2024 Bahrain Grand Prix

2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Race 1 of 24 in the 2024 Formula One World Championship Next race  →
Layout of the Bahrain International Circuit
Race details [1] [2]
Date	2 March 2024
Official name	Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024
Location	Bahrain International Circuit Sakhir, Bahrain
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	5.412 km (3.363 miles)
Distance	57 laps, 308.238 km (190.253 miles)
Weather	Clear
Attendance	100,000 [3]
Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Time	1:29.179
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Time	1:32.608 on lap 39
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Third	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari
Lap leaders

The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on 2 March 2024 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the opening round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship.

After taking pole position in qualifying, Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing led every lap, won the race, and had the fastest lap, his fifth career grand chelem. His teammate Sergio Pérez finished in second, followed by Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari.

Background

The event was held across 29 February – 2 March. It was the opening round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the twentieth running of the Bahrain Grand Prix. ^{[4] [5]} It also marked the 20th anniversary of the first Bahrain Grand Prix held in 2004. ^[6]

The Grand Prix began at 18:00 local time (UTC+3) on Saturday, 2 March 2024, becoming the first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix season-opener race to start on a Saturday since the 1982 South African Grand Prix. The event was held on Saturday to comply with regulations that require a minimum of one week between Grands Prix, as the following Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia was scheduled to take place on 9 March. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was moved a day forward from Sunday to avoid a conflict with start of Ramadan, which was expected to begin on 10 March. ^[4]

Entrants

See also: 2024 Formula One World Championship § Entries

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. ^[7]

Tyre choices

Further information: Formula One tyres

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds (the three hardest in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event. ^[8]

Practice

Three free practice sessions were held for the event. ^[1] The first free practice session was held on 29 February 2024, at 14:30 local time (UTC+3), and was topped by Daniel Ricciardo of RB ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both of McLaren. ^[9] The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 18:00 local time, and was topped by Lewis Hamilton ahead of George Russell, both of Mercedes, and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. ^[10] The third free practice session was held on 1 March 2024, at 15:30 local time, and was topped by Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari ahead of Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. ^[11]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 1 March 2024, at 19:00 local time (UTC+3). ^[1]

Qualifying classification

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Qualifying times			Final grid
				Q1	Q2	Q3
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT	1:30.031	1:29.374	1:29.179	1
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:30.243	1:29.165	1:29.407	2
3	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:30.350	1:29.922	1:29.485	3
4	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari	1:29.909	1:29.573	1:29.507	4
5	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT	1:30.221	1:29.932	1:29.537	5
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	1:30.179	1:29.801	1:29.542	6
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	1:30.143	1:29.941	1:29.614	7
8	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren-Mercedes	1:30.531	1:30.122	1:29.683	8
9	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:30.451	1:29.718	1:29.710	9
10	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas-Ferrari	1:30.566	1:29.851	1:30.502	10
11	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB-Honda RBPT	1:30.481	1:30.129	N/A	11
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	1:29.965	1:30.200	N/A	12
13	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	1:30.397	1:30.221	N/A	13
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB-Honda RBPT	1:30.562	1:30.278	N/A	14
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas-Ferrari	1:30.646	1:30.529	N/A	15
16	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber-Ferrari	1:30.756	N/A	N/A	16
17	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber-Ferrari	1:30.757	N/A	N/A	17
18	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams-Mercedes	1:30.770	N/A	N/A	18
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine-Renault	1:30.793	N/A	N/A	19
20	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	1:30.948	N/A	N/A	20
107% time: 1:36.202
Source: [12] [13]

Race

The race was held on 2 March 2024, at 18:00 local time (UTC+3), and was run for 57 laps. ^{[1] [2]}

Race report

Max Verstappen won the race ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz Jr. ^[14] He led every lap and took fastest lap, for his fifth career grand chelem. ^[15] Charles Leclerc finished fourth despite suffering brake problems throughout the race. ^[16] Mercedes were hampered by engine cooling and ERS battery issues as their drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and seventh, respectively. ^[17] McLaren finished with a sixth place for Lando Norris and an eighth place for Oscar Piastri. ^[18] It was the first season-opening race in Formula One history without any retirements. ^[19]

Race classification

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT	57	1:31:44.742	1	26 1
2	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT	57	+22.457	5	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari	57	+25.110	4	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	+39.669	2	12
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	57	+46.788	3	10
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	57	+48.458	7	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	+50.324	9	6
8	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren-Mercedes	57	+56.082	8	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	57	+1:14.887	6	2
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	57	+1:33.216	12	1
11	24	Zhou Guanyu	Kick Sauber-Ferrari	56	+1 lap	17
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas-Ferrari	56	+1 lap	15
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB-Honda RBPT	56	+1 lap	14
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB-Honda RBPT	56	+1 lap	11
15	23	Alexander Albon	Williams-Mercedes	56	+1 lap	13
16	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas-Ferrari	56	+1 lap	10
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine-Renault	56	+1 lap	19
18	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine-Renault	56	+1 lap	20
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Kick Sauber-Ferrari	56	+1 lap	16
20	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams-Mercedes	55	+2 laps	18
Fastest lap: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT) – 1:32.608 (lap 39)
Source: [13] [20] [21]

Notes

• ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap. ^[21]

Championship standings after the race

For full season standings, see 2024 Formula One World Championship § Results and standings.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Driver Points 1 Max Verstappen 26 2 Sergio Pérez 18 3 Carlos Sainz Jr. 15 4 Charles Leclerc 12 5 George Russell 10 Source: [22]

Constructors' Championship standings Pos. Constructor Points 1 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 44 2 Ferrari 27 3 Mercedes 16 4 McLaren-Mercedes 12 5 Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 3 Source: [22]

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

See also

• 2024 Sakhir Formula 2 round
• 2024 Sakhir Formula 3 round

References

1. "Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Race". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
2. "Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Race – Circuit Information". Formula 1. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
3. "2024 Bahrain Grand Prix: Record Race Day Attendance". F1Destinations. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
4. Bekking, Casper (10 February 2024). "Why F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs are on Saturday". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
5. "Bahrain". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
6. Baldwin, Alan (27 February 2024). "Formula One statistics for the Bahrain Grand Prix". Reuters . Retrieved 6 May 2024.
7. "2024 Bahrain Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
8. "2024 Tyre Compound Choices – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia". Pirelli. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
9. Kalinauckas, Alex (29 February 2024). "F1 Bahrain GP: Ricciardo quickest in first practice from Norris and Piastri". Autosport .
10. Boxall-Legge, Jake (29 February 2024). "F1 Bahrain GP: Hamilton leads Mercedes 1–2, Verstappen sixth in second practice". Autosport .
11. Boxall-Legge, Jake (1 March 2024). "F1 Bahrain GP: Sainz beats Alonso, Verstappen to top FP3". Autosport . Retrieved 6 May 2024.
12. "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
13. "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
14. Benson, Andrew (2 March 2024). "F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Max Verstappen takes dominant win for Red Bull". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
15. Nichol, Jake (3 March 2024). "Winner and Losers from 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix". RacingNews365. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
16. "Leclerc had "more than 100 degrees split" in brake temperature in F1 Bahrain GP". www.motorsport.com. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
17. Kew, Matt; Noble, Jonathan (2 March 2024). "Wolff: Mercedes F1 engine issues cost 0.5s per lap in Bahrain". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
18. Cleeren, Filip (3 March 2024). "Norris: Bahrain F1 pace a good sign as McLaren weakness remains". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
19. "Best facts and stats after the Grand Prix in Bahrain". formula1.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
20. "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – Race Result". Formula 1. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
21. "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2024 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
22. "Bahrain 2024 – Championship". Stats F1. 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.

External links

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