The new Formula 1 season has already started, but some changes in broadcasting rights in our country have made many people wonder – where to watch F1 in the 2023 campaign? To dispel any doubts, in this text I will give you each of the options for following the races of the new season of the “Queen of Motorsport”.
Where to watch F1? All options for the 2023 season
Where to watch F1 in the new season?
The first is behind us Grand Prix of the new Formula 1 seasonheld in Bahrain. Max Verstappen and his team Red Bull Racing emerged victorious from the competition in the Middle East. Nevertheless, F1 fans who did not follow the latest media reports, searching for the broadcast of the latest event, could be very surprised.
At last on Polish television, we will no longer see Formula 1 on Eleven Sports. Nevertheless, there are at least a few legal options for watching the “Queen of Motorsport” in our country, so in this guide I will try to answer the question as thoroughly as possible – where to watch F1 in the 2023 season? But before we get to that, it’s worth taking a look at the race schedule.
Where to watch F1? Race schedule
- Bahrain GP – March 5
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – March 19
- Australian Grand Prix – April 2
- Azerbaijan GP – April 30
- GP Miami – May 7
- Emilia Romagna GP – May 21
- Monaco GP – May 28
- Spanish GP – June 4
- Canadian Grand Prix – June 18
- Austrian GP – July 2
- British GP – July 9
- Hungarian Grand Prix – July 23
- Belgian GP – July 30
- Dutch GP – August 28
- Italian GP – September 3
- Singapore GP – September 17
- Japanese GP – September 24
- Qatar GP – October 8
- US GP – October 22
- Mexico GP – October 29
- Brazilian Grand Prix – November 5
- GP Las Vegas – November 18
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – November 26
Option 1 – Viaplay
It seems to be the most natural option for Polish fans Viaplay streaming service, which took over the broadcasting rights of F1 races from Eleven Sports. Due to the characteristics of VOD platforms, a purchase is necessary in this case monthly or annual subscriptionwhich gives you access to its full content.
Naturally, in Viaplay, apart from the F1 Grand Prix itself, we will also watch struggles in qualifying, training and series F2 and F3. In addition, various types of expert studies are involved, all packaged with fully licensed materials from the FIA.
In the case of Viaplay, to watch F1 races, you need to buy the most expensive of the three packages (Total), which costs PLN 55 per month or PLN 528 per year (paying PLN 44 in installments every 30 days). Let us note, however, that when deciding on such a set, apart from the struggle in Formula 1, Viaplay offers access to matches of the English Premier League, Europa League, Conference League, Bundesliga or KSW galas.
What’s more, the service allows you to watch two streams at the same time, so in practice nothing prevents you from doing so buy access to Viaplay for two people, dividing the costs in half. Then it is an expense of PLN 27.50 “per head” (or PLN 22 for an annual subscription).
Option 2 – F1 TV Pro
An alternative to Viaplay, it is very well known to the fans F1 TV Pro. This option is the official Formula 1 service, so, as in the case of the above platform, races, qualifications and “lower” series of struggles are at stake. Unfortunately for Polish viewers F1 TV Pro does not support the Polish language and does not offer access to broadcasts with Polish commentary.
Fortunately, some inconveniences seem to disappear with the service’s price list. Here the differences from Viaplay are at least colossal!
- F1 TV Pro – EUR 5.99 per month (approximately PLN 28) / EUR 49.99 per year (approximately PLN 234)
- F1 TVAccess – EUR 2.99 per month (about PLN 14) / EUR 26.99 per year (about PLN 126)
Option 3 – Foreign Streams and VPN
We come to the third possibility, which is foreign broadcasts, which, with certain dependencies, can be watched within the borders of Poland. At this point, it is worth paying special attention to VPN services that allow – in a great simplification of course – to change our “virtual” location. Thanks to this, we can gain access to broadcasts and services available, for example, only to residents of a given country. It is also worth noting that in some cases such practices are blocked by the broadcasters or unacceptable by the internal regulations. Before using this option – it is worth getting acquainted with it.
Of course, there are plenty of VPN offers, here we will only point out two of the most popular ones. The first service is surfsharkwhich gives you the opportunity to follow the competition on Formula 1 tracks on seven free TV stations (ABC, Channel 4, ServusTV, ORF, RTS, RTL Zwee and RTBF Auvio).
The cost of purchasing a subscription to Surfshark PLN 10.59 per month for a 24-month subscription (+ one free month). What’s more, it is possible to equip yourself with an annual or 30-day package. Then you will pay respectively: PLN 17.67 per month and PLN 57.35 per month.
Staying on the subject of VPN services – another option remains NordVPN, operating on similar principles as Surfshark, but offering a slightly different price list. In total, the service divides its benefits into three packages in three different subscriptions (2-year, annual and monthly).
- NordVPN 2 Year Plan:
- Complete Package (PLN 27.19 per month, i.e. PLN 652.56 for two years)
- Plus Package (PLN 20.99 per month, i.e. PLN 503.76 for two years)
- Standard Package (PLN 16.99 per month, i.e. PLN 407.76 for two years)
- NordVPN Annual Plan:
- Complete Package (PLN 30.39 per month, i.e. PLN 364.68 per year)
- Plus Package (PLN 24.19 per month, i.e. PLN 290.28 per year)
- Standard Package (PLN 20.19 per month, i.e. PLN 242.28 per year)
- NordVPN monthly plan:
- Complete Package (PLN 59.29 per month)
- Plus Package (PLN 53.09 per month)
- Standard Package (PLN 49.09 per month)
What are the differences between the individual packages? The most expensive of them, that is Complete offers:
- A fast and secure VPN
- Malware protection
- Tracking and ad blocking
- Universal password manager
- Data breach scanner
- 1TB in the cloud
- Next generation encryption
Medium package, i.e. Plus:
- A fast and secure VPN
- Malware protection
- Tracking and ad blocking
- Universal password manager
- Data breach scanner
The cheapest package, i.e. Standard:
- A fast and secure VPN
- Malware protection
- Tracking and ad blocking
Where to watch F1 in the 2023 season – summary?
As you can see – the 2023 season in Formula 1 promises to be exciting not only in terms of emotions on the track, but also multiple ways to keep track of drivers and teams. One thing is for sure – whether you watch the next Grand Prix via Viaplay, F1 TV Pro or Surfshark – a lot of unique emotions await you!
Sources: surfsharkphoto Viaplay
