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Formula 1 24-race calendar for 2024

China GP to return in 2024

Coliseum GSVA

Formula 1 will make another attempt at running a record 24-race calendar next year, having released its proposed schedule for the 2024 season.

‘motorsport.com’ stated that next year’s calendar is similar to the one originally announced for 2023, with the Chinese Grand Prix set to return and no new events added.

London (UK)-based Formula One is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950.

Paris (France)-based the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is an association established on June 20th, 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organizations and motor car users. It is the governing body for many auto racing events, including Formula One. The FIA also promotes road safety around the world.

The Chinese Grand Prix is a round of the Formula One World Championship and was contracted to return in 2023 but will now not do so until 2024. It is currently held at the 2, 00,000-capacity Shanghai Audi International Circuit, Jiading, Shanghai (China), designed by the famed German circuit designer Hermann Tilke.

‘motorsport.com’ further stated that unusually the first two races of the season will be held on Saturdays, with the second round in Saudi Arabia moving from Sunday to accommodate Ramadan, while the previous weekend’s opener in Bahrain has also moved forward by a day to ensure that there is the normal time gap between the events.

This year’s inaugural Las Vegas (US) has paved the way for a return to Saturday race days, which used to be traditional in South Africa and, up until 1977, at the 1,50,000-capacity Silverstone Circuit in England (UK).

The 2024 calendar also reflects efforts by the F1 organization to address logistical and sustainability issues, with some races grouped together in a more logical fashion based on geography – notably the Middle Eastern events.

Seen as a key market by F1 and the Liberty Media, China was included on the provisional 2023 schedule, which also contained 24 races.

Colorado (US)-based the Liberty Media Corporation is an American mass media company founded by John C. Malone in 1991. The company has three divisions, reflecting its ownership stakes in Formula One, SiriusXM (American broadcasting corporation) and the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball (MLB) team.

However, due to the lingering effects of COVID-19 it was dropped and thus absent for a fourth year in a row, while the last-minute cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola (Italy) has currently left this season’s total at 22.

Next year’s season-opener in Bahrain follows the official three-day test at the same venue – the 70,000-capacity Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain – from February 21st-23rd.

This year there was a gap between the Bahrain and Saudi races, as teams were reluctant to go straight into a double-header after testing, but next season the two events will run on consecutive weekends.

That should lead to a significant reduction in personnel travel, with most team members likely to stay in the region rather than head back to Europe, which was the case this year.

F1 has long said that some established races may have to move from their traditional dates, and Japan has switched from its usual late season slot to early April.

The 1,55,000-capacity Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Japan, in effect has traded places with Azerbaijan, which now sits ahead of Singapore in a September double-header.

Similar to the calendar for this season, Imola is followed immediately by Monaco, but in a change, the two races are no longer part of a triple-header with Spain.

The Barcelona event has instead moved to a slot in late June as the first part of an even more logistically-challenging triple-header that also includes Austria and Great Britain.

Apart from Baku’s (Azerbaijan) move to September, the other significant change from 2023 is that Qatar has been moved to become the penultimate race, forming another triple-header after Las Vegas and before the season-finale in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

The latter two races both take place in December, making 2024 the latest finish to an F1 season since 2021.
 

Formula 1 2024 Calendar

 
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