How to watch the British Grand Prix 2020 for free
Watch this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone for FREE in the UK and anywhere else abroad
Six-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton returns home for the British Grand Prix, which takes place from Friday to Sunday this weekend. The Mercedes driver has won the race five times in the last six years, but this will be the first time that he’ll be driving without British fans cheering him on in the grandstands of the hallowed Silverstone Circuit in England. Thankfully, Hamilton’s fans in his home country can watch every minute of qualifying and the British Grand Prix for free this weekend in the UK.
While Sky Sports holds the broadcasting rights to the sport, Channel 4 has managed to retain its license to broadcast the home Grand Prix, which means that both channels will be broadcasting the race on UK TV. You can also live-stream the race on Now TV’s Sky Sports Pass, Channel 4’s 4oD and the official Formula 1 streaming service that launched in the UK this year, F1 TV.
Out of the three opening races so far of this season, Hamilton has won the last two in succession after being demoted to fourth place in the opening Grand Prix for a collision. In the last race at Hungary, the Brit became the first driver after F1 great Michael Schumacher to win a Grand Prix a record eight times. If he wins the Drivers Championship again this season, Hamilton will tie Schumacher with seven Formula 1 titles.
It’s the same story with the Constructor’s Championship where Mercedes already have a 66-point advantage over second-placed Red Bull because of Hamilton and partner Valtteri Bottas‘ dominance in the first three races. Bottas has finished on the podium in all three races – coming first, second and third in the first, second and third Grands Prix this season respectively.
F1 2020 Driver and Constructors Standings
Lewis Hamilton – 63
Valtteri Bottas – 58
Max Verstappen – 33
Lando Norris – 26
Alex Albon – 22
Mercedes – 121
Red Bull Racing – 55
McLaren – 40
Racing Point – 40
Ferrari – 27
When is the British Grand Prix 2020?
The British Grand Prix 2020 takes place from Friday (31 July) to Sunday (2 August) this weekend.
Friday, 1 July 2020
- Practice 1 starts at 11am, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 (from 10:30am) and Channel 4 (from 10:55am)
- Practice 2 starts at 3pm, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 (from 2:45pm) and Channel 4 (from 2:55pm)
Saturday, 1 August 2020
- Practice 3 starts at 11am, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 (from 10:45am) and Channel 4 (from 10:55am)
- Qualifying starts at 2pm, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4 from 1pm
Sunday, 2 August 2020
- The British Grand Prix starts at 2:10pm, with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 (from 12:30pm) and Channel 4 (from 1pm)
How to watch the British Grand Prix 2020 for FREE in the UK: Channel 4
While Sky Sports hold the broadcasting rights to all the races in the Formula One calendar, Channel 4 has managed to retain its broadcasting rights for the home Grand Prix, which means you only need to have a valid TV license to watch it.
This also means that you’ll be able to watch next weekend’s Anniversary Grand Prix – at the same Silverstone Circuit – for free on Channel 4 on TV and its live streaming service 4oD on your PC or mobile device.
How to watch the British Grand Prix 2020 in the UK: Sky Sports
The other way to watch live coverage of the British Grand Prix is in the UK is using Sky Sports. However, you can’t access that channel unless you first have Sky TV.
To get this, you’ll need to pay £22/mth for a Sky Q box, on top of a £20 one-off installation fee. This price is only for new customers and you will be tied to an 18-month contract.
If you’re based in the UK, then the best way to watch the British Grand Prix is Sky Sports. All the Formula One races this season are available as part of the wider sports package, which includes all eight Sky Sports Channels for £23/mth.
It’s worth noting that this price is only available to new customers, who are willing to commit to an 18-month contract. The non-contract price for an existing customer is a little higher at £30/mth.
How to live stream the British Grand Prix 2020: Now TV Sports Pass
If you don’t have Sky TV and don’t intend subscribing to its long-term contracts, then your best option is to purchase a Now TV Sky Sports Pass. Now TV is a subscription-based streaming service that lets you watch content broadcast on Sky TV live or after its broadcast.
Now TV has different passes based on what you want to watch. To watch the British Grand Prix and all of the other remaining races this season, you need to purchase Now TV with the Sky Sports Pass. There are two passes available, so you have a choice of how long you’d like access to the service for, and on which devices.
Sky Sports Day Pass for £8.99
Sky Sports Month Pass for £33.99
Note that the Day Pass limits your stream to 720p, whereas the Month Pass including a seven-day trial of Now TV Boost, which gives you full HD coverage and lets you stream content on up to three devices at the same time.
How to live stream the British Grand Prix 2020: F1 TV
With so many ways to watch the British Grand Prix, there’s no reason for you to miss out on what could be Hamilton’s seventh win at Silverstone. F1 TV is the official streaming service of the sport. It launched last year in many countries around the world, but officially launched in the UK for the delayed start this season.
The streaming service costs just £20/yr or £2.29/mth. Apart from access to every live race this season, you can access live leaderboard data, real-time telemetry data, team radio clips, live driver maps and more.
How to watch the British Grand Prix 2020 abroad: use a good VPN service
If you’re based outside the UK this weekend, then your only chance of watching the British Grand Prix is using a VPN service. Why, you ask? Well, most broadcasters geoblock their content, meaning you can’t access the Channel 4, Sky Sports or Now TV websites or apps outside the UK to watch the British Grand Prix.
To get around this restriction, you’ll need a VPN. This service basically makes your device think it’s browsing from another country to help you get around geoblocks. After choosing a good VPN (we’ve listed a few below), you will need to change your VPN location to the UK, then go to the Channel 4 website (or Now TV), login and stream the British Grand Prix as if you were watching from your couch in the UK.
READ NEXT: Best VPN services 2020
ExpressVPN: We’ve reviewed over 30 VPNs services, but we can’t recommend ExpressVPN highly enough. It’s our best VPN and for good reason. It has the fastest speeds over long distances, 24/7 customer support and a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee. Hardly anyone we know has asked for a refund because the service is actually that good. Even better, it works across a wide range of devices and you can use it on up to five devices at the same time.
NordVPN: NordVPN is our second-favourite VPN because it shares many of the great features of ExpressVPN, including fast speeds, a vast network of servers, 24/7 customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It works on six devices at the same time.