The 2024 Formula 1 season is set to be the longest on record with a total of 24 rounds held from March through December — making it the most rounds in a FIA Formula 1 World Championship in its’ 74-year history.
The first two races of the year will both be hosted on a Saturday evening starting off in Bahrain on March 2 followed by the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on March 9.
The championship will return to the Chinese city of Shanghai for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, before round six takes place at the Miami International Autodrome on the weekend of 3-5th May —marking the unofficial start of the motorsport summer season.
For the first time, Miami has been chosen as one of the six venues to host a Sprint race in 2024. Held on a Saturday, the Sprint is roughly one third of the distance of a Grand Prix and will guarantee three days of competitive action in Miami Gardens this year. The other venues to host a Sprint will be China, Austria, Austin, Brazil and Qatar.
On track there will be no changes to the driver line-ups for the first time in the history of the sport. It means Florida’s Logan Sargeant will enjoy another season at Williams Racing as the American racer looks to build on his rookie campaign from last year. Sargeant tuned 23 years of age on New Year’s Eve and will be keen to increase his points haul going into the new season.
The one notable change to the ten teams is the departure of Alfa Romeo, meaning the Swiss-based Sauber squad will now be known as Stake F1 Team moving forward — before car manufacturer Audi takes ownership of the organization full-time in 2026.
Another new addition to the coming season will be F1 Academy, the innovative junior series that has been created to prepare female racers for higher levels of motorsport competition — with the goal of finding a future female F1 star. The championship will visit seven different venues in 2024 and every round will form part of the support package of a Grand Prix weekend. Each team will feature a car that will be affiliated to one of the ten F1 teams. The Miami International Autodrome is set to host a round of F1 Academy this coming May which will further add to the on-track action to the third staging of a Formula 1 race at Hard Rock Stadium.
With teams launching their new cars in early February, all eyes will be on who can challenge the all-conquering Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing after their record-breaking season last year. Can Mercedes or Ferrari, Aston Martin or McLaren win races and have a shot at the 2024 crown? We won’t have too long to wait to find out.
