The season opener at Albert Park is one of the most anticipated races in years. New regulations, new cars, and a completely reshuffled grid — nobody knows who’s going to be on top when the lights go out on Sunday. Lando Norris arrives as world champion, but Mercedes and Ferrari both looked strong in testing. You won’t want to miss it.
Luckily, you don’t have to spend a cent to watch the F1 Australian Grand Prix online. You can catch the free live stream on ServusTV (Austria), RTBF Auvio (Belgium), RTL Zwee (Luxembourg), SRF zwei (Switzerland), or 10Play (Australia). All channels are 100% free and most don’t even require an account.
| Date and time | Sunday, March 8 — 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT / 4:00 AM GMT / 5:00 AM CET |
| Free channels | ServusTV (Austria), RTBF Auvio (Belgium), RTL Zwee (Luxembourg), SRF zwei (Switzerland), 10Play (Australia) |
| Stream the race from anywhere with NordVPN | Watch the Australian GP with NordVPN |
Watch the Australian GP with NordVPN
How to Watch the F1 Australian GP on Free Channels
ServusTV, RTBF Auvio, RTL Zwee, SRF zwei, and 10Play are all licensed to broadcast within their respective countries. This means being outside Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, or Australia will produce an error message.
Each platform has an IP-detection system that enforces the geo-restriction. If your IP address doesn’t match the right country, the stream is simply unavailable. The goal is therefore to get an IP address from one of these countries — and that’s exactly what a VPN does.
The commentary language varies by channel. ServusTV and SRF broadcast in German, RTBF Auvio in French, RTL Zwee in Luxembourgish. 10Play is the only free option with English commentary — but it’s an Australian platform, useful if you’re an Aussie traveling abroad. It also airs the Australian GP specifically, since it’s a home race. For the rest of the season, the European channels are your best bet.
People online consistently mention NordVPN as their go-to choice for this.
How to Watch the Australian Grand Prix Online With NordVPN
NordVPN works by replacing your real IP address with one from a country of your choice. Connect to an Austrian server, and ServusTV sees a local visitor. Connect to a Belgian server, and RTBF Auvio opens without issue. Want English commentary? Pick an Australian server and head straight to 10Play.
NordVPN has servers in all five countries. It also comes with unlimited bandwidth for streaming, fast connection speeds, and apps for all devices — phones, tablets, laptops, and Smart TVs.
All you have to do is subscribe, launch the app, and pick your country from the server list. Once connected, go to the free channel of your choice and the stream works immediately. No account needed on most platforms.
NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee makes the whole thing risk-free. When the race is done, contact support and get your money back. Since the channels are free and NordVPN is fully refunded, you end up spending nothing. NordVPN currently costs $3.39 per month on a two-year plan — but with the refund, the Australian GP costs you zero.
Should I Just Pay for the Livestream?
Paid platforms also broadcast the Australian Grand Prix. Apple TV+ now holds the exclusive F1 rights in the US at $12.99 per month. In the UK, Sky Sports requires a full TV package. In Australia, Kayo Sports starts at $30 per month.
The problem is the same as always. These platforms are expensive, most don’t offer a free trial, and they’re region-locked on top of that — which means you’d still need a VPN anyway. If you’re paying for a VPN regardless, it’s far more practical to use it to access a free channel.
With the method above, the stream is free, the VPN is refunded, and you’re not locked into any subscription. The choice should be obvious.
Will Free VPN Services Work?
No. Free VPNs don’t have servers in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, or Switzerland. Without a local server, there’s no way to get the right IP address and unblock the stream.
They have other downsides too. Free services cap your bandwidth and throttle speeds — neither of which works for a two-hour live race. They also tend to log your data. With NordVPN’s 30-day refund policy available, there’s no point trying free alternatives that won’t get the job done.
Try NordVPN Risk-Free for 30 Days
F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026: Full Weekend Schedule
Whether you’re watching just the race or the full weekend, here are all the session times across time zones:
| Event | Date | AEDT | GMT | CET | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Friday, March 6 | 12:30 | 01:30 | 02:30 | 8:30 PM (Thu) |
| Practice 2 | Friday, March 6 | 16:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 12:00 AM |
| Practice 3 | Saturday, March 7 | 12:30 | 01:30 | 02:30 | 8:30 PM (Fri) |
| Qualifying | Saturday, March 7 | 16:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 12:00 AM |
| Race | Sunday, March 8 | 15:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 11:00 PM (Sat) |
By the way, the same trick works for streaming every other F1 race — and MotoGP — for free throughout the season.
Source: gizmodo.com
