Firefox users locked out of F1TV, Mozilla engineer confirms a fix is coming

Formula 1 fans hoping to catch up on races or exclusive content via F1TV on Mozilla Firefox have hit a frustrating roadblock. Many users recently encountered a stark message on the F1TV website: “UNSUPPORTED BROWSER. This browser is currently unsupported. To experience F1 TV, please switch to an alternative browser.” This unexpected issue has sparked a wave of discussion among fans on platforms like Reddit, where a thread highlighted the problem with the costly subscription service that serves hundreds of thousands of users.

The issue came to light when Firefox users, including those on the latest version (Firefox 136), reported being locked out of F1TV. A screenshot shared by a user showed the unsupported browser message, despite the browser being up to date. This prompted a series reactions, with some fans expressing disappointment over what they see as misleading messaging from websites, while others speculated about potential legal implications of restricting access based on browser choice.

Amid the fan outcry, a Mozilla Web Compatibility Engineer stepped in to provide some clarity. The engineer revealed that Mozilla had already attempted to address the issue with a “WebCompatibility intervention” — a behind-the-scenes fix designed to make websites like F1TV work seamlessly on Firefox without requiring a full browser update. However, in a candid update, the engineer admitted that the initial fix “doesn’t 100% work,” leading to the persistent unsupported browser message for some users.

The engineer explained that the issue stems from how F1TV detects browsers, and Mozilla’s original solution inadvertently failed to fully resolve the problem. For some users, even after gaining access to the site, attempting to play videos resulted in another error: “Playback not supported. To experience F1 TV on your mobile, please download the app.” This error incorrectly identified desktop browsers as mobile devices, further complicating the experience for fans on Windows 10 and other platforms. Interestingly, the engineer also notes that this is an issue with Linux, although a fix is ready to ship.

The good news for affected F1TV subscribers is that Mozilla is actively working on a solution. The Web Compatibility Engineer announced that a new “out-of-band update” — a quick patch that doesn’t require a full Firefox update — will be rolled out to address the issue specifically for F1TV. This update is expected to be available as soon as today, meaning fans should soon be able to stream their favorite races without needing to switch browsers.

Update: Blergh, this is kinda our fault – the original fix we pushed to get around the “browser unsupported” message doesn’t 100% work. We’ll run another out-of-band update for that specific site as soon as possible (probably tomorrow).

In the meantime, some users have found workarounds. One suggestion from the Reddit thread involves using a Firefox extension called “User-Agent Switcher and Manager” or the engineer-recommended “Chrome Mask” (a tool developed by the engineer). These extensions trick websites into thinking you’re using a different browser, such as Google Chrome, which F1TV currently supports without issue. However, the engineer also advised trying a simpler fix first: disabling Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) for the F1TV site, as this feature can sometimes interfere with how websites function.

The root of the issue appears to lie in how F1TV detects and supports browsers, a process that can be influenced by various factors, including browser features like ETP. Some fans speculated that Google’s sponsorship of Formula 1 might be a factor in prioritizing Chrome over other browsers like Firefox, though no concrete evidence supports this claim. Others expressed frustration over the broader trend of websites locking out users based on browser choice, questioning the legality of such practices, especially when other Chromium-based browsers like Brave share the same underlying technology as Chrome.

For now, Mozilla’s engineer emphasized that the team is committed to ensuring compatibility without users needing to resort to workarounds like spoofing their browser. The upcoming update should resolve the issue for most, if not all, affected users.