Ferrari F1 car at Sakhir during the 2022 Bahrain GP

F1 2024 calendar and race reports: What time the next grand prix starts and what happened in the previous rounds

Looks like Red Bull and Verstappen will do it again in 2024 but it's tight for best-of-the-rest


The 2024 Formula One season is underway and set to feature a record 24 races. That was meant to be the case in 2023 but the Chinese GP and Emilia-Romagna GP were both dropped from the calendar, for different reasons; both are scheduled to return for the 2024 season, making this a bumper year for fans and a hectic one for the teams and drivers.

Once again the F1 season began with the Bahrain Grand Prix, which took place this year on Saturday, March 2. The season is due to stretch into December, with the final round slated for the Yas Marina track in Abu Dhabi on December 8.

In scheduling the races for 2024, F1’s management made a conscious move towards “greater calendar regionalisation”, which in layman’s terms means grouping events together based on their geographical locations. This, F1 says, has the dual benefit of reducing logistical burdens on the teams and making the season more sustainable.

The resulting tweaks involve moving the Japanese GP to April, putting it between the Australian and Chinese rounds, while the Azerbaijan GP shifts to September, after Italy and before Singapore. Additionally, the Qatar Grand Prix is back-to-back with Abu Dhabi.

Of greatest interest for UK F1 fans will be that the 2024 British Grand takes place on the weekend of July 5-7.

A statement from F1 read: “This calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised.”

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues.

“Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment.”

When is the next F1 race?

The next F1 race is the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, March 24.

If you can watch it live, the race starts at 3pm local time. For our UK readers, that’s a very early start: 4am over here, and coverage on Sky begins at 2.30am. We’ve included local times below for the UK, USA and Australia.

LocationLocal TimeTime ZoneUTC Offset
London (United Kingdom – England)Sunday, 24 March 2024, 04:00:00GMTUTC
New York (USA – New York)Sunday, 24 March 2024, 00:00:00EDTUTC-4 hours
Los Angeles (USA – California)Saturday, 23 March 2024, 21:00:00PDTUTC-7 hours
Canberra (Australia – Australian Capital Territory)Sunday, 24 March 2024, 15:00:00AEDTUTC+11 hours
Timings via timeanddate.com

The full Australian GP schedule with UK timings:

Friday, March 22MELBOURNEUK
Practice 112:30 – 13:3001:30 – 02:30
Practice 216:00 – 17:0005:00 – 06:00
Saturday, March 23
Practice 312:30 – 13:3001:30 – 02:30
Qualifying16:00 – 17:0005:00 – 06:00
Sunday, March 24
Race15:0004:00

2024 F1 calendar

Here’s the full schedule of grands prix for the 2024 Formula One season. After each round you’ll be able to click on links to read a report of each race.

DateGrand PrixVenue
February 21-23Pre-season testing, BahrainSakhir
February 29 – March 2Bahrain (report and highlights)Sakhir
March 7-9Saudi Arabia (report and highlights)Jeddah
March 22-24AustraliaMelbourne
April 5-7JapanSuzuka
April 19-21ChinaShanghai
May 3-5MiamiMiami
May 17-19Emilia RomagnaImola
May 24-26MonacoMonaco
June 7-9CanadaMontreal
June 21-23SpainBarcelona
June 28-30AustriaSpielberg
July 5-7Great BritainSilverstone
July 19-21HungaryBudapest
July 26-28BelgiumSpa
August 23-25NetherlandsZandvoort
August 30 – September 1ItalyMonza
September 13-15AzerbaijanBaku
September 20-22SingaporeSingapore
October 18-20United StatesAustin
October 25-27Mexico CityMexico City
November 1-3BrazilSao Paulo
November 21-23Las VegasLas Vegas
November 29 – December 1QatarLusail
December 6-8Abu DhabiYas Marina

2024 Bahrain GP race report

The 2024 F1 season has already had more than its fair share of drama and scandal before the lights went out on the first race, writes Dave Humphreys.

Despite plenty of variability in the early practice sessions, the starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix continued where 2023 left off. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull started from pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and George Russell of Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) lined up in fourth place — he has a lot to prove this year, as he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton in 2025. Hamilton could only qualify in ninth, saying he sacrificed qualifying speed for race setup in his Mercedes.

The wily Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) started from sixth, ahead of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. A strong performance from Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) saw him in tenth spot.

As the lights went out, Verstappen got away cleanly and maintained his lead into the first corner, with the pack taking a cautious approach to the first lap in this season-opener. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) spun around following a light touch from Hulkenberg, demoting the Canadian driver to last place as he recovered. Zhou Guanyu (Stake F1) made a great start and gained four places by the end of lap one.

A couple of laps in, Norris made a move stick on Alonso while further up the field, Russell performed a fantastic overtake on Leclerc into turn four. With the Mercedes moving ahead, Leclerc had the Red Bull of Sergio Perez on his rear wing. The Mexican driver kept the pressure on and on lap seven Leclerc locked up his brakes and ran wide in turn 11, allowing Perez to slip through.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 02: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 on track leads the group during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 02, 2024 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images )

Hamilton’s race pace wasn’t as promising as it might have been; complaints over the team radio revealed he was dealing with hybrid battery issues and a broken race seat. Nevertheless, he passed Alonso on lap 10 just before Sargeant (Williams) stopped briefly off-track. Sargeant soon got the car going again but was now plum last.

The first raft of pit stops took place on lap 12, with Russell, Leclerc, Perez, Hamilton and Piastri all stopping. Perez was fast on fresh tyres and caught up to Russell, passing him two laps later to move into sixth place. Sainz was also driving well and pulled off a daring overtake on Leclerc on lap 17, clearly out to make a name for himself this year.

Verstappen was untroubled out in front, and the race leader stopped on lap 18 for fresh rubber. Further back, Leclerc struggled with balance issues, and the Mercedes of Russell also developed problems with the power unit overheating. That provided Sainz the opportunity to overtake for third place.

It then became quite processional out on track with little action for fans to get excited about. The second round of pit stops began on lap 32 with Russell and Bottas. The Finnish driver had a lengthy delay due to a wheel nut issue, but he was eventually able to rejoin the race in the lurid green Stake F1 car. A few laps later, Perez made his second stop that enabled him to get out in front of Sainz, though he was still some way behind Verstappen, who would set the fastest lap of the race on lap 40.

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 02: Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 02, 2024 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images )

Six laps later, Russell made a mistake going into turn 11 and ran wide, leaving the door open for Leclerc to slip by in the Ferrari, moving up to fourth. Further back, the two RBs (formerly AlphaTauri) of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were involved in some action as the team instructed Tsunoda to switch places and leave Ricciardo through, much to the Japanese driver’s chagrin.

Unhappy at being asked to give up what was already a non-points-finishing place, Tsunoda vented his frustration on the team radio. It seems that the new team boss, Laurent Mekies, has brought some of the questionable decision-making from Ferrari’s strategy department with him to RB. Adding insult to injury, Verstappen lapped both RBs in the Red Bull on his way to the chequered flag.

Sergio Perez rolled home in a distant second place, some 22 seconds behind Verstappen, and Sainz scored an important third place ahead of Leclerc. Fifth was all that Russell could muster in the end, followed by Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Alonso and a good recovery from Stroll following his spin at the start to finish the race in the last points-scoring position of 10th.

The next round of the 2024 Formula 1 season will take place on March 7 in Saudi Arabia, with the race taking place on Saturday, March 9 due to Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, starting on Sunday, March 10.

Watch the 2024 Bahrain GP highlights

2024 Saudi Arabian GP race report

A slightly altered weekend schedule for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, moved forward by one day to accommodate Ramadan, once more saw action under the floodlights, writes Dave Humphreys. The Christian Horner / Red Bull saga may have continued — and even ramped up — off-track but on circuit it was business as usual for Max Verstappen as he clinched pole position during Friday’s qualifying session.

However, all eyes in qualifying were on young up-and-coming British driver Oliver Bearman, who had a last-minute call-up to replace Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari. The Spanish driver had been feeling under the weather since arriving in Saudi Arabia and was subsequently diagnosed with appendicitis, requiring immediate surgery.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 09: 7th placed Oliver Bearman of Great Britain and Ferrari looks on in the pits prior to competing in the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Ferrari called upon 18-year-old Bearman, who had been competing in feeder series F2, to step into the second Ferrari from the third practice session. Having spent just an hour with the car, he was thrown into Qualifying, though it didn’t rattle the youngster and he narrowly missed out on making it through to Q3, qualifying a very respectable 11th. 

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) lined up alongside Verstappen (Red Bull) on the front row of the grid, with Perez (Red Bull) in 3rd ahead of Alonso (Aston Martin), who was impressive throughout the weekend. The McLarens of Piastri and Norris made up the third row, with the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton behind. Tsuoda (RB) and Stroll (Aston Martin) rounded off the top 10.

Verstappen got a clean getaway at the start, with Leclerc following closely into the tight first corner. Perez was all over the Ferrari’s rear, keen to get by. Piastri made no delay in getting past Alonso, while Gasly (Alpine) was forced to retire at the end of the opening lap with suspected gearbox issues.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 09: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR24 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Perez slipped by Leclerc to 2nd place with the help of DRS on lap 4, but the race was neutralised three laps later when Stroll tapped the wall on the inside of turn one, damaging his suspension and sending him into the tyre wall, resulting in the deployment of the safety car. That triggered a flurry of pit-stop action, with some teams double-stacking cars. Perez narrowly avoided a collision as he left his pit box, which earned him a five-second penalty.

Norris and Hamilton stayed out during the safety car period, leaving the McLaren driver in the lead of the race when action got underway again.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 09: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren F1 Team MCL38 on track and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Bearman kept his nose clean but raced hard and moved into the top 10 on lap 10m, passing Zhou (Stake F1).

Magnussen (Haas) was also handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Albon (Williams). That was bad news for Magnussen’s race, but he proceeded to defend his position gallantly and held up Tsunoda, Ocon (Alpine), Albon and Sargeant (Williams), creating enough of a gap ahead for his Haas team mate Hulkenberg to pit and retain his points-scoring position.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 09: Nico Hulkenberg of Germany driving the (27) Haas F1 VF-24 Ferrari makes a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Hamilton stopped on lap 37 for fresh rubber, leaving Norris some clear air ahead of his stop one lap later. The McLaren re-emerged between Bearman in the second Ferrari, slowly making his way up the field, and Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Perez was closing the gap to Verstappen at the front, but the Red Bull driver would hold station in 2nd place with a comfortable gap to Leclerc in 3rd. The Ferrari driver did manage to secure the fastest lap before the end, earning another crucial championship point.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 09: Race Winner Max Verstappen of Netherland and Oracle Red Bull Racing, second placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing and third placed Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on March 09, 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Despite the off-track drama, it was very much business as usual for Verstappen as he crossed the line, having led from the start. However, Bearman impressed most with a faultless drive to secure a respectable 7th place in his F1 debut with Ferrari. It remains unclear if Sainz will recover in time for the next round in Melbourne, so we may see the young Brit in action again.

The next round takes place at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, on March 22-24.


Are there F1 Sprint races in 2024?

Sprint races made their debut during the 2021 season and are set to continue in 2024. They are meant to feature circuits that encourage overtaking and thus result in close and entertaining action for fans.

Sprint races will take place in 2024 at the following grands prix:

  • Chinese GP, April 19-21
  • Miami GP, May 3-5
  • Austrian GP, June 28-30
  • United States GP, October 18-20
  • Brazilian GP, November 1-3
  • Qatar GP, November 29 – December 1

What is the format for an F1 Sprint race weekend?

The starting grid for the sprint race on Saturday used to be determined on Friday afternoon with the weekend’s traditional three-session knockout qualifying session. The final order from the sprint race was then the grid for Sunday’s GP. However, in 2023 things were different.

Drivers started the sprint race from grid positions set by its own condensed qualifying session on the Saturday morning — still three parts but with sessions lasting 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively, making them more frenetic as drivers scrabble to get their quick lap in.

Making it trickier, drivers could only use medium tyres in the first two sessions, and softs in the final session, and could only use a single new set of tyres per session.

Teams needed to make all their set-up changes before the Friday qualifying session; parc ferme rules stated that any settings made after that result in the car having to start both the sprint race and grand prix from the back of the grid.

At 62 miles long, sprint races were shorter than a normal 190-mile grand prix. Though the rules were almost the same, drivers did not have to pit for tyres.

Importantly, the sprint race was made an isolated event; the grid for Sunday’s GP was set by a separate traditional qualifying session on the Friday. That was to try to encourage drivers to be a bit less cautious in the sprint race, knowing that they would still start from their Friday grid spot the following day, even after a disaster on Saturday.

However, penalties carried over so bad behaviour on or off-track could result in being pushed down the order for the start of the race on Sunday, and any damage meant the engineers had their work cut out to get the car ready again for the GP.

The top eight drivers received points for the sprint race: eight points for the win, seven for second, etc.

However, for 2024 things may change again. In the official Sprint calendar announcement on December 5, 2023, it was stated that F1’s Sporting Advisory Committee will “work through specific details, particularly regarding timing and parc ferme regulations, for a final proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission for the first meeting of 2024.”

Following that meeting, any potential changes to the Sprint format will be announced, so we may learn of any further tweaks to the sprint format around the time of the Bahrain GP.

Related articles

Latest articles