How to Watch Formula 1 Races: Catch Every Event with These Services

If you live in the United States, then there are four main channels that broadcast Formula 1 (and three of those channels are ESPN affiliated). Those channels are ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and the streaming platform, ESPN+. Here’s a short breakdown of which events each channel airs.

• ABC: Has coverage of four major races—The Monaco Grand Prix, United States Grand Prix, Mexican Grand Prix, and Miami Grand Prix.
• ESPN: This is definitely the most important channel to have if you want to watch F1 races live. It is the main broadcaster for over a dozen events, including the Bahrain Grand Prix, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Australian Grand Prix, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix, and Austrian Grand Prix.
• ESPN2: This is the main broadcaster for a few of the smaller races, like the British Grand Prix and Japanese Grand Prix.
• ESPN+: Is not the main broadcaster for any event, but has coverage of most races that air on ESPN and ABC.

If you want more specific information, you can get a full list of the Formula 1 race schedule and where each event will be broadcast from our friends at CableTV.com.

If you want to watch F1 races with Spanish commentary, check out ESPN Deportes, which is available through the “Español add-on” with Hulu + Live TV. You can also look for streams on ESPNews, and ESPNU.

Hulu + Live TV is the best streaming service for those who want every Formula 1 broadcasting channel in one simple package. Plus, it gets you access to tons of other premium content, like FX dramas, ESPN sports, Comedy Central specials, and so much else.

With access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and a free subscription to ESPN+, you won’t miss any coverage of Formula 1 events with Hulu + Live TV. You will get live streams of the races with Sky Sports commentary, reruns with the ESPN app, and even Spanish language coverage if you sign up for the Español add-on.

Hulu offers four different plans. The cheapest plan gets you the three main F1 channels: ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. But most Formula 1 fans will want to pay extra to get the Disney+ and ESPN+ subscriptions.

Hulu + Live TV is actually one of our top live TV streaming services overall. It’s a great option for those who have left cable and satellite TV behind, but still want premium channels and live sports and news coverage.

There are plenty of ways to stream live sports these days, but nothing quite beats the experience of plopping down on the couch, hitting the power button on your TV remote, and watching a race. No signing into an app or messing around on the computer.

DIRECTV is the best option for those Formula 1 fans who like the simplicity of a traditional cable or satellite TV subscription. But you can still get it via an internet connection if you'd like. DIRECTV offers its TV packages via internet connection for a few dollars cheaper, but DIRECTV internet plans offer more channels.

All of DIRECTV’s packages come with the essential Formula 1 channels: ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. Unfortunately, having ESPN doesn’t automatically get you access to ESPN+ content. However, if you have the standard F1 broadcasters, you shouldn’t need it.

DIRECTV’s cheapest plan will cost you $58 a month, which is a bit steep considering you only get 75 channels (don't worry, this includes all of the Formula 1 channels). From there, the prices go up at a pretty steep rate, up to the $142.99 a month Premier package.

The biggest downside to DIRECTV's satellite service is the contract and fewer channels. The silver lining to this is that at least your price won’t go up during that 2-year period, and you can always opt for an internet plan to dodge installation fees.

Yup, Formula 1 has its very own streaming service (who doesn’t these days?). While it’s a limited product, it’s great for those who just want a simple and affordable way to watch F1 races without signing up for a bunch of other TV channels.

You can catch all 23 Formula 1 races in the 2023 season on F1 TV. But that’s not all. You can also watch archived coverage of past seasons’ races and you can catch some exclusive Formula 1 focused programming, like Jolyon Palmer’s Analysis, Tech Talk, and Best Onboards.

F1 TV has two different tiers of service. The cheapest one is just $3 a month, but it doesn’t let you watch the races live. You can get up-to-date timing data for each race, but you can’t actually watch them until after they’re over.

The pricier Pro plan is $10 a month, but it gets you live broadcasts of every single race, plus on-demand replays and the other content listed above.

There is one way to watch some Formula 1 races for free. You can tune in to your local ABC affiliate with an antenna to watch the four F1 events that the network is broadcasting this year. Here’s what you need to know.

Unfortunately, you won’t pick up ESPN, ESPN2, or other premium cable channels with a digital antenna. For those, you’ll have to pay.

But you can get your local ABC affiliate. That means you can watch The Monaco Grand Prix, United States Grand Prix, Mexican Grand Prix, and Miami Grand Prix without paying a single dime.

You can easily pick up an indoor HDTV antenna online for under $30. These antennas are relatively easy to install. You should definitely read the instructions, but usually it involves just hooking a cord to your TV and then mounting the antenna near a window. Most people can set it up in 20 minutes or less.

It’s not just Formula 1 content that you’ll get with an antenna. You can catch some NASCAR races on NBC, the annual Super Bowl or Tour de France, local nightly news, and plenty of great sit-coms, like The Simpsons and Abbott Elementary.

There are three main channels that broadcast F1 races: ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. There are plenty of ways to get access to these various feeds, but these are our four favorite services.

• Best overall: With Hulu + Live TV you get access to all of the F1 broadcasters, plus you get a subscription to ESPN+ for extra content. It’s the best all-around service for Formula 1 that also gets you a ton of other content.
• Best for cable subscribers: DIRECTV gives you all of the main Formula 1 broadcasters plus a ton of other channels to enjoy. It’s not the cheapest option, but it’s great for those who still want a classic cable package.
• Best value F1 streaming service: Formula 1 has its very own streaming service called F1 TV. It’s a very affordable way to watch every race for those who don’t need a full-on cable package or live TV streaming service.
• Best free option: You can tune in to ABC’s live Formula 1 race broadcasts with a good ol' fashioned antenna hooked up to your TV. It’s totally free (once you’ve bought the antenna)!