F1 British Grand Prix live stream: How to watch, start time, channel

The F1 British Grand Prix live stream is almost upon us and Red Bull's Max Verstappen will be looking to further extend his championship lead after once again claiming pole position.

Verstappen beat Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to first on the grid after winning the inaugural F1 Sprint qualifying race yesterday (July 17) at Silverstone.

By winning the 17-lap, 100km race the young Dutchman not only claimed pole for the Grand Prix today, but also scored three championship points to Hamilton's two — meaning he now leads the drivers' table by 33 points.

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The starting order for the Sprint race was determined by qualifying on Friday, and there Hamilton had thrilled a crowd of 86,000 by coming out on top. But he made a slow start in the Sprint, and despite threatening Verstappen a couple of times in the opening lap was thereafter unable to get close to the superior Red Bull.

Behind him, Valtteri Bottas claimed third, with Charles Leclerc a creditable fourth and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and sixth. Williams' George Russell was a superb ninth, but was rather harshly docked three places for causing a collision in the Sprint.

It's all set up nicely for the race itself — and you can watch it all online via an F1 British Grand Prix live stream. Read on to find out how to do just that.

How to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream from outside your country

It's natural that you might want to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there when the race is on?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. Or anywhere that has an internet connection, at least.

For instance, a Brit who's currently in the U.S. could watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream on Channel 4's All 4 player, even though they're not in the U.K. 

They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Safety, speed and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. It's also compatible with loads of devices and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it out.

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to All 4 or another website and watch the race.

How to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in the US

ESPN is the place to turn for the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in the U.S., and there are several ways you can access it.

As well as being available through your cable service across the weekend, you can also stream the race via the ESPN app, or on the Watch section of ESPN's website. However, you'll need to authenticate with your satellite, cable or live TV provider credentials to watch any sessions. Also note that Formula 1 is not available on ESPN Plus, ESPN's standalone streaming service; you need access to live ESPN channels.

ESPN is available through most cable packages as well as cable TV replacement services, including Sling TV, Fubo.TV, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. Either way, coverage of the big race starts at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday. 

If you don't want to pay for live ESPN in some fashion or another, your best alternative is F1 TV Pro. This is F1's own official F1 live stream service, and as with ESPN's own coverage, it uses the feed from Sky Sports F1. 

F1 TV Pro costs $10 per month or $80 for the season, which is much better value considering there are set to be 23 races this year. Plus you also get Formula 2, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup races, and F1's archive of classic Grands Prix.

And remember, if you're usually based in the U.S. but aren't there at the moment, you can still watch the services you already subscribe to via a VPN such as ExpressVPN — meaning you can view an F1 live stream from anywhere in the world. 

If you're not already a Sling TV subscriber, you'll want Sling Orange in order to watch ESPN. This costs $35/month and includes dozens of other great channels. 

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Love sports? Then check out Fubo.TV. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front. The channel lineup includes ESPN, plus other top networks including Bravo, FX and MTV.

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How to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in the UK

British F1 fans have an extra option this weekend, with Channel 4 having full coverage of the entire three-day British Grand Prix action.

That means you can watch both practice sessions, standard and sprint qualifying and the race itself via its online All 4 portal. It's all totally free, though you can pay an upgrade fee if you wish to remove adverts.

Of course, Sky Sports F1 will also show all of the British Grand Prix action, and in up to 4K resolution. 

You'll need to be a Sky Sports subscriber to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream: the Sky Sports F1 channel is available for £18 per month, and there are packages available that give you lots more channels for only a bit extra. 

To follow it in ultra high-definition 4K, you'll need to pay a little more: you'll need a Sky Q set-top box and a package that includes both Ultra HD and Sky Sports F1. In total, that'd come to £45 a month, plus a £20 one-off payment if you're not an existing subscriber.

A far cheaper option is to buy a Now Sports Pass. This will give you all 11 of the Sky Sports channels for a limited time, with pricing starting at £9.99 for a Day Pass and £33.99 for one month. There's no 4K available here though.

Again, if you're usually based in the U.K. but are elsewhere at the moment, you can still watch the services you subscribe to by using one of the best VPN services.

How to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in Canada

TSN airs all Formula 1 races in Canada in English, while RDS has coverage in French. F1 TV Pro also remains an option for fans looking for an F1 live stream. 

All sessions are broadcast on TSN, and if you receive the network through your cable or satellite provider, you can use TSN Go by signing in with your TV service credentials. Cord-cutters will want to check out TSN Direct, which comes in day- and month-long passes for $8 or $20 CAD, respectively. The TSN app will allow you to live stream the race from your phone, streaming box or supported device.

Not actually in Canada at the moment? ExpressVPN and other VPN services can help you access the services you already subscribe to.

How to watch the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in Australia

Fox Sports has the rights to the F1 British Grand Prix live stream in Australia, which means you can watch the 2021 British Grand Prix online via Foxtel. 

Kayo Sports is another option. This service offers new subscribers a 14-day free trial, while one-month subscriptions start at $25. 

You can also use one of the best VPN services to follow the action from your home country even when you're elsewhere.

F1 British Grand Prix live stream: Practice, qualifying, sprint qualifying and race weekend schedule

The British Grand Prix weekend takes a different format from any previous GP, with sprint qualifying entering the mix.

The Grand Prix started on Friday (July 16) with the first practice session and standard qualifying to determine the grid for the Sprint race, while second practice and the Sprint qualifying session were yesterday. 

The race itself will take place today (Sunday, July 18). Here's the full schedule:

Friday, July 16

• Practice 1: 9.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. ET (6.30 a.m. – 7.30 a.m PT / 2.30 p.m. – 3.30 p.m. BST)
• Qualifying: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET (10 a.m. – 11 a.m PT / 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. BST)

Saturday, July 17

• Practice 2: 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. ET (4 a.m. – 5 a.m PT / 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. BST)
• Sprint qualifying: 11.30 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET (8.30 a.m. – 9 a.m PT / 4.30 p.m. – 5 p.m. BST)

Sunday, July 18

Race: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET (7 a.m. – 9 a.m PT / 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. BST)

F1 British Grand Prix: Starting grid

F1 British Grand Prix — current driver standings

F1 2021 car and driver line-ups

Full 2021 F1 calendar