F1 News: 2024 Formula 1 Season To Start With Double Header Saturday Grands Prix For The First Time
Two consecutive Saturdays are race days.
This year, the record-breaking 2024 Formula 1 season is scheduled to kick off with a doubleheader in March, featuring the first Grand Prix on March 2, a Saturday, followed by the second Grand Prix on the next Saturday, the 9th of March.
Back-to-back races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been moved forward by 24 hours considering the lead times needed by the teams for transport, and also to accommodate the Muslim holy period of Ramadan which begins on the 10th of March.
The Grand Prix weekend norm in F1 starts with free practice on Friday, final practice, and qualifying on Saturday, followed by the Grand Prix on Sunday. However, the opening race in Bahrain had to undergo rescheduling due to the necessary lead time for teams to transport their freight and personnel, and to set up for the weekend.
Consequently, media days for both race weekends will be moved to Wednesdays, a departure from the usual Thursday schedule.
The inaugural race in Bahrain will feature teams presenting their 2024 cars, with minimal alterations in the driver lineup. Nevertheless, Sauber and AlphaTauri are expected to undergo rebranding, with the former having already been officially renamed as the Stake F1 team. However, the new name for Red Bull’s junior team has not been revealed yet.
The big question for the 2024 season revolves around whether another driver can overtake Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the championship title, given his exceptional record-breaking performance in the RB19 in the previous year.
However, a grueling 24-race season that ends in a challenging triple-header across various time zones from Las Vegas to Qatar to Abu Dhabi, it remains uncertain how drivers and teams will handle the pressure amidst the effects of jetlag.
