Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Every live session of the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix will be available free to U.S.-based Formula 1 viewers on Apple TV, with fans only needing to log in with a free Apple ID to watch from Practice 1 through Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring.
The offer covers the full June 26-28 race weekend, including all three practice sessions, qualifying and the Grand Prix itself. One of the source reports describes it as the first time a full Formula 1 weekend in Apple’s first season as U.S. rights holder will be available free to American viewers without a subscription.
That makes Austria more than a routine broadcast weekend. Apple took over as Formula 1’s live broadcaster in the United States from 2026 after winning the rights from ESPN, and the free stream gives it an early chance to widen its audience after putting the series behind its new rights deal.
Apple’s coverage for the Austrian weekend is set to include dedicated live programming, catch-up and highlights, pre- and post-race shows, live timing, driver trackers and onboard feeds from all 22 cars.
The free access does not extend beyond the United States. Apple currently holds Formula 1 live rights only in the American market, so fans in the UK still need a Sky Sports subscription to watch every session live from Austria. Sky last month extended its deal with F1 by another five years, keeping its exclusive live rights in the UK until 2034, while Channel 4 retains highlights.
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said the move to Apple had not damaged viewership, telling reporters: “A lot of people’s concern was, 'Would the viewing numbers go down?' In fact, they're up a lot. I think that was really everyone's only concern -- when it goes behind a paywall, but the numbers are up [by], I've heard, 25 to 30 percent.”
For Apple, the Austrian Grand Prix now becomes an early test of whether free access can accelerate Formula 1’s reach in the U.S. even after the championship’s live coverage shifted to a new rights-holder model.