Free Saudi Arabia F1 live stream: Where to watch this week's Formula 1 GP

There's a free Saudi Arabia F1 live stream available today, and if you miss the race, we've found an excellent extended highlights show, too.

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The second Formula One race of the season is almost here, and you're in the right place to see some fantastic racing with our guide on where to watch a free Saudi Arabia F1 live stream. No matter which country you're in, we'll ensure you don't miss out.

It's another Saturday race this weekend before we return to the usual Sunday slots for race three (March 24 - Australia). Speaking of other races, as detailed in our season-long free F1 live stream guide, we can help you watch every race this season via similar options to today's race. And if the free European live streams aren't for you, we thoroughly recommend the super-extended highlights show from the UK, as you get almost the entire race replayed - we've dedicated a whole section on this later in the article. 

If you've looked for local options on where to watch the Saudi Arabia GP online, you might have found it's locked away behind a premium sports streaming subscription or pricey cable package. Ask around internationally, though, like we have, and you'll see it's streaming free in some countries. 

That's where our guide comes in, as we can show you how to get around geo-restrictions that block viewers from watching outside the channel's base country. We'll dive into greater detail below, but essentially, if you want to join in from overseas, you'll need a VPN to spoof your viewing device's location to match the broadcast. It's super simple to get going, and you'll be able to use this same method to watch every race this season, along with even more free streaming opportunities like the below events:

• See also: Free Champions League Live stream | Free Six Nations live streams | Where to watch the Oscars for free | Free Concacaf Gold Cup live stream

Where to watch a free F1 live stream

This weekend's simplest option for a free Saudi Arabia F1 live stream is using a VPN to tune into one of the free European streams mentioned above. You don't get English commentary, but the data at the side of the screen provides a narrative in any language. Live driver comms with their teams are usually in English, too. You could also use an online text commentary site or BBC Radio 5 Live to keep up with events behind the scenes. The extended highlights show we mentioned is in English, too.

Our preferred option of all the best VPN providers is ExpressVPN, with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're unsatisfied. Better yet, you can get an extra three months for free and save 49% on a subscription. Check out our ExpressVPN review for more information on the security app. 

We used these F1 live streams throughout last season and have double-checked VPN compatibility with each channel's programming schedule today to ensure the race is on. These channels feature every race, except the Austrian option, as races alternate each weekend between ORF1 and ServusTV - ORF1 has the Saudi Arabia GP.

If you insist on English commentary, you could always take advantage of Fubo's 7-day free trial in the US. If you're outside the US and want to try this option, you'll need a VPN and a form of US payment.

How to watch free Saudi Arabia F1 live streams with a VPN

• Sign up for a VPN if you don't have one.
• Install it on the device you're using to watch the race.
• Turn it on and set it to a country with a free live stream.
• Head over to ORF1 (Austria) | RTBF (Belgium) | RTL2 (Luxembourg).
• Watch on the live sections of the sites.
• Race start: Today, 12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. GMT / 6 p.m. CET / 1 a.m. AWST.

Are there extended Saudi Arabia F1 highlights later?

In the UK, Channel 4 has an extended highlights show a few hours after the race today at 9:30 p.m. GMT (4:30 p.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. CET, 5:30 a.m. (Sun) AWST).

It's a lengthy one again this week, too, clocking in at an epic 150 minutes. While there is plenty of discussion and interviews before and after the race on this highlights show, a tremendous amount of time is dedicated to the race itself. For example, last week's live race time lasted about 92 minutes, and I timed the actual race highlights section of the show at 72 minutes. It's my preferred viewing option right now compared to forking out for a subscription service or watching it without English commentary. 

You'll also find these highlights available to watch on-demand the day after. That said, we sometimes notice that this version is a bit shorter than the usual highlights program.

You can tune in on the Channel 4 website online and use a VPN as outlined above to watch from outside the UK.

How to watch F1 Saudi Arabia live stream in the US

ESPN carries coverage of Formula 1 racing throughout the season. If you don't already have access to the channel, there are a couple of cord-cutting options for you to consider. Sling TV's Orange tier is usually $40 a month, but a special offer now sees that first month's price slashed to just $20. 

If you don't need such a comprehensive cord-cutting package, though, you might be better off picking up a subscription to ESPN+. That's only $10.99 per month and will carry most races this season - we can confirm the first three are on the current listings schedule.

Fubo TV also has ESPN, but is more expensive and usually $79.99. However, it's currently reduced to $59.99 monthly for your first two months as a special promo. It's packed with channels, though, and is a favorite amongst cord-cutting sports fans. Better yet, you can get a 7-day free trial, so enjoy the race for free and cancel your sub before the week is up if you don't want to keep it.

How to watch Saudi Arabia F1 live stream in the UK

Want a free option? Channel 4 runs an excellent extended highlights show (see above) a few hours after each race, which is a solid alternative given the length of the show. They even do qualifying highlights a few hours after that wraps up the day before, too.

If you really want to see everything live, a Sky Sports deal is your best bet, and this is a great way to get it in glorious 4K, too. Sky has every race weekend covered, so you won't need to hop around between it and networks like TNT like you do for the Premier League.

If you don't want a traditional TV contract, though, and would prefer a monthly option that you can drop whenever you want, Sky's Now TV offshoot has a Sky Sports tier that costs £11.99 for a day pass, or £34.99 a month, although there's a promo on at the moment that drops that price to £21.99 for the next 12 months.

The main appeal of Now TV is it runs on a rolling one-month contract, but if you need it every week, it's arguably a better deal to get a proper Sky Sports package as you'll get way more bang for your buck. Also, Now TV is still operating in the dark ages and has the gall to charge extra for HD in 2024.

If you're craving an English F1 live stream from overseas, though, the online-only Now TV is at least compatible with a VPN.

Note: Using VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.