2024 F1 season driver line-up and calendar: Everything you need to know

The 2023 Formula 1 season came 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

There are no changes to the 2023 F1 grid as we go into the new season. Every team has stuck with the drivers that they ended the season with, but many contracts set to expire at the end of 2024.

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.

2024 F1 car launch dates
F1 teams have begun to announce the dates for their 2024 car launches ahead of the new season. Pre-season testing begins on 21 February (two days earlier than 2023), so it is expected that teams will reveal their cars slightly earlier than the last season. In 2023, cars were launched between 31 January and 16 February.  

Here are the F1 car launch dates for 2024:  

F1 team 

Launch date 

Sauber 

5 February 2024 

Williams  

5 February 2024 

Aston Martin 

12 February 2024 

Ferrari 

13 February 2024 

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

Date  

Event  

Location  

29 February–2 March  

Bahrain GP  

Sakhir  

7–9 March  

Saudi Arabian GP  

Jeddah  

22-24 March  

Australian GP  

Melbourne  

5-7 April  

Japanese GP  

Suzuka  

19-21 April  

Chinese GP  

Shanghai  

3-5 May  

Miami GP  

Miami  

17-19 May  

Emilia Romagna GP  

Imola  

24-26 May  

Monaco GP  

Monaco  

7-9 June  

Canadian GP  

Montreal  

21-23 June  

Spanish GP  

Barcelona  

28-30 June  

Austrian GP  

Spielberg  

5-7 July  

British GP  

Silverstone  

19-21 July  

Hungarian GP  

Budapest  

26-28 July  

Belgian GP  

Spa  

23-25 August  

Dutch GP  

Zandvoort  

30 August–1 September  

Italian GP  

Monza  

13-15 September  

Azerbaijan GP  

Baku  

20-22 September  

Singapore GP  

Singapore  

18-20 October  

United States GP  

Austin  

25-27 October  

Mexican GP  

Mexico City  

1-3 November  

Brazilian GP  

São Paulo  

21-23 November  

Las Vegas GP  

Las Vegas  

29 November–1 December  

Qatar GP  

Losail  

6-8 December  

Abu Dhabi GP  

Yas Marina  

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.

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 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

Team 

Drivers 

Alfa Romeo 

Theo Pourchaire  

AlphaTauri 

Liam Lawson 

Alpine 

TBC 

Aston Martin 

Felipe Drugovich 

Ferrari 

TBC 

Haas 

TBC 

McLaren 

Ryo Hirakawa 

Pato O’Ward 

Mercedes 

Mick Schumacher  

Red Bull 

TBC 

Williams 

TBC 

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.

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.