The highlight of the 2021 FIA WEC season will soon be upon us as the 24 Hours of Le Mans begins on Wednesday 18 August with free practice and qualifying. If you’re wondering about how to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the UK and throughout Europe, look no further with our handy guide.
There are almost 12 hours of free practice and qualifying before the race even begins on Saturday. The good news is that almost all of the sessions will be broadcast live – the only exception being Wednesday’s three-hour FP1 session between 2pm and 5pm local time.
For the full timetable of the various sessions, check out our calendar page.
TV offerings expanded for 2021
Eurosport holds pan-European rights to the full race broadcast and will be broadcasting the entire 24 hours live on Eurosport 1 (UK, for other countries check local listings) together with a pre-race show featuring record winner Tom Kristensen.
However, the Discovery-owned network has also concluded an increased number of sub-licensing agreements across the continent for 2021. These include RTL7 in the Netherlands, NITRO in Germany and TV2 in Denmark, all of whom will be broadcasting the full race live. Again, check local listings for precise timings.
Most comprehensive coverage available online
Eurosport’s online offering, Eurosport Player, will also be broadcasting the full race as well as every other session except FP1.
So far this season, this “commercial-free” online feed has carried the official commentary from the WEC’s in-house team of Graham Goodwin, Martin Haven and Allan McNish. This may well be the case again at Le Mans, but is unable to be confirmed at this stage.
The first three rounds of the season have also carried commentary in French, German, Hungarian and other languages provided by the Eurosport team, although again it remains to be seen what form the broadcast will take.
In previous editions of the race, an “ambient” feed has also been offered, which is perfect for syncing up radio commentary from Radio Le Mans if you would like to replicate the authentic Le Mans experience from your sofa!
A one-month pass to Eurosport Player costs around €7.00 with apps available for iOS, Android and most Smart TV operating systems.
Another option is the FIA WEC app, which provides all of the coverage via the official world feed throughout race week. Commentary is available in English only. The race pass costs €9.99.