Formula 1 has spiked in popularity in recent years. The sport is seeing record numbers of both spectators at the events as well as record numbers of spectators who are watching the races through live broadcasts on television.
Technology has progressed and streaming platforms are now becoming more popular than ever. Formula 1 can be streamed through other devices such as laptops and smartphones, however, you may run into some trouble with geo-blocking (we’ll explain that down below).
There’s even a way that you can watch F1 for free, but you’ll need the help of a clever cybersecurity tool, known as a VPN. If you’re unsure of what a VPN is and what it does, keep reading to find out how it can help you to watch the 2022 Formula 1 season for free!
Why is it Difficult to Find F1 Streams?
If you’ve tried to tune into the ever-exciting 2022 Formula 1 season then you’ll know that it’s not easy to find good streams for this global sport. Even though it is popular all around the world, finding a legal stream on the internet is a real challenge.
This is even before we start looking at free streams, which are even more difficult to find! The biggest obstacle that you will experience when trying to access a Formula 1 stream is geographical blocking, which is known as geo-blocking for short.
Geo-blocking is a relatively common obstacle that you will come across if you’re trying to stream sports online, not just Formula 1! While geo-blocking might be causing you some headaches, there’s actually a very good reason as to why it exists in our modern society.
Sports such as Formula 1 sell broadcasting rights to companies for huge amounts of money. Along with the right to broadcast the sport live to their audience, the company also needs to follow a set of strict rules. Some of these rules include where the company will be allowed to broadcast its live feed.
If you’re outside of the required region you won’t be able to access the stream. Instead, you will be met with an error message stating: “this content is not available in your region”. To the surprise of many, you won’t even be able to access the streaming platform if you’ve already subscribed to them but find yourself outside of the required region.
For example, if you’re subscribed to Sky Sports F1 and you’re outside of the UK you might still encounter geo-blocking despite paying expensive subscription fees. This can leave users even more frustrated.
Luckily for us though there is a way that you can bypass these frustrating digital fences and get your hands on the best streams on the internet from anywhere in the world. You could even find some free Formula 1 streams, and we’re going to show you exactly how to do that in the next section.
How to Stream F1 From Anywhere
While geo-blocking might be getting your hopes down and leaving you frustrated in your search for a good, reliable F1 stream, you don’t have to worry because there’s a quick and easy solution that you can use to get access to any stream.
Websites are able to pinpoint your physical location by using your IP address, which is a unique identifier that is locked to your network. However, you can mask this identifier and change it by using a simple cybersecurity tool.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network will allow you to change your IP address to one in a different country or city around the world. It’s easy to install and easy to use, so you don’t have to worry about buying any extra hardware or making any modifications to your device.
How does a VPN change your IP address? VPN providers have several secure servers set up in different countries around the world. When you install a VPN on your device you will be able to connect to one of these secure servers, which will change your IP address.
Once you’re connected to the server your real IP address will be masked, and it will trick the website into thinking that you are accessing it from elsewhere. For example, if you need to gain access to a Sky Sports F1 stream, you can connect to a global server in the UK. Even if you are physically located in Thailand for example, you will be able to browse the internet as if you are in the UK, and you will even see ads from the UK on your internet browser.
Here’s a quick pro-tip for you: check out the link at the beginning of the article to see some of the best free Formula 1 streams. Make sure to pay close attention to the country you need to connect your VPN to in order to gain access to the free stream!
While your VPN is active you can head over to your favorite streaming platform and find the Grand Prix that you would like to watch. You will no longer run into geo-blocking error messages as you did before.
Guidelines for Choosing a VPN
Before you rush off to install a VPN on your device there are some important guidelines that you need to consider, especially since you will be using your VPN for streaming! There are a ton of different VPNs to choose from, so research is crucial if you want to make sure you make the most of your choice in VPN.
Since you’ll be using the VPN to stream the 2022 Formula 1 season, you want to make sure that your VPN is well suited to streaming. This means that it will have a fast and stable connection and good unblocking capabilities.
You should avoid using free VPNs even though it can be incredibly tempting to try them out. To save you some time, here are some of the main drawbacks you can expect to experience while using a free VPN (they are terrible for streaming!);
- Slower connection speeds
- Fewer global servers to choose from
- Daily data limits
It’s always a good idea to go for a well-known premium VPN provider, and you should always do thorough research about them and read their reviews before making a final decision.