The 2021 Formula 1 season continues after almost a month-long summer break following the Hungarian Grand Prix and this weekend, teams and drivers will be in Belgium for this year's Belgian Grand Prix and we have all the details on how you can watch the race on TV or online.
We've reached the second half of the F1 2021 Calendar and after winning the British Grand Prix back in July, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is now back at the top of the standings with 195 points, four wins and eight podiums. Red Bull's Max Verstappen gave Hamilton a run for his money earlier this season when he came in first at three Grand Prix in a row but the tide turned for him during the Hungarian Grand Prix when his car collided with that of Mercedes' Lando Norris.
Verstappen currently has 187 points so a win today could help push him past Hamilton in the standings once again. However, Hamilton will likely be racing with his heart on his sleeve as he currently has 99 wins under his belt. Winning the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix will make him the first Formula 1 driver in history to win 100 races.
The Belgian Grand Prix is held annually at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium. The circuit, which is commonly referred to as the Spa, held its first Grand Prix almost 100 years ago in 1925 and is a favorite among Formula 1 drivers. The Spa is located in Belgium's Ardennes Forest and the track has 19 turns with a circuit length of 4.352 miles, making it Formula 1's longest circuit on the calendar. In the words of Hamilton who won the Belgian Grand Prix last year as well as the year before, "They don't build tracks like this anymore".
Whether you've been closely following the 2021 Formula 1 season or just want to see if Hamilton will win his 100th race today, we'll show you exactly how to watch the Belgian Grand Prix from anywhere in the world.
Belgian Grand Prix: When and where?
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix will be held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium from August 27-29. Two practice sessions will be held on Friday and another practice session along with the qualifying session will be held on Saturday. The Belgian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, August 29 at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST. Racing fans in the US will be able to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on ESPN while it will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, TSN in Canada and on Fox Sports in Australia.
Watch the Belgian Grand Prix for free
Racing fans in Austria will be able to watch the entire F1 season for free this year as the Red Bull-owned free-to-air station ServusTV has split the broadcast rights with ORF. This means that if you live in Austria, you'll be able to watch the Belgian Grand Prix for free on either ServusTV or ORF beginning at 3pm CEST on Sunday.
How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix in the U.S.
If you live in the U.S. and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on ESPN with coverage of the race beginning at 8:55am ET / 5:55am PT on ESPN2. If you happen to miss the race, don't worry as ESPN will show a replay on ESPN3 later on in the afternoon at 11am ET / 8am PT.
Not interested in signing up for cable just to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on ESPN. Don't worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to the network so you watch the race online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.
- Hulu with Live TV - $64.99 per month - As well as giving you access to ESPN, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
- Sling TV - $35 per month - In order to get access to ESPN, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Orange package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record 50 hours of live TV with its Cloud DVR.
- YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to ESPN as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
- AT&T TV Now - $55 per month - AT&T TV Now's plus plan gives you access to ESPN as well as over 45 other live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.
Watch the Belgian Grand Prix in Canada
Canadian Formula 1 fans will be able to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on TSN and the network's coverage of the race will begin at 8:55am ET / 5:55am PT on TSN 4 and TSN 5. You can also stream the entire race online with the TSN app on your smartphone and other mobile devices.
If you've already cut the cord and want to watch the Belgian Grand Prix online, you can get access to TSN's content for as little as $4.99 for a TSN Direct Day Pass or $19.99 for a monthly streaming subscription.
Live stream the Belgian Grand Prix in the UK
UK viewers with a Sky Sports subscription will be able to watch this year's Belgian Grand Prix on the network's dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel beginning at 2pm BST. However, you can also stream the full race on your smartphone or tablet with the Sky Go app.
Don't want to sign up for a lengthy Sky Sports contract just to watch the Belgian Grand Prix, don't worry as you can watch the race live on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.98 or a Sky Sports Two Month Pass for £25.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the race on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or other streaming devices.
How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix in Australia
If you live in Australia and have a Foxtel cable package, you'll be able to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on Fox Sports beginning at 10:55pm AEST / 8:55pm AWST on Sunday evening. However, if you happen to miss the race, there will be replays on Monday at both 6am AEST / 4am AWST and later on in the afternoon at 12pm AEST / 10am AWST.
Not interested in signing up for cable to watch the Belgian Grand Prix? Don't worry as you can watch the entire event online on Kayo Sports. The service costs between $25 and $35 per month depending on the package you choose but new customers can take advantage of Kayo Sports' 14-day free trial to watch the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.
How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix from anywhere
We have all the details on how you can watch the Belgian Grand Prix in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Australia further up in this guide. However, if you want to watch this year's race when you're away from home, then you'll run into problems as your domestic coverage online from abroad will likely be geo-blocked.
That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.
VPNs are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of providing you with an additional layer of security when surfing the web. There are also a lot of options but we recommend ExpressVPN as our top pick due to its speed, security and ease of use. The service can even be used on a wide array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, game consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. You can even test it out for yourself thanks to the service's 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for more options?
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Source: androidcentral