Nobody has raced a Formula 1 car at the Madrid. Madrid’s new circuit debuts this weekend, and the teams arrive with simulator data and very little else to go on. Belgium’s RTBF broadcasts all 5 sessions, and RTBF Auvio streams them for free. A free account and a Belgian VPN server are all it takes.
Madrid Start Times for US Viewers
Spain is 9 hours ahead of the West Coast, so Sunday is an early one. Saturday’s qualifying is the kinder session of the two.
| Session | Date | Madrid | PT | ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | Friday, Sep 11 | 13:30 | 4:30 a.m. | 7:30 a.m. |
| Practice 2 | Friday, Sep 11 | 17:00 | 8 a.m. | 11 a.m. |
| Practice 3 | Saturday, Sep 12 | 12:30 | 3:30 a.m. | 6:30 a.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday, Sep 12 | 16:00 | 7 a.m. | 10 a.m. |
| Race, 57 laps | Sunday, Sep 13 | 15:00 | 6 a.m. | 9 a.m. |
Opening RTBF Auvio From the US
- Subscribe to NordVPN and install it wherever you plan to watch. Desktop, mobile, Fire TV, and Apple TV builds are available.
- Connect to Belgium. Just click Belgium and let NordVPN connect. All Belgian servers work immediately, so no tweaks are required.
- Create an RTBF Auvio account with an email address or a Google login. It asks for nothing more, and a Belgian postal code satisfies the form if one appears.
- Open the Formule 1 hub and press play. The stream goes live around 2 hours before each session.
Commentary comes in French. On a track nobody in the field has driven before, the pictures tell you most of what you need.
Which VPN to Keep for the Rest of the Season
Nine rounds follow Madrid, finishing in Abu Dhabi in December, so this is a subscription worth choosing once. All three return your money within 30 days, so one Sunday morning need not cost you.
- NordVPN opened Belgian coverage on the first try during our testing and streamed a full session without dropping resolution. It works out at $3.49 a month across 27 months.
- Proton VPN asks $2.99 a month and complies with Swiss privacy law, though the free plan lists no Belgian location, so the paid one is the version that helps here.
- ExpressVPN is the priciest of the three and the least fiddly to set up, which counts for something at 6 a.m.
Where Else the Spanish GP Is Showing
Apple TV took over as F1’s exclusive US broadcaster this season, so ESPN no longer shows any of it. Every session streams there in 4K with Dolby Vision, and an F1 TV Premium subscription comes bundled at no extra charge. New subscribers get 7 days free, then it costs $14.99 a month.
There’s also an Apple TV and Peacock bundle starting at $17.99 a month if you want the NBA and Premier League alongside it. A trial covers this weekend comfortably. Sky Sports F1 has the UK. Both check your location like RTBF Auvio, so a subscriber away from home needs a VPN pointed back at it.
What to Expect From the Madring
The circuit measures 5.416 km with 22 corners, wrapped around the IFEMA exhibition center on a mix of public roads and private ground. Turn 12, La Monumental, is the one everybody will talk about: a banked 270-degree corner roughly 550 meters long, with gradients of 24%. Nothing else on the calendar asks a car to do that. F3 tested there across two days in August and produced 19 red flags, 11 of them from cars finding the barriers.
Those drivers were seeing the track for the first time, so it forecasts nothing. The margins are narrow. Carlos Sainz races in his home city. Kimi Antonelli arrives 66 points clear after winning at Monza from 19th on the grid. 57 laps of a circuit nobody has driven is the kind of afternoon that rearranges a championship.
FAQ: Watching the Spanish F1 GP Free
What time does the Spanish Grand Prix start in PT?
6 a.m. Pacific on Sunday, September 13, which is 9 a.m. Eastern. Qualifying goes ahead the previous morning at 7 a.m. Pacific.
Can the Spanish GP be watched in the US without a subscription?
Yes. RTBF Auvio shows every session for free with a Belgian server, and Apple TV’s 7-day trial covers a full race weekend for new subscribers.
What does Apple TV cost for F1?
$14.99 a month after a 7-day free trial. A bundle with Peacock starts at $17.99. Formula 1 needs no separate sports add-on on top.
Does RTBF Auvio need a Belgian address?
No. An email address and a password create the account. A postal code box appears occasionally, and any valid Belgian code clears it.
