After an incident-packed 2025 F1 season opener in Melbourne last weekend, it’s a quick turnaround for the teams and drivers as they head to Shanghai for Sunday’s Chinese GP.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the race as it happens, wherever you’re in the world, and how to use a VPN if they’re not available where you’re.
Last weekend’s Australian GP saw McLaren’s Lando Norris negotiate heavy rain to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen into second place and claim victory.
Lewis Hamilton will, meanwhile, be hoping for a better outcome this weekend after his debut for Ferrari at Albert Park last Sunday ended with a disappointing 10th-place finish.
The Chinese GP takes place at Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, March 23, at 3 p.m. CST local time, which is 7 a.m. GMT in the UK. In the US and Canada, it’s a 3 a.m. ET and 12 a.m. PT start in the early hours of Sunday morning. For viewers in Australia it’s a 6 p.m. AEDT start on Sunday evening. The race will air in the US on ESPN and ESPN Plus.
The entire race weekend, including practice sessions and qualifying, will be shown in the US on ESPN’s family of TV and streaming networks. Folks looking to follow all of it will need access to the ABC and ESPN news channels on cable or live TV streaming services, or the ESPN Plus streaming service. We’ve broken down everything you need to know, including how to use a VPN, to stream today’s race, and all the other F1 races this season.
Lando Norris tops the early Drivers Championship standings after managing to hold off Max Verstappen for victory in last weekend’s Australian GP.
Livestream the Chinese GP in the US
Every Formula One race during the 2025 season will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. All practice and qualifying sessions and all F1 Sprint events will also be broadcast. This race will be broadcast on ESPN.
Selected races will stream on ESPN Plus, featuring two alternate streams for all races (Driver Tracker and mixed onboard cameras).
Whether you have cable, ESPN’s standalone streaming service is great for casual fans of F1 and is a must-have accessory for fanatics. It costs $12 a month or $120 a year.
If you’re an F1 fan who’s also looking to get your Disney fix, the Disney trio bundle (Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus) might end up being an even better buy. It’s great for fans who love catching the parts of the race weekend that typically air on EPSN2 or ESPNews, and also want the latest Marvel movies or Star Wars shows.
If you’re a diehard fan of motorsports and Formula Series racing, ESPN Plus might not be for you, given that it rarely covers F2, F3 or Porsche Supercar racing. That’s why ESPN Plus is ideal for casual fans who enjoy catching a race every once in a while or fans who don’t want or need all of the extra bells and whistles of F1 TV but want to beef up their coverage options.
Read our full review of ESPN Plus.
Sling TV’s Orange plan includes ESPN and ABC (via ESPN3). Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live.
Fubo costs at least $92 per month when you factor in the RSN fees it charges. Fubo’s base plan costs $80, but it charges an extra $12 per month if you get one RSN or $15 per month if you have two or more in your area. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
How to watch the Chinese GP online from anywhere with a VPN
If you can’t view Formula One action locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic. It’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year)Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 35% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100, you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to livestream the Chinese GP in the UK
F1 in the UK is shown on Sky Sports and Channel 4. Sky Sports airs the races, practice rounds and qualifying, while free-to-air Channel 4 offers highlights that broadcast after the day’s action. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the race via its app, but cord-cutters can watch Sky TV with unlimited Sky Sports on a Now TV membership.
Sky subsidiary Now offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership.
You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 per month right now.
Livestream the Chinese GP in Canada
Canadian F1 fans can watch every GP this season, including this race, on TSN and its streaming service, TSN Plus. Existing TSN cable subscribers can also watch at no extra charge using the details of their TV provider.
TSN Plus is a direct-streaming service that costs CA$8 a month and also offers coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, NASCAR and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
Livestream the Chinese GP in Australia
Grands Prix can be watched Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you’re not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports.
A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.
The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.
Better still, if you’re a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.