The Suzuka Circuit's iconic figure-of-eight layout awaits the drivers for round 3 of the 2025 Formula One season, with British driver Lando Norris looking to extend his championship lead at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the race as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if they're not available where you are.
Norris finished in second last time out at the Chinese Grand Prix, behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. That race saw Mercedes' George Russell finish third and defending champ Max Verstappen miss the podium after being pegged back to fourth.
Ferrari, meanwhile, will be looking to make amends this weekend after its double disqualification disaster in Shanghai, which saw both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton penalized for separate technical infringements.
The Japanese GP takes place at the Suzuka Circuit on Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m. JST local time, which is 6 a.m. BST lights-out in the UK, while for viewers in Australia, it's a 3 p.m. AEST start. In the US and Canada, it's a 10 p.m. PT or 1 a.m. ET start on Saturday night or Sunday morning. The race will air in the US on ESPN and ESPN Plus.
The entire race weekend, including practice sessions and qualifying, will be shown in the US on ESPN's family of TV and streaming networks. Folks looking to follow all of it will need access to the ABC and ESPN news channels on cable or live TV streaming services, or the ESPN Plus streaming service. We've broken down everything you need to know, including how to use a VPN, to stream today's race, and all the other F1 races this season.
Lando Norris currently leads the Drivers Championship on 44 points, 8 points ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Livestream the Japanese GP in the US
Every Formula One race during the 2025 season will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. All practice and qualifying sessions and all F1 Sprint events will also be broadcast. This race will be broadcast on ESPN.
Selected races will stream on ESPN Plus, featuring two alternate streams for all races (Driver Tracker and mixed onboard cameras).
Whether you have cable, ESPN's standalone streaming service is great for casual fans of F1 and is a must-have accessory for fanatics. It costs $12 a month or $120 a year.
If you're an F1 fan who's also looking to get your Disney fix, the Disney trio bundle (Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus) might end up being an even better buy. It's great for fans who love catching the parts of the race weekend that typically air on EPSN2 or ESPNews, and also want the latest Marvel movies or Star Wars shows.
If you're a diehard fan of motorsports and Formula Series racing, ESPN Plus might not be for you, given that it rarely covers F2, F3 or Porsche Supercar racing. That's why ESPN Plus is ideal for casual fans who enjoy catching a race every once in a while or fans who don't want or need all of the extra bells and whistles of F1 TV but want to beef up their coverage options.
Sling TV's Orange plan includes ESPN and ABC (via ESPN3). Enter your address here to see which local channels are available where you live.
Fubo costs at least $92 per month when you factor in the RSN fees it charges. Fubo's base plan costs $80, but it charges an extra $12 per month if you get one RSN or $15 per month if you have two or more in your area. Click here to see which local channels you get in your region with Fubo. Read our Fubo review.
How to watch the Japanese GP online from anywhere with a VPN
If you're traveling abroad and want to keep up with the Formula One season while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.
It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security. However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN usage to access region-specific content.
If you're considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform's terms of service to ensure compliance. If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider's installation instructions, ensuring you're connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN usage is crucial.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100, you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How to livestream the Japanese GP in the UK
F1 in the UK is shown on Sky Sports and Channel 4. Sky Sports airs the races, practice rounds and qualifying, while free-to-air Channel 4 offers highlights that broadcast after the day's action. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the race via its app, but cord-cutters can watch Sky TV with unlimited Sky Sports on a Now TV membership.
Sky subsidiary Now offers streaming access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership.
You can get a day of access for £15, or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 per month right now.
Livestream the Japanese GP in Canada
Canadian F1 fans can watch every GP this season, including this race, on TSN and its streaming service, TSN Plus. Existing TSN cable subscribers can also watch at no extra charge using the details of their TV provider.
TSN Plus is a direct-streaming service that costs CA$8 a month and also offers coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, NASCAR and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
Livestream the Japanese GP in Australia
Grands Prix can be watched Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports.
A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.
The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.
Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.
When, where and what time are the races?
Races are usually held on Sundays and are typically spaced two weeks apart. Here's the entire schedule.
2025 F1 schedule
| Date | Grand Prix | Circuit | Start time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 16 | Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park Circuit | 12 a.m. |
| March 23 | Chinese Grand Prix | Shanghai International Circuit | 3 a.m. |
| April 6 | Japanese Grand Prix | Suzuka International Racing Course | 1 a.m. |
| April 13 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 11 a.m. |
| April 20 | Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Jeddah Corniche Circuit | 1 p.m. |
| May 4 | Miami Grand Prix | Miami International Autodrome | 4 p.m. |
| May 18 | Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix | Imola Circuit | 9 a.m. |
| May 25 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco | 9 a.m. |
| June 1 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 9 a.m. |
| June 15 | Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 2 p.m. |
| June 29 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 9 a.m. |
| July 6 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 10 a.m. |
| July 27 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 9 a.m. |
| Aug. 3 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 9 a.m. |
| Aug. 31 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort | 9 a.m. |
| Sept. 7 | Italian Grand Prix | Monza Circuit | 9 a.m. |
| Sept. 21 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Baku City Circuit | 7 a.m. |
| Oct. 5 | Singapore Grand Prix | Marina Bay Street Circuit | 8 a.m. |
| Oct. 19 | United States Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | 3 p.m. |
| Oct. 26 | Mexico City Grand Prix | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | 4 p.m. |
| Nov. 9 | São Paulo Grand Prix | Interlagos Circuit | 12 p.m. |
| Nov. 22 | Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Strip Circuit | 11 p.m. |
| Nov. 30 | Qatar Grand Prix | Lusail International Circuit | 11 a.m. |
| Dec. 7 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 8 a.m. |
Quick tips for streaming the Japanese GP using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming F1 races may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases, with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. Having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.