Netflix’s Drive to Survive has played a massive role in introducing Formula One to American audiences over the past few years. Now, the streaming giant will stream a live F1 race for the first time ever.
Netflix will simulcast the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix from May 22-24, marking the platform’s first-ever live F1 race weekend (FYI: here’s where to stream F1 – potentially for free).
Apple TV is the new home of F1 in the US, having acquired exclusive U.S. F1 rights for around $150 million annually. Can it beat ESPN? Well, accordion to Cue, it will. He said, “You’re going to have a front-row seat to the action in a way that you haven’t seen before.”
Netflix’s first live F1 weekend arrives with Canadian GP simulcast
The Canadian Grand Prix 2026, from May 22 to May 24 – which is also a sprint weekend – is going to be the first time Netflix will broadcast a Formula One race weekend.
After years of producing the ever-thrilling Drive to Survive, which takes viewers behind the scenes of one of the biggest and most intense sporting calendars on the planet, Netflix is taking a big step toward live streaming with its first-ever live F1 broadcast.
Talking about the deal, Apple’s Eddy Cue shared, “Netflix, I think, has played a pivotal role in growing F1 since the launch of Drive to Survive, and we’re thrilled to make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing US fans on both Netflix and Apple TV.”
Even better, U.S. Netflix viewers will have an all-hands-on-deck experience during the racing action in Montreal, with access to everything from practice sessions to qualifying rounds, the sprint race, and the main Grand Prix on Sunday.
Do note, however, that this is going to be a simulcast deal, meaning both Apple and Netflix will be streaming the Canadian Grand Prix. This mirrors the current arrangement with the eighth season of Drive to Survive.
So, it looks like a give-and-take partnership between two of the biggest streaming giants in the U.S., both pushing toward live F1 streaming and moving beyond the traditional streaming-only arena.
Netflix expanding its live sports portfolio
For Netflix in particular, being able to stream the Canadian Grand Prix is a big step toward expanding its live sports portfolio. The streaming giant has recently added rights to the NFL, Major League Baseball, as well as the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup. With the addition of a full-blown F1 race weekend, Netflix is also making its debut in the motorsports space.
However, whether or not Netflix gets more race weekends in the coming years remains to be seen, especially with Apple’s F1 partnership just beginning. How much of that package Apple will be willing to share with Netflix is still an open question.
Key Formula 1 live streams around the world
Use a VPN to watch any Formula 1 2026 stream
This is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it’s back in your home country, thereby letting you unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and comes with a 70% discount.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favourite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you’re visiting the US and want to view your usual UK service, you’d select a ‘United Kingdom’ server from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your usual local streaming service and watch F1 2026 live streams.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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