How to Watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026
Updated 19 June 2026- 26 September 2026 · Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan
- Free options where available + your home feed from abroad
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The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix runs on Saturday 26 September at the Baku City Circuit (note the rare Saturday race), and the easiest way to watch it live for free is on Germany's RTL, Belgium's RTBF Auvio or Austria's ORF/ServusTV — Baku is on each of those free schedules. Globally, F1 TV Pro streams the race in most markets. If you're travelling and your free feed or home broadcaster is geo-blocked, a VPN connects you back to a server in that country so you can stream as if you were home.
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How to watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix live
Watch free in Germany, Belgium or Austria (and unlock it with a VPN)
Azerbaijan is one of the races shown live and free in several European markets. Germany's RTL carries the Baku round free (it's on RTL's 2026 selected-race list), Belgium's RTBF Auvio streams every Grand Prix free, and Austria splits the whole season free across ORF (ORF On) and ServusTV (ServusTV On). These streams are geo-locked to each country, so if you're outside them, connect a VPN to a German, Belgian or Austrian server, open the broadcaster's app or site, and the live feed unlocks. Austria is the most reliable target since it shows the entire season free.
United Kingdom: Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4 highlights
In the UK, Sky Sports F1 is the exclusive live broadcaster and shows every session of the Azerbaijan GP — practice, qualifying and the race. If you don't have a Sky contract, NOW offers no-contract day or month passes for live access. Channel 4 carries free-to-air highlights of each round (typically the same evening), but it does not show Baku live — under the Sky/Channel 4 deal, the British GP at Silverstone is the only race broadcast live and free on Channel 4. UK fans abroad can use a VPN back to a UK server to reach Sky or NOW as normal.
United States: Apple TV (F1's new home)
For 2026, Apple TV is the exclusive US broadcaster, replacing ESPN and ABC, which no longer carry Formula 1. Every practice, qualifying and race — including the Azerbaijan GP — streams on Apple TV. Practice sessions and a handful of select races are free with just an Apple account, but most races, likely including Baku, require an Apple TV subscription. Helpfully, that subscription bundles F1 TV Premium at no extra cost. There's no traditional free broadcast-TV F1 feed in the US anymore. US fans travelling abroad can VPN back to a US server to use Apple TV.
Watching from abroad: your home feed via a VPN
Streaming services check your location and block their feed when you're outside the country, so a Brit in Baku or an American in Europe normally can't load their usual broadcaster. A VPN fixes this: pick a server in your home country, sign in to the service you already pay for, and you stream as if you were on your sofa. UK fans connect to a UK server for Sky or NOW, US fans to a US server for Apple TV, and anyone chasing a free feed connects to Austria, Belgium or Germany. Always use your own legitimate account.
Azerbaijan GP 2026 schedule and start times
Baku runs an unusual 2026 weekend: the race moves to Saturday 26 September (rather than the traditional Sunday) to avoid Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day, so everything shifts forward a day. Expect the first two practice sessions on Thursday, final practice and qualifying on Friday, and the Grand Prix on Saturday. There's no Sprint at Baku this year. Local time is AZT (UTC+4), which is well ahead of Western Europe and the Americas — so the race lands at UK time roughly three hours earlier than the Baku clock, and around eight hours earlier on the US East Coast (an afternoon-in-Baku start becomes a morning watch in the US). Check your broadcaster for exact session times closer to the weekend.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 — FAQ
Can I watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for free?
Yes. The 2026 Azerbaijan GP is shown live and free in several countries: Germany's RTL carries this round, Belgium's RTBF Auvio streams every race free, and Austria shows the whole season free across ORF and ServusTV. If you're outside those countries, connect a VPN to a German, Belgian or Austrian server and open the broadcaster's app to unlock the stream. In the UK, Channel 4 only shows highlights of Baku, not the live race; in the US there is no free broadcast feed, though Apple TV offers some races and all practice free.
Which VPN works best for streaming F1?
The best VPN for F1 is one with fast servers in the countries whose feeds you want — Austria, Belgium and Germany for free coverage, the UK for Sky/NOW, and the US for Apple TV — plus reliable unblocking of streaming apps and apps for your TV, phone and laptop. Speed matters for smooth HD during a live race. Our top-rated picks all unblock these broadcasters consistently and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test one risk-free before the Baku weekend. See our comparison table above for current rankings.
What time does the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix start?
The race is on Saturday 26 September 2026 — note it's a Saturday, not the usual Sunday, after F1 moved the date to avoid Azerbaijan's Remembrance Day. Baku is on AZT (UTC+4). Because Azerbaijan is ahead of Western Europe and the Americas, the race starts earlier on the clock for those viewers: roughly three hours earlier in UK time and about eight hours earlier on the US East Coast. Confirm the exact lights-out time with your broadcaster nearer the weekend.
Is it legal to use a VPN to watch Formula 1?
Using a VPN is legal in the UK, US, Australia, Canada and most countries, and it's a standard privacy tool. To watch F1, you should still sign in with your own legitimate subscription or account — a VPN simply lets you reach your home broadcaster, or a free public feed, while you're travelling. Accessing a service may be subject to its own terms, so use a paid account where one is required. A VPN doesn't make paid content free; it changes the server location your stream connects through.