Hungarian Grand Prix live stream: How to watch the practice sessions and qualifying

Formula (Image credit: Peter J Fox | Formula1)

Following two back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Formula 1 is heading to Hungary for the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix and we have all the details on how you can watch the practice sessions and qualifying for this weekend's big race on TV or online.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will be held at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary which has 14 turns and a circuit length of 2.722 miles. The race will consist of 70 laps and drivers will cover just over 190 miles before they finish the Grand Prix.

The Hungaroring also holds the distinction of being Formula One's first Grand Prix behind the former Iron Curtain. Back in 1985, former chief executive of the Formula One Group Bernie Ecclestone decided he wanted a race in the USSR and a friend recommended Budapest. The circuit was originally intended to be located in Budapest's largest park and be similar to the one used in the Monaco Grand Prix. However, the Hungarian government decided to build the Hungaroring outside the city near a major highway.

Drivers participating in the Hungarian Grand Prix will have plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the track as there will be two 90-minute free practice sessions on Friday followed by an additional one hour practice session on Saturday morning. A three part qualifying session will be held on Saturday afternoon where drivers will compete for the best time in order to determine the starting grid for Sunday's race.

At last weekend's Stryian Grand Prix, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton came in first followed by his teammate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. This was a big win for Hamilton as he came in fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix due to a five-second penalty. While the 2020 Formula One season still has five rounds left, Valtteri Bottas currently sits at the top of the leaderboard with 43 points followed by Hamilton with 37 points.

Whether you're a long time Formula 1 fan or just want to tune in to see the practice sessions and qualifying before Sunday's big race, we'll show you exactly how to watch the leadup to the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix.

HungarianGrand Prix - When and where?

The 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix will be held at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary from July 17-19. The first two free practice sessions will be held on Friday, July 17 and the final practice session as well as the qualifying will be held on Saturday, July 18. Friday's first practice session will begin at 5am ET (2am PT, 10am BST) and the second practice will be held at 9am ET (6am PT, 2pm BST). On Saturday, the final practice session will start at 6am ET (3am PT, 11am BST) and the qualifying will be held at 9am ET (6am PT, 2pm BST).

How to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix from practice sessions and qualifying anywhere

We have all the details on how you can watch the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia further down in this guide. However, if you're currently traveling or live in a country without an official broadcast option you won't be able to watch this weekend's Formula 1 racing.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can really come in handy. They allow you to virtually change the IP address of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country which will let you watch as if you were back there.

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Live stream the Hungarian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in the U. S.

If you live in the US and have a cable subscription, you'll be able to watch all three practice sessions and the qualifying of the Hungarian Grand Prix on ESPN. The network will show Friday's practice sessions on ESPN 2, Saturday's practice session on ESPNews and ESPN Deportes and the qualifying on ESPN.

Practice session 1 will begin at 5am ET / 2am PT and practice session 2 will start at 9am ET / 6am PT. Saturday's final practice session will take place at 6am ET / 3am PT and the qualifying will begin at 9am ET / 6am PT. The actual race will be shown on ESPN beginning at 9:10am ET / 6:10am PT on Sunday.

Not interested in signing up for cable just to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix on ESPN. Don't worry as there are now a number of streaming services, all at different price points, which will give you access to the network so you watch the practice sessions and qualifying online. We've listed a few of our favorites below to make things easier for you.

Hulu with Live TV - $54.99 per month - As well as giving you access to ESPN, the service also includes its own Hulu Originals and supports a wide variety of streaming devices.
Sling TV - $30 per month - In order to get access to ESPN, you'll have to sign up for Sling TV's Sling Orange package. The service also lets you watch on three screens simultaneously and record live TV with its Cloud DVR.
YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to ESPN as well as over 70 other TV channels and a free 14-day trial available.
AT&T TV Now - $65 per month - AT&T TV Now may be more expensive than the competition but in addition to ESPN you also get access to HBO with your plan. The service allows you to watch over 45 live TV channels and you can also record up to 20 hours of content using its cloud DVR.

SlingTV your best bet

Signing up for SlingTV is the easiest and most affordable way to catch the qualifiers and the big race this weekend.

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Watch the Hungarian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in Canada

Canadian Formula 1 fans will be able to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix's practice sessions and qualifying on TSN from July 17-19. The network's coverage of Friday's practice sessions will begin at 8:45am ET / 5:45am PT and Saturday's practice session and qualifying beginning at 8:55am ET / 5:55am PT.

You can also stream the Hungarian Grand Prix online with the TSN app on your smartphone or tablet. If you're not a TSN subscriber yet, you can get access to the network's content for as little as $4.99 for a TSN Direct Day Pass or $19.99 for a monthly streaming subscription.

Live stream the Hungarian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in the UK

UK viewers with a Sky Sports subscription will be able to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix's practice sessions and qualifying on the network's dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel. You can also steam the race on your smartphone or tablet using the Sky Go app. Sky Sports will begin its coverage of Friday's first practice at 10am BST and the network will show the second practice at 1:45pm BST. Saturday's practice session will be shown at 10:45am and the qualifying will take place at 2pm BST.

Don't want to sign up for Sky Sports just to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix, don't worry as you can watch the whole event live on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Day Pass for £9.99 or a Sky Sports Month Pass for £33.99. NOW TV will also let you stream the races on your computer, smartphone, smart TV or other streaming devices.

How to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix practice sessions and qualifying in Australia

Formula 1 fans in Australia will be able to catch all the action at this year's Hungarian Grand Prix on Fox Sports but you will need to be a Foxtel subscriber to watch. The network will show practice session 1 at 7pm AEDT and practice session 2 at 10:45pm AEDT on Friday. Fox Sports will show practice session 3 at 7:45pm AEDT on Saturday followed by the qualifying at 11pm AEDT.

If you're not a Foxtel subscriber and still want to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix, you can watch the entire event on Kayo Sports. The service costs between $25 and $35 per month depending on the package you choose but new customers can take advantage of Kayo Sports' 14-day Free Trial to watch the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix.