The Formula One season begins Saturday in Bahrain, opening a calendar that includes a record 24 Grands Prix from March through December.
Red Bull enters this season having produced the most dominant campaign in series history, winning 21 of 22 races in 2023 — the exception being Ferrari’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. Red Bull has won the last two constructors’ titles and Dutch star Max Verstappen captured his third consecutive title by winning all but three races.
Can Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren or Aston Martin threaten Red Bull hegemony? Can another driver halt Verstappen’s winning run?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will air on ESPN. Here’s what to know about the 2024 F1 season.
What happened this offseason?
Let’s start with the most shocking development; Mercedes’s announcement last month that Lewis Hamilton will leave for Ferrari at the end of this year. In joining Ferrari, Hamilton said he is fulfilling a childhood dream, racing for the team with whom Michael Schumacher won five of his seven drivers’ titles in the early 2000s. Hamilton is tied with the racing legend with seven titles of his own, though he hasn’t won a race since December 2021.
A month earlier, Formula One rejected Andretti Global’s bid to bring a second American team into the series in 2025 or 2026, though it left open the possibility of expanding the field in 2028. Andretti’s proposal to join the grid as the 11th team in 2026 received approval from the FIA, F1’s governing body, at the end of last year. But its efforts have received stiff resistance from most of the 10 current teams as well as F1 leadership. Haas, which replaced team principal Guenther Steiner with engineer Ayao Komatsu in January, is the lone American constructor.
On Wednesday, Red Bull said it would retain team principal Christian Horner after parent company Red Bull GmbH said it cleared Horner following an investigation into misconduct accusations by a team employee.
Let’s start with the most shocking development; Mercedes’s announcement last month that Lewis Hamilton will leave for Ferrari at the end of this year. In joining Ferrari, Hamilton said he is fulfilling a childhood dream, racing for the team with whom Michael Schumacher won five of his seven drivers’ titles in the early 2000s. Hamilton is tied with the racing legend with seven titles of his own, though he hasn’t won a race since December 2021.
A month earlier, Formula One rejected Andretti Global’s bid to bring a second American team into the series in 2025 or 2026, though it left open the possibility of expanding the field in 2028. Andretti’s proposal to join the grid as the 11th team in 2026 received approval from the FIA, F1’s governing body, at the end of last year. But its efforts have received stiff resistance from most of the 10 current teams as well as F1 leadership. Haas, which replaced team principal Guenther Steiner with engineer Ayao Komatsu in January, is the lone American constructor.
On Wednesday, Red Bull said it would retain team principal Christian Horner after parent company Red Bull GmbH said it cleared Horner following an investigation into misconduct accusations by a team employee.
Why does the season begin on a Saturday?
Formula One races are typically contested on Sundays, but three races will take place on Saturdays this year.
The opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will take place on Saturdays to accommodate Ramadan, which is expected to start Sunday, March 10. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was scheduled for March 9, and the opener in Bahrain was moved up a day to allow for a full week between races, per F1 regulations.
The Nov. 23 Las Vegas Grand Prix will also be held on a Saturday night to best accommodate American and European viewers. “We have found a solution so that European fans can watch the race with a cup of coffee at six or seven in the morning, just like it happens in the U.S. during the European races,” Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm told Racing News 365 of the decision.
Formula One races are typically contested on Sundays, but three races will take place on Saturdays this year.
The opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will take place on Saturdays to accommodate Ramadan, which is expected to start Sunday, March 10. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was scheduled for March 9, and the opener in Bahrain was moved up a day to allow for a full week between races, per F1 regulations.
The Nov. 23 Las Vegas Grand Prix will also be held on a Saturday night to best accommodate American and European viewers. “We have found a solution so that European fans can watch the race with a cup of coffee at six or seven in the morning, just like it happens in the U.S. during the European races,” Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm told Racing News 365 of the decision.
How did driver lineups change this offseason?
Daniel Ricciardo is back. That’s not breaking news, but it is the lone driver change from last year’s opening lineup.
Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of 2022 and became the third driver for Red Bull in 2023. He replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri after the British Grand Prix in July and went on to finish the year with six points and a 17th place finish. He returns this year amid continued speculation that he could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
Beyond that midseason change, the driver-team combinations that competed in the 2023 finale remain unchanged for the start of the next season for the first time in Formula One history.
The real drama in the driver market could come ahead of next season, especially after Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo is back. That’s not breaking news, but it is the lone driver change from last year’s opening lineup.
Ricciardo left McLaren at the end of 2022 and became the third driver for Red Bull in 2023. He replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri after the British Grand Prix in July and went on to finish the year with six points and a 17th place finish. He returns this year amid continued speculation that he could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
Beyond that midseason change, the driver-team combinations that competed in the 2023 finale remain unchanged for the start of the next season for the first time in Formula One history.
The real drama in the driver market could come ahead of next season, especially after Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes.
What else is new?
AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team formerly known as Toro Rosso, has rebranded again. In January, the team revealed its new moniker: Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (or more simply, RB).
Predictably, the new name has been mocked and derided as “the worst team name in Formula 1 history.” If it’s a mouthful, go for one of the alternatives that have since emerged. How does “VCARB” sound?
Elsewhere, Alfa Romeo was due for a name change ahead of this season after the Italian car manufacturer’s partnership with Sauber ended. The team rebranded as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and will go by Stake F1 Team for most races this year.
Because title sponsor Stake is a crypto-betting company, the team faces restrictions when it races in countries that have banned gambling advertisements. It will go by a second moniker using “Kick” in the team name in those situations — as it did in certain countries last year, going by Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick.
AlphaTauri, Red Bull’s sister team formerly known as Toro Rosso, has rebranded again. In January, the team revealed its new moniker: Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (or more simply, RB).
Predictably, the new name has been mocked and derided as “the worst team name in Formula 1 history.” If it’s a mouthful, go for one of the alternatives that have since emerged. How does “VCARB” sound?
Elsewhere, Alfa Romeo was due for a name change ahead of this season after the Italian car manufacturer’s partnership with Sauber ended. The team rebranded as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and will go by Stake F1 Team for most races this year.
Because title sponsor Stake is a crypto-betting company, the team faces restrictions when it races in countries that have banned gambling advertisements. It will go by a second moniker using “Kick” in the team name in those situations — as it did in certain countries last year, going by Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick.
Who is F1’s highest paid driver?
Verstappen topped Forbes’s 2023 list of highest-paid Formula One drivers. The 26-year-old’s earnings from salary and bonuses are estimated at $70 million.
Second is Hamilton, F1′s longtime earnings king, who is believed to make $55 million annually from Mercedes.
Verstappen topped Forbes’s 2023 list of highest-paid Formula One drivers. The 26-year-old’s earnings from salary and bonuses are estimated at $70 million.
Second is Hamilton, F1′s longtime earnings king, who is believed to make $55 million annually from Mercedes.
Does Formula One have any American drivers?
Logan Sargeant last year became the first American driver on the grid since Alexander Rossi in 2015. He finished last season ranked 21st in the final driver standings with one point, behind Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson and a late-coming Ricciardo. Sargeant earned that point with a career-best 10th-place finish in October’s U.S. Grand Prix — after a pair of disqualifications elevated him from 12th place.
Sargeant made strides in his rookie season and his team, Williams Racing, said he “demonstrated the fundamental speed required to perform at the highest level.” Still, he struggled through several crashes and early retirements.
Sargeant’s teammate, Alex Albon, finished 13th with 27 points last year, lifting Williams from 10th to seventh in the constructors’ standings. Ahead of this season, Sargeant said he wants to learn from his mistakes.
“Some highs, more lows than I would have liked, but you have to take the good with the bad, learn from the mistakes, and I feel like I’ve been able to really reflect on myself and how I can be better for this year, so I’m, after a good break, motivated to get back to it,” he said.
Logan Sargeant last year became the first American driver on the grid since Alexander Rossi in 2015. He finished last season ranked 21st in the final driver standings with one point, behind Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson and a late-coming Ricciardo. Sargeant earned that point with a career-best 10th-place finish in October’s U.S. Grand Prix — after a pair of disqualifications elevated him from 12th place.
Sargeant made strides in his rookie season and his team, Williams Racing, said he “demonstrated the fundamental speed required to perform at the highest level.” Still, he struggled through several crashes and early retirements.
Sargeant’s teammate, Alex Albon, finished 13th with 27 points last year, lifting Williams from 10th to seventh in the constructors’ standings. Ahead of this season, Sargeant said he wants to learn from his mistakes.
“Some highs, more lows than I would have liked, but you have to take the good with the bad, learn from the mistakes, and I feel like I’ve been able to really reflect on myself and how I can be better for this year, so I’m, after a good break, motivated to get back to it,” he said.