Formula 1 has the racing calendar for the 2024 season and is once again aiming for the record of 24 races after the Chinese Grand Prix was canceled this year due to ongoing corona restrictions and the Imola race weekend had to be canceled due to flooding.
The calendar for the coming year will be similar to that originally announced for 2023, with the return of the Chinese Grand Prix and no new events.
What is unusual is that the first two races of the season are held on Saturdays, with the second race in Saudi Arabia being postponed to Sunday due to the month of Ramadan. This year’s Las Vegas debut, which will take place on November 18, paved the way for a return to Saturday racing, a tradition in South Africa and, until 1977, at Silverstone.
The 2024 calendar also reflects efforts by Formula 1 organizers to solve logistical and sustainability issues by grouping some races more logically, particularly those in the Middle East.
The 2024 season opener will take place in Bahrain after the official three-day test drives from February 21st to 23rd at the same place. Immediately afterwards we go to Saudi Arabia. This year there was still a gap between the two races because the teams didn’t want to start with a double header after testing.
Next season both events will take place on back-to-back weekends which should result in a significant reduction in staff travel as most team members are likely to stay in the region rather than return to Europe as this year.
Appointments mixed up
Formula 1 has long since stated that some established races will have to deviate from their traditional dates. This affects Japan, which has been brought forward to early April from its usual end-of-season date.
Suzuka has swapped places with Azerbaijan, which now takes place ahead of Singapore in September. Imola follows immediately on Monaco, as it did this year, but the two races are no longer part of a triple-header with Spain.
The race in Barcelona has been postponed to the end of June and forms the first part of a logistically demanding triple header with Austria and Great Britain.