Formula 1 will live-stream seven races consecutively on YouTube to mark 75 years since the first world championship grand prix.
The world championship began on May 13th, 1950 at Silverstone. Giuseppe Farina started from pole position and led almost every lap on his way to victory for Alfa Romeo.Since then 1,131 grands prix have taken place. F1 has chosen seven of those which it will stream live on YouTube starting tonight at midnight GMT (11pm UTC).
Here are the seven races F1 selected, plus how you rated each of them in RaceFans’ Rate the Race polls and their ranking among the 338 grands prix we’ve covered in it:
| Race | Circuit | Rate the Race score | Rate the Race ranking | Broadcast time (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Australian Grand Prix | Albert Park | 8.64/10 | 29 | 23:00 (12th May) |
| 2011 Canadian Grand Prix | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | 9.1/10 | 8 | 04:45 |
| 2018 Monaco Grand Prix | Monaco | 5.08/10 | 298 | 07:50 |
| 2019 German Grand Prix | Hockenheimring | 9.44/10 | 2 | 11:15 |
| 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix | Interlagos | 8.76/10 | 22 | 14:30 |
| 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit (Outer) | 8.84/10 | 16 | 18:40 |
| 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix | Las Vegas Strip Circuit | 6.83/10 | 154 | 21:00 |
For more on those races tap the button below or avoid it if you don’t want to learn the results of any of them.
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- 2010 Australian Grand Prix: Following a dull opener on an extended version of the Bahrain circuit, mixed conditions in Melbourne produced a lively and unpredictable race.
- 2011 Canadian Grand Prix: Another wet race filled with drama, not to mention a long red flag due to rain. Jenson Button eventually pressured Sebastian Vettel into a race-losing last-lap error – though under today’s rules the race would have been called off before that point.
- 2018 Monaco Grand Prix: The race which proved overtaking is so difficult at Monaco the leader can cling on for victory even after an MGU-K failure. The following year’s Monaco Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton was harried constantly by Max Verstappen, was far more exciting.
- 2019 German Grand Prix: Verstappen’s seventh victory came in a barnstormer of a race of changing fortunes for almost every driver in treacherous conditions.
- 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix: This championship-deciding race was all about the jaw-dropping last-lap twist which sent the title from a broken-hearted Felipe Massa to an overjoyed Hamilton, 12 months after the title slipped his grasp at the same circuit. Massa is still trying to change that outcome, however.
- 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix: The only Bahrain Grand Prix ever held on the unusual ‘Outer’ circuit almost saw a stunning debut win for George Russell as he substituted for the unwell Lewis Hamilton, but a pit stop calamity instead opened the door for Sergio Perez to take a shock win from the back of the field for Racing Point, at a time when his F1 future was in doubt. Truly a ‘couldn’t have scripted it better’ race.
- 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Russell strolled to victory from pole position while Verstappen clinched the title with fifth place. That, plus the fact Las Vegas is Liberty Media’s showpiece race, presumably explains its inclusion
RaceFans readers’ Top 100 Races
While several of the highest-rated races by our readers have been selected for F1’s live stream, the number one race is notably absent. This was the thrilling title-decider of 2012, held at Interlagos.
Find our full top 100 here:
The list is updated at the end of each season. You can rate this year’s races here:
Over to you
Which seven races would you pick as the best from seven-and-a-half decades of the world championship? Share your lists below.
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Ideals (@ideals)
12th May 2025, 22:00
You must know the social media team picked some great races and then had to make room for that Monaco and Las Vegas race because the boss came along and told them to include those.
Bit of a shame they didn’t pick a single race from the 80s or 90s. I can understand not going earlier than that due to quality and target audience on a livestream. But stopping a 2008 seems a bit weird for a 75 year anniversary stream.
Addme (@dontme)
13th May 2025, 8:39
I think a lot of people would enjoy the way the races were in the ‘80 with the manual shifting, clutch, and people everywhere in the pit, just so see the difference with today. But you can also do that in a separate section between races.
I really love watching the old races.
An Sionnach
13th May 2025, 13:57
They could at least have chosen the 1996 Monaco GP!
Picasso 1.9D FTW (@picasso-19d-ftw)
12th May 2025, 22:51
They should consider swapping out that Monaco race for China 2020.
SteveR (@stever)
13th May 2025, 0:10
Pretty funny! I had to think for a moment.
Scotty (@rockonscotty)
12th May 2025, 23:02
As a US based fan since 2012, I am not enjoying the rise in popularity. I don’t want to see the content be simplified even more for the general audience. One of the reasons I started following F1 was the technical details and the innovation from the teams.
Chris Horton
12th May 2025, 23:10
Las Vegas….hilarious!
PitifulExcuse (@pitifulexcuse)
12th May 2025, 23:54
How is this “live streaming”? There’s nothing live about it. It’s really just streaming.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
13th May 2025, 8:08
Well, they show it from start to end and there’s an open chat too. So you can react to it “live”.
S
13th May 2025, 8:35
You can’t rewind/fast forward it. It’s one-shot stream – as live.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
13th May 2025, 9:33
So watching highlights on Freeview on TV is also live ;)
One of the only statements from Sky that is 100% true; It’s only live once.
S
13th May 2025, 9:55
Freeview isn’t available worldwide. Youtube is.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
13th May 2025, 11:35
I’m just giving an example of the definition of live not really making sense.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
13th May 2025, 11:14
you can after the stream ends tho :P
S
13th May 2025, 12:47
I wouldn’t bet on that. F1 is famously protective of their footage.
They put up a bunch of full races during Covid, but even they only lasted a week or so before access was denied.
Now they have a paid service of their own which does provide full access. Today’s stream is just a temporary loss-leader for F1.
S Arkazam
13th May 2025, 11:29
Maybe the lawyers approved to call it ‘live’ as all regular ‘live’ broadcasts have a short delay.
Now the delay is simply not ‘seconds’ but ‘years’.
floodo1 (@floodo1)
13th May 2025, 13:59
Yes, they’re streaming the races, not live streaming them (-8
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
13th May 2025, 0:12
Where’s the 1986 Australian GP?
(That’s 18 years before YouTube came into being)
Simon
13th May 2025, 1:33
Because… Las Vegas…
Jere (@jerejj)
13th May 2025, 6:25
What’s special about the 1986 edition itself?
Red Andy (@red-andy)
13th May 2025, 8:08
One of the more dramatic title deciders in F1 history.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 22:01
Indeed, was a great championship battle between mansell, piquet and prost and the outcome was a very rare event in the history of championship battles.
Scalextric (@scalextric)
13th May 2025, 2:31
This is the 76th year of F1 by my count. But yeah
Jere (@jerejj)
13th May 2025, 6:25
Yes, 76th season precisely, but the series started 75 years ago.
GeeMac (@geemac)
13th May 2025, 5:59
I’m confused, did F1 not exist before 2008? I’m sure I watched races back in the early 90’s, but now I’m not sure.
Quite a few classics could have been added to improve this list: Suzuka 05, Nurburgring 99, Adelaide 94 to name a few.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
13th May 2025, 8:11
And you don’t have to go back too far to find a tolerable Monaco race if you really have to have one – 2008 would be my pick, although 1992 would also be an obvious choice.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
13th May 2025, 9:23
I could spend forever on this, but here’s the seven I’d choose. I’ve tried not to lean too heavily on wet races as it feels like cheating:
2012 Brazilian Grand Prix: It pips 2008 for me as F1’s best title-decider, mainly because the battle for the lead was so good.
2005 Japanese Grand Prix: The perfect argument why F1 should never introduce reverse-grid races: because when they happen naturally they’re this good.
1993 European Grand Prix: Not just for that first lap by Senna, but the almost comical way Williams seemed to get every decision wrong
1989 Hungarian Grand Prix: Opportunistic brilliance from Mansell. One of the first races I saw on television and a big part of why I became an F1 fan.
1982 Monaco Grand Prix: Pure comedy.
1971 Italian Grand Prix: I wish modern F1 had just one track where this kind of racing was possible.
1957 German Grand Prix: Incredible performance by an incredible driver on an incredible circuit. Also, why letting drivers choose whether they need to make a pit stop is better than forcing them to.
But if you ask me again in five minutes I might well come up with another seven…
S Arkazam
13th May 2025, 11:35
Thank you.
Would like to see the reasoned top-7 of other fans as well.
I would include AD21 just to see the comment section (and maybe the internet worldwide) explode ;)
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 22:05
Interesting, I never watched some of those old races, so don’t know much about hungary 1989 and nothing about monaco 1982, while the 2 earlier ones are very famous.
It annoys me they didn’t pick older races, quality shouldn’t be a big deal.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
13th May 2025, 9:32
I hope they have the full red flag time on the 2011 Canadian GP.
Weird how they didn’t select a single 2012 race.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
13th May 2025, 9:35
Yea if that is not getting on for 4 hours in length, then it won’t be close to being like it was… Live then will it?
bankelele
13th May 2025, 9:33
Underwhelming selection.
No Belgium, no Texas
No Hamilton or Schumacher wins, but two by Button?
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
13th May 2025, 9:39
Belgium 2021 would be a great addition ;)
bankelele
13th May 2025, 12:03
Belgium 1998 is a top Youtube clip.
Ferdi
13th May 2025, 11:14
Fun to see. Couldn’t remember Jacques Villeneuve being such a horrible driver. I know nowadays he is a bit of a clown in the media, but I totally forgot he was a rubbish driver as well. Really funny to see, but shouldn’t have been in F1. He makes way too many mistakes and accidents.
NM
14th May 2025, 6:23
He was good in 96, had the best car in 97, and was nothing after that.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 22:08
Villeneuve is a very underrated driver because he drove terrible cars for most of his career, and I have no reason to defend him, as a schumacher fan; check f1 metrics (mathematical model analysis) to see how good villeneuve was.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 22:08
In short, he was driving at the same level in the following years, the car was the difference maker, he outperformed most of his team mates.
Marc Schechter
13th May 2025, 22:24
2005 Japanese Grand Prix anyone!?
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
14th May 2025, 11:15
I suspect there will be repeats of this later in the season, using the comments section and other sources of commentary to include at least some audience picks. It may even be that later ones may go a bit further back in the archive. If so, I can understand why the oldest race of this one is 2008 – last I heard, it was the last season for which every race was deemed fit to post onto F1’s on-demand archive in full (rather than some sort of highlights). The subtle encouragement to pick things that don’t require too much uprating work to fit modern expectations of video quality would probably make the job of the highlights assembly easier.
Averaging the Rate the Race circuit ratings for this gave a result of (almost) 15th position, which is quite close to the average position for a circuit. I think a mix of circuits will continue to be seen, so missing some of the obvious venues may be on purpose in order to boost the later live-screenings.
If I was handed restrictions of “post-2007 only” and “these venues specifically”, Rate the Race suggests picking:
15 Australia – 2010*
9 Canada – 2014
30 Monaco – 2008*
12 Germany – 2019*
1 Brazil – 2012*
13 Sakhir – 2014
16 Las Vegas – 2023
* – races selected by FOM.
rob91
14th May 2025, 14:14
I completely missed this but so what, they are quite recent and i’ve seen them all. They should have picked one race from each decade, that properly celebrates the history of F1 better than picking seven races that are all well under 20 years old.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
14th May 2025, 22:11
Exactly, it’s very annoying they only pick modern races, quality be damned, it’s better to watch on dailymotion then, at least can find races from the 80s.
S
15th May 2025, 10:00
I think a major factor was that there was always a recognisable name for most viewers to connect with.
A poll conducted during the stream showed that about 50% of the 32000 viewers at the time have been watching F1 for 5 years or less – and only 17% have been watching more than 20 years.
It was a relatively new audience, so fair enough they gave them relatively recent GP’s and filler content to watch.
Besides, there were extended highlights packages of older GP’s too.
Wellbalanced
15th May 2025, 10:37
For what it’s worth, and having watched F1 since 1998, I would pick the following races beginning with that year, all of which are long enough ago to be worth watching again:
a) Spa 1998 – pile-up, Schumacher-Coulthard crash, Jordan 1-2
b) Nurburgring 1999 – false start, Frentzen retirement, Stewart 1-2
c) Australia 2002 – Barrichello-Ralf crash, Webber 5th for Minardi on debut
d) Brazil 2003 – Weber and Alonso crashes, Kimi, then Fisi in a Jordan, wins
e) Japan 2005 – Kimi overtakes Fisi (now in a Renault) on the last lap
f) Brazil 2008 – Massa wins the race and title at home, then Hamilton snatches the title at the last corner
g) Australia 2009 – the best day of F1 for any Button fan
Separately, and though it’s too recent to watch again, for my money Abu Dhabi 2020 was the most exciting F1 race I’ve ever seen – it may only have been the last few laps, but they were sensational drama. Surprised not to see it on a few lists