Watch Formula 1 abroad

Formula 1 is the highest class of motorsport when it comes to so-called single-seaters. F1 has been a beloved sport to watch for decades. Formula 1 is more popular than ever in the Netherlands. This is mainly due to the successes that compatriot Max Verstappen has had with Red Bull Racing in recent seasons, with the world title won last season as the final reward as an excellent result. Around the world, no less than 108.7 million people watched the thrilling outcome of Abu Dhabi, where Verstappen snatched the title ahead of rival Lewis Hamilton on the final lap. In the Netherlands, the last Grand Prix of the 2021 season attracted nearly 5 million viewers. This is a national record for F1 viewing figures.

Emissions

Television rights are a major source of income for Formula 1. They contribute significantly to the turnover of more than 2 billion euros (!) that Formula 1 competition generates in one year. Nowadays, most live broadcasts are done through commercial parties. In the Netherlands it was by Ziggo until this season. From this season, Viaplay will be the one with the rights to broadcast Formula 1 live. You can always contact Ziggo Sport for summaries. Studio Sport is also broadcasting a summary via the open channel NPO 1.

Look abroad

Due to broadcast rights, you can’t just watch Formula 1 matches anywhere. By applying region blocking, viewing from abroad is limited. This way you can see the same thing within the European Union that you can see in the Netherlands. There is a “but” to this. The Swedish streaming service Viaplay recently got into the VPN battle. It is therefore difficult for anyone using a VPN to start Viaplay and watch Formula 1.

Sometimes Viaplay blocks even if you are not using a VPN yourself. For example, I was recently in the French city of Strasbourg. Viaplay should just work there. Still, I got a message that the app couldn’t be opened because I was using a VPN. Apparently the hotel WiFi was VPN or went through a VPN. I ended up watching the game over the mobile network data connection.

F1TV Pro

In addition to Viaplay, Formula 1’s own streaming service also offers live match viewing. With F1 TV Pro you can not only in the Netherlands, but in many other countries broadcast F1 races. Think Aruba, Kenya, Mexico and the United States. For F1 enthusiasts, a subscription to F1 TV Pro is probably the best option to watch Formula 1 abroad.