Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix on a Saturday?

The 2024 Formula One season kicks off on March 2nd as the best drivers in the world head to the Middle East for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Usually, F1 race weekends culminate with a Sunday race. This season, however, begins with two Saturday races.

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Why are the opening races of 2024 being held on a Saturday?

The reason for the Saturday races at the start of the 2024 season is because Ramadan begins on Sunday 10th March.

This was the original date for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, so it was moved forward a day to Saturday (9th March) to avoid collision.

However, this then conflicted with the FIA rule that there must be a seven day gap between Grand Prix events.

Therefore, the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend was also moved to Saturday (2nd March), allowing for the seven-day required gap.

When do Formula One races normally take place?

The standard format for a weekend in F1 is Friday-Sunday, with the Friday and Saturday containing the free practice sessions and qualifying ahead of the Grand Prix on Sunday.

There are also the six sprint races that have been introduced in recent years, with a new structure being brought in for those weekends this season. A sprint race schedule is now as follows; Friday will hold free practice and sprint qualifying, Saturday hosts the sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying, with the Sunday hosting the Grand Prix as usual.

Learn more about the Bahrain Grand Prix including the times, schedule, weather and lap record

Which other Formula One races are being held on a Saturday?

Bahrain and Saudi are not the only two races that will be held on a Saturday in 2024.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix will also take place on a Saturday, as it did in its inaugural year last time out. This is in a bid to make the race as accessible as possible to time zones around the world.

Vegas was always intended to be a night race, as F1 decision makers were keen for it to take place during the cities prime time.

If F1 stuck to the traditional schedule, the race would be shown on a Monday morning in Europe as people were heading to work, due to the fact that the city that never sleeps is eight hours behind the UK, and nine behind central Europe.

The resulting decision was to bring the race forward to Saturday night.