How to watch MotoGP: Portugal start time and live stream

It’s the first round of the 2023 MotoGP championship this weekend in Portugal: the long wait is over.

Of course you want to know how you can watch the race, so here’s everything you need to know about the action plus the full 2023 schedule, plus your streaming and TV viewing options.

What is the start time of the Portuguese MotoGP race?

• Sunday March 26 To 14:00 BST (also 2:00 p.m. local time)

Free practice is televised on Friday and Saturday, followed by qualifying. Here is the program for the weekend. For those in the UK, remember that the clocks move forward on Sunday morning, so Sunday times are in British Summer Time, while Friday and Saturday times are in GMT.)

• Friday March 24 Training 1: 10:45-11:30 am, Training 2: 3:00-4:00 pm
• saturday 2March 5 Free practice: 10:10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., Qualifying: 10:50 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
• sunday 2March 6 Warm-up: 9:45-9:55 a.m.; Start of the race – 2 p.m.

Here are the departure times worldwide. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. for those on the US East Coast and 6:00 a.m. for those on the West Coast.

MotoGP

Is MotoGP shown on free-to-air TV?

In some countries this is the case, but in most places you will need to have the correct pay TV package.

In the UK, for example, bt sports has exclusive live coverage rights until 2024.

Race highlights are available on ITV4. For the Portuguese race, meet on Monday March 27 at 10:15 p.m. They will also be on ITV X.

If you don’t have BT broadband, you can still get BT Sport by buying the monthly pass, which costs £29.99. But for those with BT broadband, adding a TV package is simple.

In the United States, NBC has exclusive rights to broadcast MotoGP for the 2023 season. Coverage will be on NBC or CNBC and will also air on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Only some will be broadcast live (like the Grand Prix of the Americas on April 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET, with the majority airing later after the race on the same day.

Here is a list of broadcasters from various countries and regions that (as far as we know) will be showing MotoGP races in 2022:

• United Kingdom: BT Sport 2
• US: NBC and CNBC – full list of broadcast times here
• Australia: Foxtel / Kayo Sports
• Canada: Rev TV (via cable companies)
• Africa: SuperSport
• Asia: Fox Sports
• Belgium: Canal+
• Benelux: Eurosport
• Brazil: Fox Sports
• Czech Republic Slovakia: Nova Sport
• France: C8
• Germany: Servus TV
• Greece: Cosmote TV
• Indian subcontinent: OSport
• Indonesian: Trans7
• Italy:
• Japan: Google+
• Japan: Hulu
• Latin America: ESPN
• Mexico: ESPN2
• Netherlands: Ziggo Sport
• Poland: Polsat Sports
• Portugal: sports television
• Russia: motorsport.tv
• Europe: DAZN
• Sweden: ViaSat
• Switzerland: FRS
• Thailand: PPTV HD

Wherever you are in the world, you can get the MotoGP VideoPass, which lets you stream live, on-demand coverage from every GP to your devices – and TV if you have an Android TV, Apple TV, Roku or Amazon FireTV.

It costs $199.99 for the full season. The streaming is in Full HD – not UHD unfortunately – but it also includes 45,000 videos to watch from as far back as 1992.

Watch MotoGP with a VPN

Using a VPN allows you to watch MotoGP even if you are not in your home country when a race is in progress. Alternatively, this means you may be able to watch live races for free by watching a streaming service showing the race on free TV and streaming it on their website. You simply fire up the VPN, connect to a server in your country, and from abroad you can watch as if you were at home.

Of course, it also works the other way around and lets you watch races on TV networks that stream online but are region locked. You may still need an account for this TV service, but with a good VPN such as NordVPN, you can bypass these regional blocks.

We can’t show you how to unblock every streaming service or which VPN unblocks each, but here’s a quick guide so you can see how simple it is to use a VPN to appear in the same country as the streaming service even if you’re really somewhere else. Keep in mind that you’ll need an account with the streaming service and, if applicable, a current subscription if it’s not free to watch (as most are not).

1.

Sign up for NordVPN

Jim Martin / Foundry

By default, the Full plan is selected, but if you only need the VPN, click Get Standard. At the top, choose between a two-year, one-year, and one-month plan.

Follow the instructions to create your account and pay.

2.

Install the NordVPN app

Jim Martin / Foundry

If you’re using a phone or tablet, just go to its App Store (Google Play for Android) and search for NordVPN, then install it.

If you’re using Windows, sign in to 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.

3.

Launch NordVPN

Jim Martin / Foundry

Launch the app and log 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 applications are very similar.

Use the list of locations (the word icon in the top left) or scroll the map to connect to the country where the streaming service is based. Here we tune in to London, UK for BT Sport 2.

If prompted, allow NordVPN to set up a VPN connection. You may need to enter your Windows password or, on a mobile device, your passcode.

4.

Wait for the VPN to be connected

Jim Martin / Foundry

You should see a message telling you that the VPN is connected. You can see it with the green CONNECTED and a padlock above the UK.

5.

Open your streaming service app

Jim Martin / Foundry

Open your streaming service’s app or go to its website.

Log in with your account (create one if you don’t have one), then access MotoGP coverage. This should work well because the VPN makes it look like you’re in the UK, even if you’re somewhere else in the world.

2023 Moto GP Calendar