F1 streaming: how to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix live?

It’s about time: after a break of several months, Formula 1 fans will once again be able to taste the joy of tarmac, squealing tires and… Max Verstappen’s victories. The Red Bull driver has just won three championship titles in a row and is expected to dominate the season once again. With Ferrari and Mercedes in ambush. This 2024 season will be the longest in history, with 24 races.

During the off-season, we learned that Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion, will leave Mercedes at the end of the season. He will drive for Ferrari from 2025, which could reduce a few cards if the Italian team manages to catch up with Red Bull.

To watch Formula 1 in France, you need a subscription, knowing that several options are available to those who want to follow all the F1 Grands Prix.

The F1 program for the Bahrain GP

This week is the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first round of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Here is the broadcast schedule:

• Free practice 1 on Thursday February 29 at 12:30 p.m. on Canal+ Sport;
• Free practice 2 on Thursday February 29 at 4 p.m. on Canal+ Sport;
• Free practice 3 on Friday March 1 at 1:30 p.m. on Canal+ Sport;
• Qualifications on Friday March 1 at 4 p.m. on Canal+ Sport;
• Race on Saturday March 2 at 4 p.m. on Canal+.

How to watch the F1 Grands Prix for free in France?

Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to watch an entire Formula 1 season without paying anything. This was the case several years ago, when TF1 had the broadcasting rights. Today, it is Canal+ which has taken over from TF1 and the group sees the discipline as an argument for people to take out a subscription.

With the aim of democratizing the discipline, there are still Grands Prix which are offered unencrypted – including the events in France and Monaco.

Please note for our readers living in Belgium that RTBF offers Formula 1 free of charge to residents of Belgium. If you receive the Belgian channel, this is a possible solution. The F1 Grands Prix are also visible for free if you live in Switzerland, thanks to RTS. The channel, free of charge, has exclusive rights to broadcast F1 in Switzerland.

How to watch the F1 Grands Prix live in France?

The only way to watch F1 live in France on television is through Canal+, which offers various subscription offers. Remember that the channel does not only offer Formula 1. Depending on the formula chosen, you can also watch football or the NBA (via beIN Sports). Without forgetting films and series.

Canal+ has the broadcast rights to Formula 1 (the agreement was recently extended until 2029), and has done so for several seasons now. It offers a very strong editorial line, with, every weekend, a real dive into the world of Formula 1. Canal+ broadcasts tests, qualifying, the race and thematic programs (debriefing, reports, interviews, etc.). There is complete monitoring, with journalists and consultants specializing in the discipline. Big news for 2024? Conversations with the pit wall, with comments collected live from certain team bosses.

Canal+ also offers 4K UHD quality for racing, as long as you have the appropriate internet connection (25Mb/s) and compatible hardware (Canal+ decoder, Apple TV 4K, Orange UHD TV decoder, Bbox 4K, Freebox Pop, Samsung Smart TV, Sony TVs, Nvidia Shield). In the Champions League final, the quality was there. Note that the MyCanal application provides access to an expert mode with on-board cameras, Grand Prix rating, best moments of the race or even live timing.

Canal+ also allows races to be replayed, and allows you to enjoy other sporting disciplines, including motor sports (F2, F3, MotoGP), among other programs (series, films). It is necessary to have access to the Canal+ Sport channel to see everything.

Last thing to know: for this 2024 season, certain Canal+ offers integrate the F1 TV Pro application. It gives access to other cameras, archives or even a stream without comments.

How to watch Formula 1 without Canal Plus with F1 TV?

Formula 1 obviously has its own subscription, called F1 TV, to allow aficionados not to miss anything. Two plans are available: F1 TV Access (€26.99 per year), which only offers replays, or F1 TV Pro (accessible in Canal+), which allows you to experience the various events live (in addition to accessing the replays).

Formula 1 provides access to all the sessions that punctuate a racing weekend (testing, qualifying, races), as well as on-board cameras (20 in total), exclusive documentaries and even archives. You can also benefit from live timing with detailed information for experts (telemetry, radio conversations, tire wear). In addition to Formula 1, F1 TV allows you to follow three other disciplines (F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup).

The F1 TV app is available on web browser, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, Google TV and Chromecast.

Here’s what F1 TV Access and F1 TV Pro offer :

How to watch practice and qualifying for an F1 GP live?

The Canal+ channel offers all the live highlights of a Formula 1 weekend, including tests which allow drivers to prepare their cars, and qualifying, which determines the starting grid.

How does a Formula 1 weekend take place?

A classic Formula 1 weekend takes place as follows:

• Two practice sessions on Friday;
• A practice session and qualifying on Saturday;
• The Grand Prix on Sunday.

During the season, there are weekends where the program is slightly shaken up with the integration of a sprint race. In this case, the organization is as follows:

• A practice session and qualifying for the sprint on Friday;
• The sprint race and qualifying for the race on Saturday;
• The normal race on Sunday.

Where can I find a summary of the previous season?

Please note, Netflix does not allow you to watch Formula 1 races. However, the SVOD platform allows you to (re)immerse yourself behind the scenes of previous seasons thanks to the excellent series Drive to Survive (Formula 1: Drivers of Their Destiny). With a freedom of tone that is quite unprecedented for such a modest environment, the program offers a fairly complete summary of previous races, with interventions from the main protagonists (drivers, specialist journalists, team directors), highlights and a certain talent for dramatization . It’s an excellent way to discover the discipline or refresh your memory, especially since the production is of excellent quality. It’s a shame that some drivers don’t play the game, like Max Verstappen.

What is the schedule for the 2024 Formula 1 season?

• Bahrain GP (February 28, 4 p.m.)
• Saudi Arabian GP (March 9, 6 p.m.)
• Australian GP (March 24, 5 a.m.)
• Japanese GP (April 7, 7 a.m.)
• Chinese GP (April 21, 9 a.m.), with sprint
• Miami GP (May 5, 10 p.m.), with sprint
• Emilia-Romagna GP (May 19, 3 p.m.)
• Monaco GP (May 26, 3 p.m.)
• Canadian GP (June 9, 8 p.m.)
• Spanish GP (June 23, 3 p.m.)
• Austrian GP (June 30, 3 p.m.), with sprint
• British GP (July 7, 4 p.m.)
• Hungarian GP (July 21, 3 p.m.)
• Belgian GP (July 28, 3 p.m.)
• Dutch GP (August 25, 3 p.m.)
• Italian GP (September 1, 3 p.m.)
• Azerbaijan GP (September 15, 1 p.m.)
• Singapore GP (September 22, 2 p.m.)
• United States GP (October 20, 9 p.m.), with sprint
• Mexican GP (October 27, 9 p.m.)
• Brazilian GP (November 3, 6 p.m.), with sprint
• Las Vegas GP (November 24, 7 a.m.)
• Qatar GP (December 1, 6 p.m.), with sprint
• Abu Dhabi GP (December 8, 2 p.m.)

What SVOD service is right for you?
Netflix, Disney+, Canal+, OCS: the 2024 comparison of SVOD offers in France
Discover our comparison

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