F1 TV now unavailable in France without Canal+ subscription
As of a few days ago, it is no longer possible to watch F1 TV without a Canal+ subscription. A new initiative that has divided French Formula 1 fans.

This is news that may not necessarily delight all French Formula 1 fans. F1 TV has quietly updated its website, explaining that its streaming platform is now only accessible with a Canal+ subscription. This is a new setback for F1 TV in the face of Canal+’s fierce competition, which claims all broadcasting rights for the premier discipline of motorsport.
Last month, she had sent an email mentioning « the withdrawal of replays, summaries, pre- and post-race programs for the entire 2024 season, as well as archives of races from previous seasons and all programs and documentaries such as Tech Talks, Jolyon Palmer’s Analysis, and F1 Icons », in order to comply with the anti-tobacco laws prescribed in France, which prohibit the advertising of tobacco products.
For the past few days, this change has been continuing, as it is no longer possible to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix on F1 TV Pro without owning an account with Canal+ and subscribing to one of the following five packages: Canal+ Sport, Canal+ Friends & Family, Pack Sport, Pack Intégrale, and Pack Intégrale+. In addition, accessing F1 TV Pro will only be possible for Canal+ on-demand or Apple TV+ subscribers, which entails additional subscriptions. A budgetary surcharge that does not please all fans, who will have to adjust their subscription to fully enjoy their favorite sport.
On the other hand, for those who already have a Canal+ account, the situation is more advantageous, as they won’t need to pay any additional subscription to F1 TV and will have access to a wide variety of content. There are several steps involved in linking your Canal+ account with F1 TV Pro.
The guidelines to access F1 TV Pro
If you do not already have an F1 TV Pro account, you will be asked to create one. To do this, you need to go to the “Channels and Apps” section of myCANAL and scroll down to find the mention of “Partner Applications.” Then, it is imperative to click on F1 TV Pro. After creating the account, a validation email will be sent to the email address you provided beforehand. Then, everything is practically automatic, just follow the instructions until you reach the step leading to the synchronization of the account, which can only be done from a web browser, from your computer or tablet.
After this final step, your account will be synchronized and you will be able to enjoy the benefits offered by F1 TV Pro, such as onboard cameras of the drivers and their radio messages, telemetry data, the circuit map, and the live standings. An enticing offer but one that would require some fans to take out an additional subscription, which would have an impact on their budget with a financial constraint to bear if they want a complete immersion and make the most of Formula 1.
The troubles of computer science
The Motors Inside editorial account unfortunately cannot be synchronized. We do have an F1 TV account and a Canal+ account, but we do not yet have the exact reason. So it is very likely that we will not be the only ones affected by this synchronization failure.
We also tried to connect with a free VPN to see if the content was accessible. Despite reappearing, the videos of the race archives are still blocked by an error, preventing them from being viewed. When creating the account, identifying the country of residence likely allows the video player to be blocked according to the rights.
We have therefore been unable to find an alternative at the moment.