F1 2024 begins! When to watch Bahrain GP and Saturday race explained

F1 2024 begins! When to watch Bahrain GP and Saturday race explained

Formula 1 is back! A record-24 race season live on Sky Sports F1 starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix this week as battles for 2024 success commence and rivalries renew on track.

After a busy and unpredictable winter off-season was followed by three days of testing in Bahrain, the new 2024 cars will get their competitive debuts under floodlights at the Bahrain International Circuit as the chasing pack look to close up to world champions Red Bull and Max Verstappen this year.

The opening race weekend – as is the case with the following week’s second round in Saudi Arabia – starts a day earlier than normal, meaning Practice will be on Thursday, Qualifying on Friday and the Grand Prix itself on Saturday.

Get Sky Sports F1Stream the Bahrain GP and lots more live sport on NOWWho stands where after pre-season testing?

Sky F1 will be live from Wednesday in Bahrain to kick off and preview the season, with the Drivers’ Press Conference and a special season-opening preview edition of The F1 Show airing live.

Then it’s into the track action from just before lunchtime on Thursday with Practice as drivers build up to Qualifying on Friday at 4pm and then the season-opening 57-lap Grand Prix on Saturday at 3pm.

In addition to the Formula 1 action, the new Formula 2 and Formula 3 seasons begin in Bahrain too and all their track running is also being shown live on the channel.

Why does the opening race take place on Saturday?

In a schedule change for both of the season’s opening back-to-back rounds in the Middle East, the race weekend starts a day earlier than normal.

That is because the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is due to start on Sunday March 10, the day the Saudi Arabian race would normally have taken place.

To avoid a clash, the schedule for Jeddah event had to be moved forward by a day – meaning the race was shifted to Saturday, qualifying to Friday and practice to Thursday – and as FIA rules dictate that there must be a full seven days between Grands Prix then Bahrain was moved to the same earlier schedule.

How to watch and stream Sky Sports F1 live in 2024

Sky Sports F1 is the home of Formula 1 in the UK and Ireland and will again broadcast every session from every race weekend live in the 2024 season.

Subscribers can watch live race weekend coverage in a multitude of ways including on TV – Sky channel 406 – and on the Sky Sports app by logging in with their Sky iD.

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The channel can also be streamed on NOW with a Sports Day or Month Membership without a contract.

Meanwhile, on the Sky Sports app, Race Control will again be available to logged-in subscribers allowing you to customise your own viewing with on-boards available from each of the 20 cars through the weekend so you can follow your favourite driver up close.

Here you can also watch the ‘Battle Channel’ – a split-screen offering focusing on a battle between up to three cars – in addition to switching between options for driver tracker, multi-screen, timing screen, onboard mix and, of course, the main live Sky Sports F1 channel feed itself. The service is also available on Sky Q and Sky Glass.

Sky Sports F1’s live Bahrain GP schedule

Wednesday February 28

12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference3pm: The F1 Show – 2024 Preview

Thursday February 29

7.50am: F3 Practice9am: F2 Practice11am: Bahrain GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am)12.55pm: F3 Qualifying1.40pm: F2 Qualifying2.35pm: Bahrain GP Practice Two (session starts at 3pm)4.15pm: The F1 Show

Friday March 1

10.10am: F3 Sprint Race12.15pm: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 1pm)2.10pm: F2 Sprint3.10pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying build-up4pm: BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING6pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Saturday March 2

8.55am: F3 Feature Race10.25am: F2 Feature Race1.30pm: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Saturday3pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX5pm: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag6pm: Ted’s Notebook6.30pm: Bahrain GP highlights

Watch every round of the new season, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix from Thursday February 29 to Saturday March 2. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership