Saturday grands prix

The💃 f꧃irst two rounds of the 2024 season will feature a grand prix on a Saturday, in a major break from tradition.

The rea🦂son is to respect 🍰Ramadan, the Muslim holy festival.

Ramadan begins on Sunday March 10, s🥃o the Saudi Arabian Grand Pr🀅ix has been shifted to Saturday March 9 so it does not coincide.

And due to freight logistics, the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix (which is exactly a wee🌸k before Saudi Arabia) has also been moved to a Saturday race day.

The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, later in the🌞 year, will𒊎 also be on a Saturday.

China is back on the calendar

The Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled this seas꧙on due to the effects of Covid-19 that still lurk in the count🔜ry.

As a result, it has now ꦿbeen absent for four years.

But it has not aff💛ected China’s place on the 2024 schedule. It remains an important part of the world for F1 and its owners.

How to be more sustainable

F1 has attempted to group together events in nearby locations to minimise travelling an🍸d logistics.

For example, the season-opening Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix are in consecutive weeks, rather than either side of a break. Tꦕhis means F1 team members will travel directly from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, rather than making an additional ♊trip back home in between.

Japan has been moved from its usual ✨slot in September to April, after Australia and before China.

And Azerbaijan has been moved to a ♒week before𒁃 Singapore.

Silverstone concludes a triple-header

The F1 British Grand Prix on July 7, 2🌠02꧙4, will be the third stop of a triple-header.

Spain, Austria and Si🥂lverstone will be on consecutive weeks - a key period for F1 teams in terms of their development and their logistics.

There are three triple-headers across the year.

U🔯nited Sta💮tes, Mexican and Brazilian are in consecutive weeks. Then the season ends with Las Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi.

A new break

There is a three-week gap, in addition to ꦚthe usual summer break, between Singapore (September 24) and Austin (October 20).

Will the record be broken this time?

A year a🌌go, F1 announced a 24-race schedule for 2023 but it didn’t quite work out.

First China was cancelled then, just 😼days befo🐼rehand, Emilia-Romagna also dropped off due to the terrible flooding in the Italian region.

In 2024, F1 will again attempt a 24-racꦐe schedule which, if completed, would be a record number of grands prix.

When is pre-season testing?

Subj😼ect to FIACommission approval, pre-𝄹season testing in Bahrain will be February 21-23. That’s one week before the season-opening grand prix in the same location.

How many sprint races will there be?

F1 has not yet confirmed plans fo🌄r sprint racesꩵ in 2024.