Why are the first two F1 Grands Prix on a Saturday?

The 2024 Formula 1 World Championship season promises to be exceptionally busy with a record calendar of 24 Grands Prix.

However, this is not the only innovation of this new season: the first two races, which will take place on March 2 in Bahrain and March 9 in Saudi Arabia, will be held on Saturdays, thus breaking the Sunday tradition!

The decision follows directly from the religious calendar, specifically Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, which will begin on Sunday, March 10. Normally, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix should have been held on that day. However, to avoid any conflict with the start of the holy month, the Jeddah event was brought forward one day from Thursday March 7 to Saturday March 9.

This arrangement resulted in the Bahrain Grand Prix being brought forward by a day, so as not to strain the organization and teams after the Sakhir event. Thus, free practice sessions 1 and 2 will take place on Thursday, followed by free practice 3 and qualifying on Friday, with the race on Saturday.

This year, the third Grand Prix will also be held on a Saturday: November 24 in Las Vegas. However, due to the time difference with Europe, the race will technically be held on Sunday for European spectators, starting at 10:00 pm local time, or 7:00 am in France.

This adaptation of the F1 2024 calendar demonstrates Formula 1’s flexibility to adapt to external constraints, whether religious or logistical.

Also read: