Evaluation – Takeaways from the 2024 F1 calendar

Components One and FIA have at the moment revealed the calendar for the 2024 Components One season. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó highlights the important thing takeaways from the 2024 schedule

Solely 9 races have taken place to date in 2023, however FIA and Components 1 have already introduced the calendar for the 2024 FIA Components One World Championship, authorized by the World Motor Sport Council.

Lengthy 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.

One other try – The 2024 F1 calendar is about to function a record-breaking schedule because it incorporates a complete of 24 races. Though the present season was set to sport the identical variety of rounds, the cancellation of the Chinese language and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix meant that the present championship is being contested over 22 rounds.

First China was cancelled on account of Covid-19-related uncertainty then, simply days beforehand, Emilia-Romagna additionally dropped off because of the horrible flooding within the Italian area. In 2024, the game will once more try a 24-race schedule which, if accomplished, can be a document variety of grands prix.

Regionalisation – Components 1 has been keen to maneuver in the direction of better calendar regionalisation, decreasing logistical burdens and making the season extra sustainable. F1 has tried to group collectively occasions in close by areas to minimise travelling and logistics.

By shifting Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September and Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi this calendar creates a greater stream of races in sure areas.

The game said that “work will proceed whereas being life like to the truth that as a world championship, with climactic and contractual constraints, there’ll all the time be journey required that can’t be fully regionalised.”

Saturday races – This yr will see the return of Saturday races with the Las Vegas Grand Prix set to turn out to be the primary 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 primary ever F1 race, the 1950 British Grand Prix additionally happened on Saturday.

In complete, 73 F1 races had been staged on a day aside from Sunday with the well-known point-scoring Indianapolis 500 races having been held on every day of the week through the years. Furthermore, Dutch, South African and Spanish Grands Prix have additionally taken place on a day aside from Sunday, together with Saturday and Monday.

Subsequent yr’s schedule is about 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 truth, 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. Nevertheless, with the Bahrain spherical only one week earlier, the turnaround can be too tight logistically if its race was on the Sunday.

Extra breaks – August often incorporates a three-week break between the Hungarian and the Belgian Grand Prix. This yr the August break will begin proper after the Belgian Grand Prix that has been moved ahead by a month and can finish with the Dutch Grand Prix. The identical 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 primary triple-header of the season with two different triple-headers following go well with over the course of the season. The second will begin in Texas, adopted by the races in Mexico and Brazil on the next 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 a detailed 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 identical location.