The 2023 Formula 1 season has come to its conclusion in Abu Dhabi, with many eyes now turning to the start of 2024. The year was dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, with a few teams such as McLaren and Ferrari starting to improve their car towards the end of the year.
Alfa Romeo is set for a name change in 2024 after its current title sponsorship will come to an end. The team is expected to change its name to the Sauber brand for 2024, before its transformation into the Audi works team in 2026.
Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri will also face a name change in 2024, with the team wanting to return to a non-branded name like it’s previous Toro Rosso guise. Although the rebrand is yet to be announced there is rumours the team could be called Racing Bulls.
Although there are not many massive changes heading into 2024, a new record-breaking 24 race calendar will make this the biggest year ever for the championship.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 F1 season:
2024 F1 driver line-up
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Valtteri Bottas Zhou Guanyu |
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Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda |
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Pierre Gasly Esteban Ocon |
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Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll |
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Charles Leclerc Carlos Sainz |
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Nico Hulkenberg Kevin Magnussen |
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Lando Norris Oscar Piastri |
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Lewis Hamilton George Russell |
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Sergio Perez Max Verstappen |
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Alex Albon TBC (Likely to be Logan Sargeant) |
There are no changes to most of the 2023 F1 grid as we go into the new season. Every team has stuck with their previous drivers with many contracts set to expire at the end of 2024.
The only seat currently unconfirmed is rookie driver Logan Sargeant’s place at Williams, however the team have been very positive that it will be keep the American for the next year.
Daniel Ricciardo has also secured his place at AlphaTauri after the team axed Nyck de Vries midway through 2023. Speculation that Sergio Perez could also lose his place at Red Bull following a difficult mid-season has been dismissed, which includes rumours that Ricciardo could be moved into the team next year.
Although the grid is not changing from the latter half of the previous season, 2024 could prove more interesting with 13 out of 20 seats up for contention at the end of next year.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, the rest of the field at the start
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, the rest of the field at the start
2024 F1 calendar
The 2024 F1 season will begin on 29 February and will see a record-breaking 24 race season. The calendar has been regionalised by the FIA in an attempt to make the series more sustainable, including moving the Japanese GP to April from its usual September spot for a more defined Asian leg.
The Chinese GP will make its return to the F1 calendar after being cancelled for the last four years. The Qatar GP will become the penultimate race of the season, which should help with the heat issue faced by drivers in 2023 but will also make transportation of cars and equipment to the Abu Dhabi finale easier.
When is F1 pre-season testing?
F1’s pre-season testing for 2024 will begin on 21 February in Bahrain. There will be three days of testing for the teams ahead of the first grand prix the following week.
The FIA has also revealed that pre-season testing will run each day between 10am to 7pm, instead of the previous 7:30pm which happened in 2023.
The testing sessions will take place in Bahrain to help with the FIA’s conscious efforts to make the series more sustainable. This means the cars and equipment will not need transporting between pre-season testing and the first grand prix of the year.
Testing will run between 10am and 7pm after the FIA reduced the timings down from 7:30pm.
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Mick Schumacher, Mercedes Reserve Driver, Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1 Team Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes W14
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Mick Schumacher, Mercedes Reserve Driver, Toto Wolff, Mercedes F1 Team Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes W14
2024 F1 car launch dates
The car launch dates for the 2024 F1 season are yet to be announced, however for the 2023 season the cars were launched between 31 January and 16 February. With pre-season testing beginning on 21 February (two days earlier than in 2023), we might see teams release their cars slightly earlier than last season.
2024 F1 regulation changes
The FIA has made some changes to regulations around the testing of old cars, stipulating that any components run must have been previously used at a race weekend. Article 10.2 C) of the Sporting Regulations has been revised to state: “Cars must only use components and software of a specification that have been used in at least one (1) Competition or TCC (testing of a current car) of a Championship season.”
The regulation change will ensure that teams cannot run any brand-new components on an old car to try and gain any date outside of testing restrictions.
Who are the 2024 F1 reserve drivers
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Ryo Hirakawa Pato O’Ward |
The F1 teams have begun to announce their 2024 reserve drivers for the upcoming season. Some of the teams have retained their 2023 reserve drivers including Red Bull rookie Liam Lawson and Mercedes’ Mick Schumacher.
However some teams have decided to bring in brand new drivers, including McLaren who have announced two new drivers to their line-up. The team has announced it will sign this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Ryo Hirakawa and IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward as reserve drivers for the next season.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, 3rd position, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Lando Norris, McLaren, 2nd position, with their Sprint race trophies
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, 3rd position, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position, Lando Norris, McLaren, 2nd position, with their Sprint race trophies
Are changes being made to the Formula 1 sprint races?
Formula 1 is in talks to change the sprint race format for 2024, which has gained support from teams and bosses. Changes have not yet been agreed, with further discussions being held in January with the FIA, this could involve a complete revamp of the weekend timetable or a reverse grid format.
The six sprint weekends in 2023 had already faced some changes, including the race having a separate qualifying session, which no longer determined the grid for Sunday’s grand prix. But with the separation of the grand prix and qualifying moving to a Friday, teams were placed under parc ferme rules from Friday’s FP1 onwards.
Talks have begun between F1 and the teams to decide on a format overhaul for 2024, with one proposal suggesting qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix to return to Saturday afternoon with the sprint race in the morning.
The sprint shootout qualifying, which sets the grid for the sprint race, would then be moved to Friday following FP1. This change could allow parc ferme conditions to be re-opened after the sprint race, allowing teams to make any needed changes ahead of qualifying.
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