F1 2024 season to run from March 2-December 8; Season opener in Bahrain and second race in Saudi Arabia to be held on Saturday night, along with November's Las Vegas GP; Chinese GP to return for first time since 2019; Japanese GP moves from September to April with Azerbaijan GP pushed back
Friday 28 July 2023 15:02, UK
The 2024 F1 season will start with two Saturday night Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, next year's record 24-race calendar revealed on Wednesday.
Bahrain will host the first race of the season on Saturday March 2 with Formula 1 heading to the streets of Jeddah the following week.
The two Grands Prix have been shifted forward 24 hours due to the Muslim holy period of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday March 10 in 2024.
That required the Saudi Arabian GP to be moved to the Saturday, and with the season starting with back-to-back race weekends, the Bahrain GP has also shifted forward to ensure freight logistics are met.
Pre-season testing will take place over three days in Bahrain from February 21-23, the week before the season opener.
Australia's Albert Park will once again host the third round of the season on Sunday March 24 before the Japanese GP shifts from its traditional September/October slot to be round four on April 7.
And the Chinese GP will be held for the first time since 2019 on April 21 for round five of the season.
The return of the Shanghai event means the 2024 season will have a record 24 races - all live on Sky Sports F1.
The 2024 British GP will be held at Silverstone on July 7 as the final leg of a triple header which begins with the Spanish GP on June 23 and the Austrian GP on June 30.
The Belgian GP once again rounds off the first half of the season on July 28 before F1 returns from its summer break at the Dutch GP on August 25.
Following Japan's move to the beginning of the season, the Azerbaijan GP shifts to the second half and will take place on September 15 before the Singapore GP night race takes place a week later on September 22.
There will then be a four-week gap before the season concludes with two triple headers.
First the US GP at Austin will take place on October 20, with the Mexican GP following on October 27 and Brazilian GP on November 3.
After a three-week break, the Las Vegas GP - again being held on a Saturday night like 2023's inaugural event - will take place on November 23 before Qatar hosts the penultimate race of the season on December 1.
Abu Dhabi will host its traditional season finale on December 8.
The 2024 calendar marks a clear step by Formula 1 to make its schedule more regionalised in an attempt to make it more sustainable and reduce logistical burdens.
With Japan moving from September to April, there is a clear Middle East and Asian leg to begin the season which will help with freight efficiency, although the two-week gaps between Australia, Japan and China will likely mean F1 team personnel fly back and forth to Europe.
Miami then precedes the usual European summer legs, with the Canadian GP on June 9 punctuating that spell.
Azerbaijan is pushed back to partner with Singapore, before the absence of an early October race creates a four-week gap before the US, Mexican and Brazil triple header, while Qatar now being the penultimate race of the season helps with transport to the Abu Dhabi finale.
"This calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised," Formula 1 said in a statement.
Stefano Domenicalli, Formula 1's president and CEO, said of the calendar: "There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula 1, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues.
"I want to thank all of the promoters and partners for their support and effort to achieve this great schedule. Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment."
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, said: "The planned 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, that has been approved by the Motor Sport Council Members, demonstrates some important steps towards our shared goals.
"We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the travelling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport."
Analysis from Sky Sports News' Craig Slater...
"There will be 24 races, that will be a record. We have the return of China after a four-year absence.
"The season begins on March 2 and finishes on December 8 in Abu Dhabi.
"There are a lot of significant things to point out, not least that the first two dates have race day on a Saturday because of Ramadan beginning on March 10. The Saudi Arabian GP has been moved to accommodate that and because you have to have seven days between event, that means the Bahrain GP is also on a Saturday.
"You'll notice as well the regionalisation of that first portion of the season in the Middle East and the Far East. That is to cut down on the carbon footprint F1 makes. Most significantly there we are talking about the heavy equipment and sea freight which will move between those venues. That will drastically reduce F1's carbon footprint by having those races in a cluster together.
"Some of those races there are gaps between them so F1 team staff will still be clocking up the air miles in that sense.
"The British GP will be at the end of what is the first of three triple headers next season. The other two triple headers end the season.
"The attempt is to try and regionalise the calendar to improve the carbon footprint. I think the calendar is better shaped than in previous years. There is a gap in September and October as well noticeably between Grands Prix, there is still the August break."
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