The most anticipated moment for motor racing fans is finally here. The F1 season is finally here and it kicks off in unusual fashion.
This weekend, the race will take place on Saturday. Traditionally, the grand prix is held on Sundays, but at the start of the 2024 season we will see a couple of events hold the race the day before.
Why the F1 race for the Bahrain GP is on Saturday
The World Championship kicks off with a race at the Sakhir circuit. The race in Bahrain, the first of the year, will be held on Saturday because of Ramadan. The sacred feast of the Muslim community has led to a change in the schedules of the first two events.
Both in Bahrain, and a week later in Saudi Arabia, the grand prix will start on a Thursday and finish on a Saturday.
Arab request
Ramadan begins on the evening of March 10 and will end on Tuesday, April 9. That date falls on a Sunday and would coincide with the Jeddah event.
It is the second race on this year’s busy calendar (a record 24 events). As a result the Arabs asked F1 to move the race to Saturday and that has seen the first two grand prix events moved back by a day.
That’s because there must be a minimum seven days between events, meaning the race in Bahrain has also been pushed back by a day.
Further down the road, F1 will have another race on a Saturday. It will be in Las Vegas on November 23.