Apple TV Opens the Austrian GP to Every US Fan, No Subscription Required
Apple TV will stream the entire 2026 Austrian Grand Prix weekend, covering all five sessions from Practice 1 through the Sunday race, free of charge for US viewers. No paid subscription is needed; only an Apple ID and the Apple TV app are required. The Red Bull Ring event runs 26–28 June 2026 and marks the first complete F1 weekend Apple has made free in the United States.
Apple's first fully free F1 weekend
Apple TV will stream an entire Formula 1 race weekend free to US viewers for the first time, opening every Austrian Grand Prix session to fans without a subscription.
All five sessions are included: two practice rounds on Friday, a third on Saturday morning, qualifying on Saturday afternoon, and the Grand Prix on Sunday, all available in the Apple TV app without a subscription. [4]
The free access runs from 26 June through 28 June. Practice 1 begins at 7:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday, followed by Practice 2 at 11 a.m. Practice 3 starts at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, with qualifying at 10 a.m. The Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern on Sunday. [5] Fans need only the Apple TV app and a location inside the United States; the app works on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and the web through tv.apple.com. [5]
How this fits Apple's F1 rights deal
Apple TV signed an exclusive five-year deal to be the broadcaster of Formula 1 in the United States starting in 2026. [1] ESPN's coverage, which started in 2018, ran until the end of 2025. [1] Motorsport.com understands Apple is paying approximately $150 million annually for these broadcast rights, substantially more than ESPN's reported $90 million annual deal. [3]
From 2026 onwards, all F1 practice sessions, qualifying sessions and races are available to Apple TV subscribers, with select races and practice sessions available for free on the app. [2] Apple confirmed the Austrian Grand Prix marks the first time it has made an entire Formula 1 race weekend available free to viewers in the United States. [5]
Part of a broader audience strategy
The free Austrian GP weekend forms part of continued efforts by Formula 1 and Apple to open the sport to new viewers, following the streaming platform acquiring the rights from the start of the 2026 season. [6] This latest bid to engage new viewers follows a deal with rival streaming giant Netflix to simulcast the Canadian Grand Prix. [6]
Just three races into Apple's first season as F1's exclusive US broadcaster, Apple SVP Eddy Cue stated viewership is "way up" compared to ESPN's numbers from the previous year. [3] The Apple contract also means F1 TV Premium has been folded into the regular Apple TV subscription, which costs $12.99 per month, at no extra cost. [2]
:::analysis Making the complete Austrian GP weekend free is a logical escalation of Apple's audience-building playbook. Giving casual fans access to practice and qualifying, not just Sunday's race, means new viewers can absorb team strategy, tire behaviour, and grid-position consequences before lights out. That context makes the race itself far more legible and is more likely to convert a first-time viewer into a paying subscriber than a standalone race window would be. The Netflix simulcast of the Canadian GP and the IMAX watch-alongs Apple has already run point to a company willing to distribute F1 through competing channels to drive top-of-funnel awareness, an approach that trades short-term exclusivity for long-term subscriber acquisition.
Apple has not confirmed whether further free race weekends will follow after Austria, so it remains unclear whether this is a one-off or the beginning of a recurring promotional pattern. :::
Related reading
- [1]F1 announces new Apple TV U.S. broadcast deal (espn). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [2]Apple TV wins F1's US broadcast rights with landmark five-year deal (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [3]Apple reveals early F1 2026 viewership surge after US broadcast rights deal (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [4]Apple TV making Austrian Grand Prix free to non-subscribers (awfulannouncing). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [5]Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix will be free on Apple TV in the US (appleinsider). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [6]Apple removes F1 paywall for Austrian GP in pursuit of wider US audience (blackbookmotorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [7]What Apple brings to F1 and how the US streaming deal will shape its future (autosport). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [8]What happens to F1 TV, and answers to other questions on Apple's US deal (motorsport). Accessed 2026-06-20.