Gadronics
After a three-week break, Formula 1 racing is back this weekend with the peak of motorsport landing in Montreal, Canada.
In the United States, Apple has exclusive streaming rights for all of F1 so you normally need an Apple TV subscription to watch. However, this weekend is an outlier, as Apple made a special deal with Netflix which will see the race also broadcast on the rival streamer.
In a straight trade, Apple and Netflix negotiated such that the latest season of Drive to Survive is available to watch on Apple TV in the US. In exchange, Netflix got the rights to to simulcast the Canadian race, the first time Netflix has shown a full race live.
That means both Apple TV and Netflix subscribers in the United States can tune in to follow all the action. The Canadian GP is a sprint weekend, which means there’s even more racing than usual, with competitive sessions spanning Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The schedule is as follows:
- Free Practice: Friday, May 22, 12 PM ET
- Sprint Qualifying: Friday, May 22, 4 PM ET
- Sprint: Saturday, May 23, 11 AM ET
- Qualifying: Saturday, May 23, 3 PM ET
- Race: Sunday, May 24, 3 PM ET
On Apple TV, practice sessions can be watched for free. Qualifying, sprint and the race require a subscription. The F1 Canadian GP coverage on Netflix is available to watch on any plan for US members.
How to watch F1 on Apple TV
You can watch F1 on Apple TV using an Apple TV subscription; new signups can get a seven day free trial here. There’s no additional charge beyond the standard $12.99/mo Apple TV subscription to watch F1.
You can get the Apple TV app on a myriad of devices and platforms, including smart TVs, Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox and more. There’s an Android app and a web experience at tv.apple.com to watch in a web browser, too.
Apple streams F1 in 4K HDR video quality with surround sound audio, offering a great visual and audio experience.
There’s a dedicated Formula 1 tab inside the Apple TV app experience, so it’s super easy to find. Note this is only available to US subscribers, though. And Apple hosts on-demand replays so you don’t have to watch live.
However, the best way to watch live is with an Apple TV 4K set-top box or on an iPad. On Apple TV box or iPad, you can watch using Multiview which means showing multiple angles at once when the race is live. You can follow onboard cameras from your favorite drivers, or favorite teams, and get a split-screen of the main race feed and podium battles.
For even more functionality, you can also link your Apple TV subscription to an F1.TV account and access F1 through the F1.TV app. That is for hard-core fans who need even more capabilities to show stats or extra content that Apple doesn’t show directly through the TV app.
Apple is also expanding the F1 experience beyond just the video streams. You can follow along with a radio broadcast through Apple Music Radio, or watch live timings in the Apple Sports app – all for free.
