Formula One is trying something different this season.
It started with Netflix streaming the Bahrain race. A weird pivot, maybe. But effective. Then came Drive to Survive showing up everywhere. Now?
You can watch the entire Austrian Grand Prix weekend for free on Apple TV. No subscription. No credit card. Just… open the app and watch.
Is it the Kim Kardashian factor? Probably. Hamilton is dating her, after all. And she shows up to his races. It helps. But let’s be honest—the streaming deal is the real story.
Hamilton is in Ferrari this year. He sits in second place in the championship, right behind Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. Interesting, right? Antonelli leading the table while the legend chases him? That’s a narrative writers kill for. George Russell, Charles Lecler, and Lando Norris round out the top five. The hierarchy is shaking up.
One of the most exciting storylines in sports is watching the established king get dethroned by the unproven.
But back to the viewing logistics.
F1 isn’t just a Sunday afternoon nap. It’s a weekend of frantic qualifying laps, strategy meetings that play out in real time, and practice sessions where the cars sound like angry hornets. You can catch all of it. From Friday’s first practice to Sunday’s checkered flag.
Here is how it breaks down:
- The Venue: Red Bull Ring. It’s in the Styrian hills. Beautiful. Fast. Dangerous if you get distracted.
- The Cost: Zero dollars. Seriously. Apple TV usually holds these rights behind a paywall, but for this specific event, they cracked it wide open.
So why bother?
Maybe because the racing is good this year. The field is tight. Any car can win if they don’t crash. Or maybe because watching Hamilton try to keep up with Antonelli feels like watching history being written in high definition.
The Schedule
Times are ET. Don’t blame us if you miss qualifying because you were doing PT math wrong.
Friday, June 26
– 7:30 a.m. – Practice 1 (Apple TV)
– 11:00 a.m. – Practice 2 (Apple TV)
Saturday, June 27
– 6:30 a.m. – Practice 3 (Apple TV)
– 10:00 a.m. – Qualifying (Apple TV) – This matters. Pole position dictates Sunday’s narrative.
Sunday, June 28
– 9:00 a.m. – The Grand Prix (Apple TV)
– This is 6:00 a.m. for the West Coast. Coffee is mandatory.
You don’t need a cable bundle. You don’t need to argue with a customer service bot in another country. Just download the app.
Hamilton is fighting for a title. Antonelli is proving he’s the real deal. Leclerc wants his team’s first win since Monaco.
Everyone has a reason to be fast.
Do you really need an excuse to watch cars go in circles at 200 miles per hour? Probably not.
The screen loads. The grid lights up. And somewhere, a mechanic wonders if they torqued the wheels tight enough.
