The Belgian Grand Prix is another opportunity for revenge over at Ferrari, and a chance for Mercedes to cement their lead in the rankings. The eagerly anticipated event starts with free practices in August. One thing’s for sure — you don’t want to miss what could be the culmination of a truly intense F1 season. And if you follow our walkthrough, you won’t. So how can you watch the Belgian Grand Prix online and — even better — for free? Stick around to find out, because we have a simple, detailed guide on getting live coverage of the race. All you need is access to RTL and a solid VPN to bypass the geoblocks in your way. We’ll even tell you how to get a premium VPN without paying anything! Easy, right? We offer a more in-depth guide on accessing RTL via TV Now below.
Get Live F1 Coverage with TV Now and a VPN
RTL is a sure bet for watching every single F1 race until 2023. Unfortunately, the German broadcaster doesn’t offer a direct live stream. The good news is that you can still watch RTL online. You’ll have to do it via TV Now, which takes care of providing an RTL live stream instead. Why do you need a VPN for TV Now? Two reasons — the subscription process must be made from Germany, and you have to appear as if you’re using the service within Germany as well. So, TV Now is geographically restricted. This is where VPNs come into play. With a VPN, you’ll be able to obtain a German IP address. By using that IP address to register and claim your free trial, you trick TV Now into believing that you’re subscribing from Germany when you could be located anywhere in the world. NOTE: While you can technically use TV Now in other countries (like the US) as long as you register from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Luxembourg, Formula 1 coverage is available for German customers only. This is due to licensing restrictions — similarly to Netflix. If your VPN is reliable enough to get past detection and fast enough to support HD streaming, you can easily get a free trial on TV Now and catch all the action in the F1 Belgian Grand Prix come August. CyberGhost is a great choice here — it has great speeds, over 350 German servers, a pre-configured profile for streaming, and a 45-day money-back guarantee. With that said, VPNs aren’t just about unblocking content. They work wonders for your privacy and security online, too — check out our beginner’s guide if you want to learn more about VPNs.
The Best VPNs for Streaming the F1 Belgian Grand Prix
We’ve given you a couple of suggestions along the way — here’s a more in-depth list of VPNs you can trust to get past geoblocks and grant you smooth access to geographically restricted content.
1. CyberGhost
This VPN is the easiest VPN to use when it comes to streaming blocked content. All you need to do is type in the website you want to access, and CyberGhost does all of the work for you. Between that, it’s great security, a free 7-day trial for iOS and Android, and a 45-day money-back guarantee, you really can’t go wrong. Get CyberGhost Now
2. ExpressVPN
The fastest VPN out there, ExpressVPN will ensure you get to watch every second of the Belgian Grand Prix without a problem. Plus, the 30-day money-back guarantee means that you can try it out without any risk. Get ExpressVPN Now
3. Private Internet Access (PIA)
Probably the most popular VPN, PIA has a reputation for great streaming and unblocking content all over the world. They only offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, but you’ll know by then that this VPN works for you. Get PIA Now
4. PrivateVPN
Although not as well known as some other VPNs, trust us when we say this VPN is worthwhile. For a great price, you get top-notch security, streaming capabilities all over the world, and fast speeds. We’re also a big fan of the on-site customer support they have, which is really handy for beginners. PrivateVPN also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get PrivateVPN Now Surely, you’ll be interested in absolutely free VPNs. While you can always try your luck with such services, keep in mind that they aren’t guaranteed to work with this method — or any method, really. Unblocking content requires specific features free VPNs often lack because of limited resources. There are more downsides — from annoying ads laced with malware to alarming privacy risks due to shady logging policies. Remember that with VPNs, you often pay with something else if it isn’t money. But you don’t have to worry about any of that, because you can get a free premium VPN for a limited time! Most reputable providers offer a lengthy, full-satisfaction money-back guarantee, and you can take advantage of it for a hassle-free refund. Once you see what a VPN can do for you however, you might just decide to keep it — and you would be making a wise choice.
Other Ways to Watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix Online
With some lateral thinking and a VPN, you can get free, live, and HD coverage of the F1 Grand Prix in Belgium via TV Now. But keep in mind that RTL’s commentary will be in German. Now, that isn’t a huge issue — many will agree that commentary isn’t the highlight of Formula 1 races, and you can always mute the stream if you don’t understand the language. But what if you really want English coverage? Below you’ll find a few alternatives — please note that they may come with specific requirements or extra costs.
Watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix for FREE on ESPN+
US broadcast rights for the 2018 Formula 1 season belong to ABC and ESPN, but the latter has a neat live streaming platform — ESPN+. The cherry on top is the free trial you can use to watch for free:
Don’t retire your VPN just yet, because you’ll need it here as well — this time, to connect to a server in the United States. That’s because ESPN+ is geographically restricted:
The process is very similar to the one we described earlier. Here’s a guide: IMPORTANT: ESPN+ requires an American credit card in order to subscribe and redeem the free trial. If you don’t have an American credit card, you won’t be able to make an account.
Watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix on ESPN Without an American Credit Card
There’s another way to watch ESPN, and it doesn’t require an American credit card — but it isn’t free. We’re talking about Sling TV — similar to TV Now and RTL, this TV streaming service gives you ESPN coverage online, for a price. It’s geoblocked outside the US and, like ESPN, has credit card restrictions. However, you can use a VPN for the former issue, and PayPal for the latter. We have a simple guide on how to get Sling TV from anywhere — check it out here. Once you’re done, you’ll have ESPN despite the pesky credit card requirement, so you can prepare to watch the big race in August!
Watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix on Sky Sports
Another way to watch the Belgian Grand Prix online is on Sky Sports. The best way to do that is via Now TV (not to be confused with TV Now!), as it offers relatively cheap daily and weekly passes for Sky Sports without any contracts. You’ll still need a VPN for this method, as Now TV is only available in the UK:
Here’s how it goes:
Stream the F1 Belgian Grand Prix in Glorious HD — for FREE!
There are plenty of ways to tune in to the thrilling F1 Grand Prix in Belgium this August. But if you want to watch for free, you can use your VPN in tandem with TV Now for great zero-cost coverage! Remember: a VPN can help you access all kinds of otherwise-restricted content. If you have your own list of geoblocked streams or channels that will be broadcasting the event, you can unlock them regardless of your current location! Who doesn’t love a good deal? Check out the hottest VPN offers, but act quickly — they’re only up for a limited period!
To summarize, the best VPNs to watch the F1 Belgian Grand Prix from anywhere in 2023 are…
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