How to watch this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix on Apple TV

If you went hunting for Formula 1 on ESPN this season and came up with nothing, you are not losing it. The entire sport packed up and moved house.

Starting this year, Apple TV is the exclusive home of F1 in the United States, so every practice session, qualifying hour, and Grand Prix now lives in one app.

This weekend that app is showing one of the best races on the calendar. The Monaco Grand Prix, round six of the season, runs through the tight streets of Monte Carlo, and if you have watched it before you know the drill: barely any overtaking, walls inches from the cars, and a qualifying session on Saturday that basically decides Sunday. It is the kind of race where pole position is gold.

Here is the good news. Getting set up takes about five minutes, and if you already pay for Apple TV, you are basically done. Let me walk you through it.

When the race actually starts

The Monaco Grand Prix goes green on Sunday, June 7, at 9 a.m. ET, which is 6 a.m. PT. If you are out west, yes, that is an early one. Set an alarm, make the coffee the night before, and thank me later. Qualifying happens Saturday, and honestly, at Monaco it is almost as good as the race.

For the record, Kimi Antonelli rolls into the weekend on a tear, four wins in a row and a healthy lead in the championship for Mercedes. Whether anyone can catch him on a track where passing is nearly impossible is exactly why you tune in.

Step 1: Get the Apple TV app

You almost certainly already have it. The Apple TV app comes built in on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV boxes, and it is also on most smart TVs, plus Roku, Fire TV, and Chromecast. If for some reason it is not on your device, grab it from your device's app store.

Open the app and sign in with your Apple Account.

Step 2: Subscribe, or start a free trial

Watching F1 requires an Apple TV subscription, which runs $12.99 a month. Before you groan about another monthly bill, a couple of ways to soften it:

• New subscribers get a seven day free trial.
• If you recently bought an eligible Apple device, you can claim up to three months free.

That free trial alone covers this weekend, and it is plenty to see what the fuss is about.

Step 3: Find the race and hit play

Inside the Apple TV app, search for F1 or look for the Formula 1 section on the home screen. On race day the live broadcast will be front and center. Tap it, and you are watching. That is the whole trick. No cable box, no hunting for a channel number, no blackout nonsense.

The bonus most fans miss: F1 TV Premium

This is the part I want to make sure you do not skip. Your Apple TV subscription now includes F1 TV Premium at no extra cost. This used to be a separate paid subscription, and it is the good stuff: live onboard cameras for every driver, team radio, live timing and telemetry, races in 4K, and a Multiview feature that lets you build your own grid of feeds and watch several at once.

To turn it on, open the F1 TV app (it is on Apple TV, iPad, and iPhone) and link it to your Apple Account. There is an activate step that connects the two. Once they are linked, everything F1 TV offers opens up, including the lower categories like F2, F3, F1 Academy, and Porsche Supercup, which are worth a watch if you want the full Sunday experience.

Personally, I leave the main broadcast on the big screen and keep onboard or Multiview going on the iPad next to me. It is overkill. I love it.

If you miss it or want to catch up

Can't make a 6 a.m. start? Subscribers get full replays, highlights, and a tidy recap called Race in 30, all kept spoiler free so you can dodge the result until you have watched. It is the calmest way to follow a season when life does not bend around the race calendar.

That is everything. Subscribe or start the trial, open the app Sunday morning, and enjoy one of the great races of the year. And do not forget to link F1 TV Premium. The fan who pays for the subscription and never switches on the onboard cameras is leaving the best part on the table.

Watch the Monaco Qualifying Highlights