Why is the F1 Bahrain GP race being held on a Saturday?

The moment of truth has arrived in Formula 1 for 2024. The preseason tests are now a thing of the past, and the season is about to kick off. This weekend marks the beginning of a new year in which all teams will go after the same goal: to challenge a Red Bull that dominated almost everything last season. Well, almost everything, because Carlos Sainz claimed victory in the Singapore GP, and the sprint in Qatar was won by Oscar Piastri.

And it may be more important to focus on Max Verstappen than just targeting Red Bull. The Dutchman begins yet another season as the reigning world champion, marking the third consecutive season he will defend the coveted number 1 on his car since the start of 2022.

Verstappen eyes strong Saturday start in Bahrain

The Bahrain Grand Prix, held at the Sakhir Circuit, will be the first stop on a calendar that will break all records for the season. There will be 24 races throughout the year, provided that the Chinese GP remains on the schedule, after being cancelled for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The positive news is that, for now, the race doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy. However, two unusual changes have been made to the competition calendar: the races in Bahrain on 2 March and Saudi Arabia on 9 March will take place on a Saturday rather than the customary Sunday.

But why this strange change in schedules? The chosen dates for the start of the championship mean that the Saudi Arabian GP coincides with the beginning of Ramadan, the most important month in the Islamic calendar during which millions of Muslims observe fasting during daylight hours. Due to the start of this period of reflection, the country requested the FIA to move the race day to avoid clashing with the event. The request was accepted, although it required a rearrangement of the calendar to comply with the regulations of the Formula 1 World Championship. The regulations stipulate that there must be at least one week between two races, so the Bahrain Grand Prix would also have to be moved forward by a day to Saturday 2 March.

As a result, the first two free practice sessions of the season will take place on Thursday, a day usually reserved for media activities. On Friday, the third practice sessions of the Grand Prix will be held, along with the first qualifying session of the year, which will take place later that afternoon. Saturday, traditionally the day for pole position battles, will be dedicated solely to the first race of the year. We can wait.