Following Sebastian Vettel’s second win in a row to start the 2018 Formula One season, drivers and teams head to Shanghai International Circuit this weekend for the 2018 China Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton stands as the defending champ.
In the United States, the race is scheduled to late Saturday night/early Sunday morning at 2:10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN2. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the race live (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Hulu With Live TV: In addition to their extensive Netflix-like streaming library, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, including ESPN2. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the race on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
DirecTV Now: ESPN2 is included in all of DirecTV Now’s four main channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, and you can then watch the race live on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
Sling TV: ESPN2 is included in the “Sling Orange” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of either, and you can then watch the race live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
Preview
After allowing Vettel and Ferrari to top the podium in each of the season’s first two races, this is a good place for Mercedes to bounce back. Hamilton’s win here last year marked his third in four years, his fifth overall, and Mercedes’ fifth in the last six China Grand Prix races.
“I’ve seen the forecast, but you never know,” Vettel said. “It’s obviously cooler. It’s a different track, so I think, honestly, the first two races have been quite different, so it’s not that straightforward to predict the third one. I think overall if you take into account all the testing we did et cetera, then Mercedes is still the favourite going in.
“Certainly we’ll try to have a different outcome than that. I think if we do our homework, if we get the car balance right and we get everything together, then it should be a good weekend — I don’t see why not.”
Vettel, who finished second in Shanghai last year, has five career podium finishes at this race but his only win came all the way back in 2009, so don’t be surprised if Hamilton and Mercedes get back to their winning ways this weekend.
Another interesting team to watch will be Red Bull. They came into the year with high expectations but are already 45 points shy of Ferrari in the World Constructors’ Championship standings after a miserable trip to Bahrain saw both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo retire within the first couple of laps. They should be able to respond with a good result considering they’ve had three double top-five finishes in the last four races here, but the pressure is undoubtedly on after such a shaky start to the season.
Ultimately, it should be a very entertaining race.
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Chinese Grand Prix 2018 Live Stream: How to Watch Online Without Cable [USA]