This weekend it’s the ninth round of the 2023 MotoGP season, and we’re back at the home of British motor racing. Silverstone usually delivers an action-packed race, and there’s no reason why that won’t be different this year.
But you’re here because you want to know how you can watch this weekend’s race.
So here are all the key details you need to know, plus the full 2023 calendar and all your options for streaming and watching on TV.
When is the British MotoGP race start time?
- Sunday 6 August at 1pm UK time, which is 8am US East coast, 5am US West coast.
Free practice is televised on Friday and Saturday, followed by Qualifying. Here’s the schedule for the weekend. All times are local time (GMT+1).
- Friday 4 August Free Practice 1: 10.45-11.30am, Practice 2: 3.00-4.00pm
- Saturday 5 August Free Practice 2: 10.10-10.40am, Qualifying: 10.50-11.30am, Sprint: 3pm
- Sunday 6 August Warm-up: 9.45-9.55am; Race start – 1pm
Here are the race start times around the world.
MotoGP
Is MotoGP shown on free-to-air TV?
In some countries it is but in most places you’ll need to have the right paid-for TV package.
In the UK, for example, TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) has exclusive rights to live coverage until 2024.
Race highlights are available on ITV4 – tune in on Monday 7 August at 8-9pm. Highlights of previous race can sometimes be found on ITVX.
If you don’t have BT broadband, you can still get TNT Sports by buying the Monthly Pass, which costs £29.99. This also includes access to the rest of discovery+ Premium.
But for those who do have BT broadband, adding a TV package is simple.
In the USA, NBC has exclusive broadcast rights for MotoGP for the 2023 season. Coverage will be on either NBC or CNBC and will also be streamed on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Only some will be shown live with the majority broadcast later after the race on the same day.
Here’s a list of the broadcasters in various countries and regions that (as far as we know) will show MotoGP races in 2022:
- UK: TNT Sports
- USA: NBC & CNBC – full list of broadcast times here
- Australia: Foxtel / Kayo Sports
- Canada: Rev TV (via cable providers)
- Africa: SuperSport
- Asia: Fox Sports
- Belgium: Canal +
- Benelux: Eurosport
- Brazil: Fox Sports
- Czech Republic Slovakia: Nova Sport
- France: C8
- Germany: Servus TV
- Greece: CosmoteTv
- Indian Subcontinent: OSport
- Indonesia: Trans7
- Italy:
- Japan: G+
- Japan: Hulu
- Latina America: ESPN
- Mexico: ESPN2
- Netherlands: Ziggo Sport
- Poland: Polsat Sport
- Portugal: Sport TV
- Russia: motorsport.tv
- Spain: DAZN
- Sweden: ViaSat
- Switzerland: SRF
- Thailand: PPTV HD
MotoGP VideoPass
Wherever you are in the world, you can get the MotoGP VideoPass, which lets you stream live and on-demand coverage of every GP on your devices – and TV if you have an Android TV, Apple TV, Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
Currently there’s 25% off the usual 199.99€ charge for the full season, so it’s 159.99€ (approx. US$175 / £137). Streaming is in Full HD – not UHD sadly – but it also includes 45,000 videos to watch dating back as far as 1992.
Fans might also like to watch the new 5-part series about Marc Marquez, which is available completely free on Red Bull TV.
Watch MotoGP with a VPN
Using a VPN allows you to watch MotoGP even if you’re not in your home country when a race is on. Alternatively it means you might be able to watch races live for free by watching a streaming service showing the race on free-to-air TV and streaming it on its website. You simply launch the VPN, connect to a server in your country and, from abroad, you can watch as if you were at home.
Of course, this works the other way round, too, and allows you to watch races on TV networks which stream online but are region-locked. You may still need an account for that TV service, but with a good VPN such as NordVPN you can get around those regional blocks.
We can’t show you how to unblock every single streaming service or which VPN unblocks each one, but here’s a quick guide so you can see how simple it is to use a VPN to appear to be located in the same country as the streaming service even if you’re really somewhere else. Bear in mind that you’ll need an account with the streaming service and, if relevant, a current subscription if it isn’t free to watch (as most aren’t).
Sign up for NordVPN
Jim Martin / Foundry
By default, the Complete plan is selected, but if you only need the VPN, click on Get Standard. At the top, choose between a two-year, one-year and one-month plan.
Follow the prompts to create your account and pay.
Install the NordVPN app
Jim Martin / Foundry
If you’re using a phone or tablet, just head to its app store (Google Play for Android) and search for NordVPN, then install it.
If you’re using Windows, then log into your NordVPN account in a web browser, go to the Downloads section and click Download app next to Get NordVPN for Windows. Run the downloaded file to install it.
Launch NordVPN
Jim Martin / Foundry
Launch the app, and sign in using the email address and password you entered when creating an account with NordVPN. On Windows you should see a screen like this, but other apps are very similar.
Either use the list of locations (the word icon at the top left) or scroll the map to connect to the country where the streaming service is based. Here we’re connecting to London, UK for TNT Sports.
If prompted, allow NordVPN to set up a VPN connection. You might have to enter your Windows password or, on a mobile device, your passcode.
Wait until the VPN is connected
Jim Martin / Foundry
You should see a message to tell you the VPN is connected. You can see this with the green CONNECTED and a padlock above United Kingdom.
Open your streaming service app
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Open the app for your streaming service, or head to its website.
Sign in with your account (create one if you haven’t got one) and then navigate to the MotoGP coverage. It should play just fine as the VPN makes it appear that you’re in the UK, even if you’re somewhere else in the world.
MotoGP 2023 calendar
Round | Race Date | Start time | Country | Circuit |
1 | 26 March | 2pm BST | Portugal | Portimao |
| 2 | 2 April | 6pm BST | Argentina | Termas de Rio Hondo |
| 3 | 16 April | 8pm BST | USA | Circuit of the Americas |
| 4 | 30 April | 2pm BST | Spain | Jerez |
| 5 | 14 May | 1pm BST | France | Le Mans |
| 6 | 11 June | 1pm BST | Italy | Mugello |
7 | 18 June | 1pm BST | Germany | Sachsenring |
8 | 25 June | 1pm BST | Netherlands | Assen |
9 | 9 July | 10am BST | Kazakhstan | Sokol |
10 | 6 August | 1pm BST | Great Britain | Silverstone |
11 | 20 August | 1pm BST | Austria | Red Bull Ring |
| 12 | 3 September | 1pm BSP | Spain | Catalunya |
13 | 10 September | 1pm BST | Italy | Misano |
14 | 24 September | 19.30am BST | India | Buddh |
15 | 1 October | 7am BST | Japan | Motegi |
| 16 | 15 October | 7am BST | Indonesia | Mandalika |
17 | 22 October | 4am BST | Australia | Phillip Island |
18 | 29 October | 7am GMT | Thailand | Chang |
19 | 12 November | 6am GMT | Malaysia | Sepang |
20 | 19 November | 5pm GMT | Qatar | Lusail |
| 21 | 26 November | 2pm GMT | Spain | Valencia (Ricardo Tormo) |
Related stories
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor, Tech Advisor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.