Defending Indy 500 champion Hélio Castroneves is aiming for a fifth title when the 2022 Indianapolis 500 blasts off this afternoon. The Brazilian ace faces stiff competition from pole-sitter Scott Dixon and ex-F1 driver Takuma Sato. It's a hot and dry day at the Speedway which should lead to some clean racing with plenty of pace. Aussies can watch the legendary 500-mile race free on Stan while those in the US can use NBC or Peacock. Make sure you know how to watch an Indy 500 live stream from wherever you are in the world.
Date: Sunday 29th May
Start time: 5.45pm BST / 12.45am ET / 2.45am AEST
Circuit: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana
Aus stream: Stan Sport 7-day free trial
US streams: NBC | Peacock
Watch anywhere: Try ExpressVPN risk-free today
The 2022 Indy 500 start time is 12.45pm ET / 5.45pm BST today. The 'greatest spectacle in racing' will feature a full capacity crowd for the first time since 2019, with more than 300,000 motorsport fans expected to pack into the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 106th Indycar showpiece will take about 3 hours to complete, depending on pitstops, crashes and safety cars. The field will once again be led away by six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon who set the record for the fastest pole position speed in the race's history. Unsurprisingly, The Iceman is the 4-1 favourite for the 2022 Indianapolis 500.
Ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean, known for his risky overtakes and crazy spins, will start the 2022 Indy 500 on the third row of the grid as the quickest rookie driver. One to watch, for sure.
Who will win the Borg Warner trophy and a bottle of milk? Tune in today, just after the Monaco Grand Prix, to find out. Make sure you know how to watch a 2022 Indy 500 live stream from where you are in the world.
Watch an Indy 500 free live stream
Lucky Australians can watch the 2022 Indy 500 with a Stan Sport 7-day free trial.
You'll need the standard Stan subscription (30-day free trial; AU$10 a month) plus the Stan Sport add-on (7-day free trial; AU$10 a month).
Of course, Stan is only available within the Australia. Aussies abroad will need to use a VPN to access Stan without being blocked. Details below.
Watch an Indy 500 live stream from abroad using a VPN
Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Indy 500 rights holders, you won't be able to access them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t aware of what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.
There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.
How to use a VPN for the Indy 500
Using a VPN to watch the Indy 500 from wherever you are is simple:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.
2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the motor racing , you should choose 'Australia' for Stan Sport or perhaps 'USA' for Peacock.
3. Then head over to Stan Sport or Peacock on your browser or device and enjoy the free Indy 500 live stream!
If, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money back guarantee with ExpressVPN. You could also try NordVPN, which also comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, and Surfshark which offers 24 hour assistance.
US: watch the Indy 500 live stream
The Indy 500 race will air on NBC. Don't have cable? Peacock TV – NBC's streaming service – is the best option for cordcutters and costs just $4.99 a month.
Going to be away from the US this weekend? US nationals can use a VPN to access Peacock from abroad, without being blocked.
Sling TV is another good option as it provides streaming access to NBC (selected markets). Subscription to the Sling Blue package costs $35 a month but new subscribers get 50 percent off their first month.
UK: watch the Indy 500 live stream
The Indy 500 is exclusive to Sky in the UK. You can watch live on Sky Sports F1 (race starts at 5.45pm BST).
Check out today's best Sky TV deals or get instant, streaming access with a contract-free Now pass.
Don't forget: Aussies in the UK can watch the 2022 Indy 500 live and free on Stan Sport. Remember to use a VPN to access Stan Sport from outside Australia.
Indy 500 start time and schedule
5am ET – Garage opens
6am ET – Gates open
6.30am ET – Tech inspection
8.15am ET – Cars pushed to pit lane
10.30am ET – Cars on the starting grid
11:47am ET – Driver introductions
12.38pm ET– Command to start engines
12.45pm ET – Green flag for the 105th Indy 500
Indy 500 line-up - starting grid
Row 1: Scott Dixon (pole), Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay
Row 2: Ed Carpenter, Marcus Ericsson, Tony Kanaan
Row 3: Pato O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Romain Grosjean
Row 4: Takuma Sato, Will Power, Jimmie Johnson
Row 5: David Makulas, Josef Newgarden, Santino Ferrucci
Row 6: Simon Pagenaud, JR Hildebrand, Conor Daly
Row 7: Callum Ilott, Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal
Row 8: Sage Karam, Marco Andretti, Devlin DeFrancesco
Row 9: Colton Herta, Scott McLaughlin, Helio Castroneves
Row 10: Kyle Kirkwood, Dalton Kellett, Juan Pablo Montoya
Row 11: Christian Lundgaard, Jack Harvey, Stefan Wilson
Why does the Indy 500 winner drink milk?
The tradition dates to 1936, when Louis Meyer won his third Indy 500. It's said that Meyer used to drink buttermilk to refresh himself on hot days, and when a photographer snapped a picture of him guzzling from a glass bottle in Victory Lane, the picture appeared in several newspapers.
It wasn't long before a canny marketing executive representing the Milk Federation realised that 'winners drink milk' was a great way to sell the the beverage to the American public. Ever since, aside from a short hiatus between 1946-55, the winner of the Indy 500 has been presented with a bottle of ice-cold milk (actually it was a whole churn last year).
There was uproar in 1993 when contrary Brazilian driver Emerson Fittipaldi mugged off the milk in favour of a bottle of orange juice. Some sections of the audience booed but Fittipaldi had the last laugh – he was later revealed as the owner of a 500,000-acre orange grove in Brazil. Fittipaldi has since issued an apology for the faux pas.
