The 2024 season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir from Thursday until Saturday.
Red Bull dominated last year, winning 21 of 22 races, with three-time world champion Max Verstappen claiming 19 of those.
This season F1 takes in a record 24 grands prix across 21 countries and ends in Abu Dhabi in December.
Why are the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs on a Saturday?
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races take place on a Saturday to accommodate the start of the Islamic holy month Ramadan on Sunday, 12 March.
This date was originally scheduled to be the Saudi Arabian GP, so Formula 1 brought the race forward by a day to avoid a clash.
F1 rules state there must be a week between races, so the event in Sakhir will also start on Thursday to give teams enough time to prepare.
Saturday’s race starts at 15:00 GMT.
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How to follow on the BBC
Radio commentary of the Bahrain GP will be live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, plus the BBC Sport website and app.
You can also listen and download the Chequered Flag podcast, which previews and reviews every race of the season, and F1: Back at Base, a podcast which goes behind the scenes at Mercedes and Williams, via BBC Sounds.
|
Bahrain Grand Prix (all times GMT) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Date |
Session |
Time |
Radio coverage |
Online text commentary |
|
Thursday, 29 February |
First practice |
11:30-12:30 |
Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and online |
From 11:00 |
|
Second practice |
15:00-16:00 |
Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and online |
From 14:45 |
|
|
Friday, 1 March |
Third practice |
12:30-13:30 |
Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and online |
From 12:00 |
|
Qualifying |
16:00-17:00 |
Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and online |
From 15:15 |
|
|
Saturday, 2 March |
Race |
15:00 |
Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and online |
From 13:30 |
Are there any driver or team changes?
The driver line-up remains unchanged from 2023, so there are no rookies on the grid.
When it comes to team names, however, there are big changes to look out for in 2024.
Red Bull’s junior team switches from Alpha Tauri to RB, short for Racing Bulls, while Sauber have reverted to their original name after racing as Alfa Romeo since 2019.
Both team liveries have been given a makeover, with RB running a blue and silver design and Sauber launching a fluorescent green and black livery.
The headline team principal change is at Haas, who replaced Guenther Steiner with Ayao Komatsu.
Will there be any new races?
While the calendar covers 24 races, none of the grands prix that make up the 2024 season are new.
The Chinese GP returns to the schedule – as the fifth race of the campaign – for first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the quest for greater sustainability, the Japanese GP moves to 7 April from its usual autumn slot, while Azerbaijan will be twinned with Singapore in September.