The first two races of the F1 season in 2024 will be on a Saturday this year, with the rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia having been brought forward by a day.
As a result, make sure to mark your calendars and prepare for free practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday and the races on Saturday March 2 and March 9 respectively.
Las Vegas also has its race on a Saturday night later in the season, but there’s a different reason behind the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds taking place on a Saturday this year.
The month of Ramadan is due to start on Sunday 10 March, with Formula 1 confirming that the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was brought forward by a day so it did not clash with the holy month of the Islamic faith.
With FIA regulations stipulating that there has to be a minimum of seven days between Grand Prix events, that led to a knock-on effect where the Bahrain Grand Prix was also brought forward by a day, to Saturday 2 March.
With the Las Vegas Grand Prix also occupying a late-night slot on a Saturday later in the season, that makes it three Saturday races on the F1 2024 calendar.
While Grand Prix events typically take place on a Sunday, Formula 1 has held dozens of races on other days of the week in the past, though Las Vegas last year was the first time F1 has broken from a Grand Prix Sunday for almost 40 years.
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[All times local, GMT in brackets]
Thursday 29 February
FP1: 2.30pm-3.30pm [11.30am-12.30pm]
FP2: 6pm-7pm [3pm-4pm]
Friday 1 March
FP3: 3.30pm-4.30pm [12.30pm-1.30pm]
Qualifying: 7pm-8pm [4pm-5pm]
Saturday 2 March
Race: 6pm [3pm] [57 laps or 120 minutes]
Thursday 7 March
FP1: 4.30pm-5.30pm [1.30pm-2.30pm]
FP2: 8pm-9pm [5pm-6pm]
Friday 8 March
FP3: 4.30pm-5.30pm [1.30pm-2.30pm]
Qualifying: 8pm-9pm [5pm-6pm]
Saturday 9 March
Race: 8pm [5pm] [50 laps or 120 minutes]
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