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The 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit will be broadcast live and free for UK fans, making it accessible to all viewers with a TV licence at no extra cost

It's that time of year again! The British Grand Prix, one of the UK's most celebrated sporting occasions, roars into life at Silverstone Circuit this weekend. And this year's GP is particularly momentous as it marks a century since Britain staged its maiden race, back in 1926, at the Brooklands Circuit in Surrey.

Naturally, that was long before the modern Formula 1 World Championship kicked off in 1950. Silverstone played host to that inaugural official F1 championship race, which was won by the first champion Giuseppe Farina. And the UK has staged a race every year since, although Silverstone has had to share hosting duties over the decades with circuits at Aintree in Merseyside and Brands Hatch in Kent.

Silverstone has been home to every British Grand Prix since 1987 and, despite most F1 coverage now being behind a paywall, UK fans can still catch this particular round without spending a penny. While Sky Sports will be providing its comprehensive coverage, there will also be a separate live broadcast available on Channel 4, reports the Express.

C4 has an arrangement with Sky which permits it to show a highlights package from every race, but the deal allows for far more extensive coverage of the British Grand Prix. Every F1 session will be broadcast live and in full on Channel 4, meaning anyone in the UK with a TV licence will be able to watch every moment live at no additional cost.

And with the Sprint format being deployed at Silverstone this year, that translates to two qualifying sessions and two races for supporters to watch at no cost. Following the single hour-long practice session on Friday at 12:30pm, it's straight into the competitive proceedings with Sprint Qualifying at 4:30pm, with Channel 4's coverage commencing half-an-hour beforehand.

Preparations for the Sprint kick off at 11am on Saturday with the race itself launching at midday, Channel 4's coverage wrapping up at 1pm before the live action returns just two hours afterwards with the build-up to qualifying, which begins at 4pm. By approximately 5pm, we should discover who will be occupying pole position for the 2026 British Grand Prix.

And then on Sunday comes the headline act. Channel 4's live broadcast starts from 1:30pm, 90 minutes ahead of the lights going out to mark the beginning of the British Grand Prix. British drivers have triumphed in the previous two editions, Lewis Hamilton's 2024 fairytale followed 12 months on by Lando Norris' maiden Silverstone victory.

Can someone complete the hat-trick this year? George Russell will be desperate to claim his home race for the first time having won the Austrian Grand Prix on the most recent outing.

Steve Jones and Lee McKenzie will split presenting responsibilities across the weekend, with C4 stalwarts David Coulthard and Mark Webber leading the broadcaster's punditry line-up. They will be joined in the analysis team by Billy Monger, Alice Powell and former F1 team principal Claire Williams.

The F1 TV commentary will be utilised for the racing itself, fronted by Alex Jacques alongside co-commentary from ex-Renault driver Jolyon Palmer.