F1 TV broadcaster announces FREE races in 2026 season

F1 on TV

F1 TV broadcaster announces FREE races in 2026 season

The Belgian GP kicks off the run of four free live races

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 22 June 2026 15:57

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European broadcaster RTL are set to show four grands prix in the 2026 F1 season completely free of charge.

The broadcaster acquired rights to show F1 in Germany last year, and on June 1, their takeover of Sky Deutschland as the TV rights holders in that country was completed.

RTL therefore kicked off their coverage of the 2026 season in Monaco, and have now announced that there are four race weekends coming up that they will show completely free of charge to F1 fans.

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The Belgian, Dutch, Spanish and US Grands Prix coming up in the next few months will all be available to watch free of charge, as will qualifying for all four of those grands prix.

RTL will also show either qualifying or the sprint race free of charge for the British, Hungarian, Italian, Singapore and US Grands Prix.

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RTL's extensive coverage of the 2026 season

RTL's purchase of Sky Deutschland was announced last year, but did not come into effect until June 1, 2026. Rights issues and some technical difficulties meant that the only race weekend they have been able to show in full so far has been Monaco, but that is all about to change.

RTL will provide extensive coverage of the remainder of the season to fans in Germany, including the above-mentioned sessions which will be free-to-air.

They are combining some of the much-loved pundits from Sky Deutschland's broadcasts with their own, making for a great blend of personalities and expertise.

"The mix of new faces, big names and top-class competition is making Formula 1 more fascinating now than it has been for a long time," Frank Robens, executive vice president of sports at RTL Deutschland said.

"Fans will also benefit from the combined motorsport expertise of RTL and Sky Sports during the remaining races this season. The combination of well-known personalities from RTL and Sky brings together different perspectives, many years of experience and comprehensive Formula 1 expertise, offering clear added value for the fans."

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