Why F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs are being held on Saturdays

Teams and drivers are gearing up for the longest season in F1's history, with as many as 24 grands prix on the calendar.

But that's not the only special thing about the 2024 season, as the year kicks off with two races on Saturday: the Bahrain (2 March) and Saudi Arabian (9 March) grands prix. 

Why does the 2024 F1 season start on a Saturday?

The reason the 2024 Formula 1 season starts with two races on Saturdays is Ramadan, which starts on Sunday 10 March – the day the Saudi Arabia grand prix is supposed to be held.

Because of the start of Ramadan, this race has been brought forward one day to be held on the Saturday night. The reason that the season opener in Bahrain also takes place a week earlier on Saturday has to do with F1 rules, as the regulations stipulate that there must be at least a week between two races.

This forced the Bahrain season opener to be moved one day earlier as well, to accommodate for it.

Saudi Arabian GP action

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

What's the schedule for the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs?

As the first two races of the season are on a Saturday, the entire schedule has been brought forward by a day.

That means the two one-hour free practice sessions will be held on Thursday, while the third free practice and qualifying sessions will then take place on Friday.

In both cases, the first day of the weekend is entirely dedicated to the race.

Bahrain GP 2024 schedule