along with even more streaming opportunities like the below events:
Where to watch a free China F1 live stream
This weekend's simplest option for a free China F1 live stream is using a VPN to tune into one of the free streams mentioned above. If you miss the live race, the extended highlights show from the UK that we mentioned is a great alternative and comes with full English commentary.
Our preferred option among the best VPN providers is ExpressVPN, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're unsatisfied. Better yet, you can get an extra three months for free and save 49% on a subscription. Check out our ExpressVPN review for more information on the security app.
We used these F1 live streams throughout last season and have double-checked VPN compatibility with each channel's programming schedule today to ensure the race is on. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV - ServusTV has the China GP.
If you insist on English commentary, you could always take advantage of Fubo's 7-day free trial in the US. If you're outside the US and want to try this option, you'll need a VPN and a form of US payment.
How to watch free China F1 live streams with a VPN
- Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
- Install it on the device you're using to watch the race.
- Turn it on and set it to a country with a free live stream.
- Head over to ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium) | RTL2 (Luxembourg).
- Watch on the live sections of the sites.
- Race start: Today, 1 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. BST / 7 a.m. CET / 1 p.m. AWST.
Are there extended China F1 highlights later?
In the UK, Channel 4 has an extended highlights show a few hours after today's race at 7:30 a.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. GMT / 1:30 p.m. CET / 7:30 p.m. AWST.
It's a lengthy one again this week, too, clocking in at an epic 150 minutes. While there is plenty of discussion and interviews before and after the race on this highlights show, a tremendous amount of time is dedicated to the race itself. For example, the first week's live race time lasted about 92 minutes, and I timed the actual race highlights section of the show at 72 minutes. It's my preferred viewing option right now compared to forking out for a subscription service or watching it without English commentary.
You can also watch these highlights on-demand the day after. That said, we sometimes notice that this version is a bit shorter than the usual highlights program.
You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK.
How to watch F1 China live stream in the US
ESPN covers Formula 1 racing throughout the season. If you don't have access to the channel, consider a couple of cord-cutting options. Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $40 a month, but there's a special offer right now that gives you a discount if you sign up for three months.
Hulu's Live TV bundle also carries ESPN and is a very comprehensive bundle overall as it also includes Disney+ and ESPN+. This means it's pricier than Sling and will cost you $76.99, but you can cancel anytime.
How to watch China F1 live stream in the UK
Want a free option? Channel 4 runs an excellent extended highlights show (see above) a few hours after each race, which is a solid alternative given the length of the show. They even do qualifying highlights a few hours after that wraps up the day before, too.
If you really want to see everything live, a Sky Sports deal is your best bet, and this is a great way to get it in glorious 4K, too. Sky covers every race weekend, so you won't need to switch between it and networks like TNT, as you do for the Premier League.
If you don't want a traditional TV contract, though, and would prefer a monthly option that you can drop whenever you want, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 for a day pass, or £34.99 a month.
The main appeal of Now TV is it runs on a rolling one-month contract, but if you need it every week, it's arguably a better deal to get a proper Sky Sports package as you'll get way more bang for your buck. Also, Now TV is still operating in the dark ages and has the gall to charge extra for HD in 2024.
Note: Using VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.