Formula One and FIA have in the present day revealed the calendar for the 2024 Formula One season. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó highlights the key takeaways from the 2024 schedule
Only 9 races have taken place up to now in 2023, however FIA and Formula 1 have already introduced the calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, authorized by the World Motor Sport Council.
Long schedule – The calendar options 24 races and begins in Bahrain on March 2 and finishes in Abu Dhabi on December 8, two weeks later than the present 2023 F1 season concludes.
Another try – The 2024 F1 calendar is ready to characteristic a report-breaking schedule because it incorporates a complete of 24 races. Although the present season was set to sport the similar variety of rounds, the cancellation of the Chinese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix meant that the present championship is being contested over 22 rounds.
First China was cancelled attributable to Covid-19-associated uncertainty then, simply days beforehand, Emilia-Romagna additionally dropped off attributable to the horrible flooding in the Italian area. In 2024, the sport will once more try a 24-race schedule which, if accomplished, can be a report variety of grands prix.
Regionalisation – Formula 1 has been keen to maneuver in the direction of better calendar regionalisation, lowering logistical burdens and making the season extra sustainable. F1 has tried to group collectively occasions in close by places to minimise travelling and logistics.
By transferring Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September and Qatar again-to-again with Abu Dhabi this calendar creates a greater movement of races in sure areas.
The sport said that “work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climactic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised.”
Saturday races – This yr will see the return of Saturday races with the Las Vegas Grand Prix set to grow to be the first F1 spherical to happen on a Saturday since 1985 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
Sundays have lengthy been a conventional day for staging grands prix, albeit Saturday races weren’t uncommon earlier. The first ever F1 race, the 1950 British Grand Prix additionally passed off on Saturday.
In whole, 73 F1 races had been staged on a day apart from Sunday with the well-known level-scoring Indianapolis 500 races having been held on every day of the week over the years. Moreover, Dutch, South African and Spanish Grands Prix have additionally taken place on a day apart from Sunday, together with Saturday and Monday.
Next yr’s schedule is ready to sport three Saturday races. Alongside the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the opening two races in Manama and Jeddah will happen on Saturday night on March 2 and March 9 respectively, to allow F1 to finish these grands prix earlier than Ramadan commences.
In reality, Ramadan that’s noticed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and group, begins solely on Sunday March 10, on the unique day of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, however the sport moved the race ahead by a day. However, with the Bahrain spherical only one week earlier, the turnaround can be too tight logistically if its race was on the Sunday.
More breaks – August often encompasses a three-week break between the Hungarian and the Belgian Grand Prix. This yr the August break will start proper after the Belgian Grand Prix that has been moved ahead by a month and can finish with the Dutch Grand Prix. The similar is scheduled for 2024, however there will likely be one other three-week hole between Singapore (September 24) and Austin (October 20).
Intense schedule – The Spanish, Austrian, British Grands Prix will comprise the first triple-header of the season with two different triple-headers following swimsuit over the course of the season. The second one will start in Texas, adopted by the races in Mexico and Brazil on the following two weekends.
The third triple-header will likely be made up by the Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, bringing the season to an in depth on 8 December.
Pre-season testing – Pre-season testing in Manama will likely be February 21-23. That’s one week earlier than the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in the similar location.
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