F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream 2023 — how to watch race free online right now

Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing RB19 will feature heavily in the F1 Saudi Arabia live stream
(Image credit: Eric Alonso / Getty Images)

Steady your expectations! When we watch the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream, we tune into a race with tons of potential. That's because Max Verstappen starts this race from a position he's not at all familiar with.

You'll be able to watch it play out online, so read on and we'll show you how to watch F1 live streams from anywhere with a VPN, potentially for FREE.

2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream: How to watch live online

The 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix starts at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. GMT today (Sunday, March 19) and 4 a.m. AEDT (Monday, March 20)
• FREE LIVE STREAM — Watch on RTL Zwee (Luxembourg) or ORF (Austria)
• U.K. — Watch on Sky Sports or Now
• U.S. — Watch on ESPN via Sling or Fubo.TV and ESPN Plus
• Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

Today, Verstappen does not start at pole position, as he's been used to, but 15th instead. This is due to his driveshaft failing in the second qualifying session. Max's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is in first. The rising Fernando Alonso is in second and George Russell in third. 

This was a great change of pace from the first three practices, where Verstappen took first each time. And so the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix should be mighty different than Bahrain, 

Because in the last race, Verstappen took the win. He'd even had the pole position advantage. His 36th victory, this season opener, felt all-too-familiar for those tired of his dominance.

As for second place, Max's teammate Sergio 'Checo' Perez took that, though he initially had to fight out with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for the spot. Leclerc would have to retire, from third position, who had two electronic control unit (ECU) issues on Sunday. Making matters worse, Leclerc will suffer a 10-place drop for breaching the two-ECU minimum.

Industry veteran Fernando Alonso, though, surprised the field by taking third. Over in the Mercedes lot? Well, Lewis Hamilton (who came in fifth with 10 points), is already talking about how the team didn't listen to his concerns over this year's car.

We'll find out soon how these practice and qualifying paces translate to the first GP of the season. Full schedule is below, and lights are out at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. GMT today (Sunday, March 19) and 4 a.m. AEDT (Monday, March 20). Make sure you don't miss a second of it by watching a Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream — potentially for FREE. 

Read on for details of how to watch, and don't forget to check out our full 2023 F1 live streams hub for more information including the full schedule for the season.

FREE Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live streams

How to watch the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream for FREE

If you're lucky enough to live in the Austria or Luxembourg then you can enjoy every second of the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream for FREE.

That's because the free-to-air RTL Zwee in Luxembourg will be showing every session of the Grand Prix, as will ORF in Austria. 

But what if you're usually based in one of those countries but aren't at home for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.

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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.

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 an Austrian service, you'd select Austria from the list.

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

2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live streams around the world

How to watch the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in the US

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As with every F1 race this season, the 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream will be shown on ESPN. Coverage will be spread across ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNEWS, with the race itself on ESPN and ESPN Plus.

There are several ways you can access ESPN — and two of them are among our picks for the best streaming services

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.  

As well as being available through your cable service, 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. 

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 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 the F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream from anywhere in the world. 

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If you're not already a Sling TV subscriber, you'll want Sling Orange in order to watch ESPN. This costs $40/month and includes dozens of other great channels. Recent deals have included 50% off for your first month.

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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 and ESPN2, plus other top networks including Bravo, FX and MTV.

How to watch the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in the UK

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As usual, Sky Sports F1 will show the 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream, and in up to 4K resolution. 

You'll need to be a Sky Sports subscriber to watch the F1 live streams: the Sky Sports F1 channel is available for £15 per month (Sky Q is required), 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 or Sky Glass and a package that includes both Ultra HD and Sky Sports F1. In total, that'd come to at least £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. For all 11 Sky Sports channels, you'll want the £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 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in Canada

Canadian flag

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TSN has the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in Canada in English, while RDS has coverage in French. F1 TV Pro also remains an option for fans. 

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 2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in Australia

Australian flag

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Fox Sports has the rights to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream in Australia, which means you can watch all the action 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 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix — Starting Grid

Swipe to scroll horizontally
PosDriverCar
1Sergio PerezRed Bull
2Fernando AlonsoAston Martin
3George RussellMercedes
4Carlos SainzFerrari
5Lance StrollAston Martin
6Esteban OconAlpine
7Lewis HamiltonMercedes
8Oscar PiastriMcLaren
9Pierre GaslyAlpine
10Nico HulkenbergHaas
11Zhou GuanyuAlfa Romeo
12Charles LeclercFerrari
13Kevin MagnussenHaas
14Valtteri BottasAlfa Romeo
15Max VerstappenRed Bull
16Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri
17Alexander AlbonWilliams
18Nyck de VriesAlphaTauri
19Lando NorrisMcLaren
20Logan SargeantWilliams

F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix schedule

2023 F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix live stream: Practice, qualifying and race weekend schedule

Max Verstappen of Red Bull

(Image credit: Red Bull / Getty)

The Saudi Arabia Grand Prix weekend begins Friday (March 17), with practice 1 and 2, with third practice and qualifying on Saturday (March 18) and the race on Sunday (March 19).

Friday, March 17

Practice 1

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ET
  • 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. PT 
  • 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. GMT
  • 12:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. AEDT

Practice 2

  • 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET
  • 10 a.m. – 11 a.m PT
  • 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. GMT
  • 4 a.m. - 5 a.m. AEDT

Saturday, March 18

Practice 3

  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ET
  • 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. PT 
  • 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. GMT
  • 12:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. AEDT

Qualifying

  • 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. ET
  • 10 a.m. – 11 a.m PT
  • 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. GMT
  • 4 a.m. - 5 a.m. AEDT

Sunday, March 19

Saudi Arabia Grand Prix

  • 1 p.m. ET
  • 10 a.m PT
  • 5 p.m. GMT
  • 4 a.m. AEDT

F1 2023 car and driver line-ups

Swipe to scroll horizontally
TeamDriver 1Driver 2
Red BullMax Verstappen Sergio Perez
FerrariCharles Leclerc Carlos Sainz
MercedesLewis Hamilton George Russell
AlpineEsteban Ocon Pierre Gasly
McLarenLando Norris Oscar Piastri
Aston MartinFernando Alonso Lance Stroll
Alfa RomeoValtteri Bottas Guanyu Zhou
Alpha TauriYuki Tsunoda Nyck de Vries
HaasKevin Magnussen Nico Hülkenberg
WilliamsAlex Albon Logan Sargeant

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Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.