Tipped to be one of the tightest season Formula One seasons in recent times, the drivers get the 2025 campaign underway Down Under this weekend with the Australian GP.
While Max Verstappen won his third consecutive F1 Drivers' Championship last year, Red Bull's downturn in results during the second half of the 2024 season suggests a more open battle for the title this time out.
That view appears to have been backed up by how preseason testing panned out in Bahrain last month. McLaren showed it has the fastest car coming into the new season, and Lando Norris is backed by the bookies as the favorite to win this weekend's race.Â
The main race takes place at Albert Park on Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m. AEDT local time in Melbourne, which is 4 a.m. GMT in the UK. In the US and Canada, it's a midnight ET and 9 p.m. PT start on Saturday night. The race will air in the US on ESPN and ESPN Plus.
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, including how to use a VPN, to stream today's race, and all the other F1 races this season.
Sunday's race sees Lewis Hamilton makes his GP debut as a Ferrari driver, with the British star hoping to win his eighth Drivers' Championship.Â
Livestream the Australian GP in the US
Every Formula One race during the 2025 season is scheduled to be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. All practice and qualifying sessions and all F1 Sprint events will also be broadcast. This race will be broadcast on ESPN.Â
Selected races will stream on ESPN Plus, which will feature two alternate streams for all races (Driver Tracker and mixed onboard cameras).Â
Whether you have cable, ESPN's standalone streaming service is great for casual fans of F1 and is a must-have accessory for fanatics. It costs $12 a month or $120 a year.Â
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 also want the latest Marvel movies or Star Wars shows.
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 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.
Sling TV's Orange plan includes ESPN and ABC (via ESPN3). Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live.Â
Fubo costs at least $92 per month when you factor in the RSN fees it charges. Fubo's base plan costs $80 but it charges an extra $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
How to watch the Australian GP online from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view Formula One 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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to livestream the Australian 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 that broadcast after the day's action. 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 subsidiary Now offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership.Â
You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 per month right now.
Livestream the Australian 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 also watch at no extra charge using the details of their TV provider.
TSN Plus is a direct-streaming service that costs CA$8 a month and also offers coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, NASCAR and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
Livestream the Australian GP in Australia
Grands Prix 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.Â
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.Â
Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.
When, where and what time are the races?
Races are usually held on Sundays and are typically spaced two weeks apart. Here's the entire schedule.
2025 F1 schedule
| Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | Start time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 16 | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park Circuit | 12 a.m. |
| March 23 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai International Circuit | 3 a.m. |
| April 6 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka International Racing Course | 1 a.m. |
| April 13 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 11 a.m. |
| April 20 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit | 1 p.m. |
| May 4 | Miami Grand Prix | Miami International Autodrome | 4 p.m. |
| May 18 | Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix | Imola Circuit | 9 a.m. |
| May 25 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 a.m. |
| June 1 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 a.m. |
| June 15 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 2 p.m. |
| June 29 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. |
| July 6 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 a.m. |
| July 27 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 a.m. |
| Aug. 3 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 a.m. |
| Aug. 31 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 a.m. |
| Sept. 7 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza Circuit | 9 a.m. |
| Sept. 21 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 7 a.m. |
| Oct. 5 | Singapore Grand Prix | Marina Bay Street Circuit | 8 a.m. |
| Oct. 19 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 p.m. |
| Oct. 26 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez | 4 p.m. |
| Nov. 9 | São Paulo Grand Prix | Interlagos Circuit | 12 p.m. |
| Nov. 22 | Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Strip Circuit | 11 p.m. |
| Nov. 30 | Qatar Grand Prix | Lusail International Circuit | 11 a.m. |
| Dec. 7 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 8 a.m. |
Quick tips for streaming the Australian GP using a VPNÂ
- 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. Having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.Â
- 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.