A historic 2024 Formula 1 season will see all 20 drivers return to the tracks at the Bahrain Grand Prix – but with no new drivers on the grid – what changes are afoot this year?
For the first time, every driver who crossed the finish line in Abu Dhabi last year will take their seat for the opening race on 2 March.
Max Verstappen will look to sustain his dominance with Red Bull and clinch a fourth consecutive world title with Ferrari and McLaren hoping to mount a challenge.
The biggest campaign in the sport will promise much excitement as Lewis Hamilton will wrap up 12 seasons at Mercedes, hopeful he can make his last ride count.
The 2024 Formula 1 calendar
The highly anticipated Chinese Grand Prix will return for the first time since 2019 to complete a record-breaking 24 races in a single F1 season.
The Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is back on the calendar after being cancelled last year due to floods, however, for the first time in six seasons, there will be no new racetracks to look forward to.
A schedule change means the opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will start on a Saturday – a day earlier than usual.
Las Vegas will make a second consecutive appearance in the timeline following a 38-year absence, with the Grand Prix also commencing on a Saturday.
Sprint races
A tweak in format change will see sprint qualifying take place on Friday, followed by the qualifier for the main race on Saturday with points being handed out to the top eight finishers.
Featuring two new locations, the sprint shootout will kickstart in April at the popular Shanghai International Circuit with Miami also featuring a sprint for the first time.
São Paulo Grand Prix will host its fourth sprint, and Austria will run its third while the US Grand Prix in Austin and the Qatar Grand Prix will feature sprint races for the second time.
The sprint will remain a standalone event with the pole position on Sunday’s race determined by qualifying on Saturday.
2024 F1 Sprint Events:
19-21 April Chinese GP
3-5 May Miami GP
28-30 June Austrian GP
18-20 October United States GP
1-3 November São Paulo GP
29 November – 1 December Qatar GP
Rules and regulations
Changes in the use of the Drag Reduction System will allow drivers to access it on the second lap of the race provided they are within a second of the car in front at the respective detection point as opposed to waiting till lap three.
With an extra race on the calendar, there will be an increase in the power unit allocation, with teams allowed to use four per driver in 2024 and 2025.
Where to watch?
All F1 races will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event throughout the season.
Channel 4 will continue the tradition of broadcasting the British Grand Prix live on 7 July.
Feature image credit – Lukas Raich via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0 licence
