Held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, the inagural race of the the longest season in F1 history started the 2024 Formula One World Championship.
Introducing a departure from the norm, the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix saw a change of schdule with the race being held on a Saturday, instead of a Sunday, due to F1 observing Ramadan later in the season.
Max Verstappen defending his 2023 title with Red Bull Racing qualified on pole position and dominated the race from lights out leading all 57 laps of the race. Along with pole, securing the win, and recording the fastest lap, he earned his fifth career grand chelem (grand slam). His teammate, Sergio Pérez, clinched second place, with Carlos Sainz driving for Ferrari completing the podium in third.
Championship background
With free practice starting on 29th February through to the race on 2nd March, the event marked the start of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and celebrated the 20th edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The race, starting at 18:00 local time, was the first Formula One World Championship season opener to be held on a Saturday since the 1982 South African Grand Prix. This scheduling shift was made to follow FIA regulations that stipulate at least one week must elapse between each Grand Prix. The adjustment to the normal schdule allowed for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to take place on the 9th of March, moved a day earlier to prevent an overlap with the start of Ramadan on the 10th of March.
Race entries
The lineup of drivers and teams remained the same as the 2024 season’s entry list, featuring no reserve drivers for the race.
Tyre choices
Pirelli supplied the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds for the race, representing the three hardest options in their range. These were designated as hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for the teams to use.
Free Practice
Three free practice sessions took place during the race weekend. FP1 was held on the 29th February, starting at 14:30 local time, with Daniel Ricciardo for RB setting the fastest time, followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, both from McLaren. Later that day, at 18:00 local time, FP2 saw Lewis Hamilton lead, with his Mercedes teammate George Russell and Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin following in second and third respectively.
The final practice session, FP3 was held on the 1st of March, at 15:30 local time, where the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz recorded the fastest time, ahead of Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin and Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
Full Free Practice Reports
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on the 1st of March 2024, at 19:00 local time with Max Verstappen clinching pole position for the season’s first race, overcoming competition from Charles Leclerc’s quick pace, followed by George Russell in third.
Full Qualifying Report
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:29.179 |
| 2) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.228 |
| 3) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.306 |
| 4) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.328 |
| 5) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +0.358 |
| 6) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.363 |
| 7) Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.435 |
| 8) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.504 |
| 9) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.531 |
| 10) Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +1.323 |
| Knocked out in Q2 | ||
| 11) Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 1:30.129 |
| 12) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:30.200 |
| 13) Alex Albon | Williams | 1:30.221 |
| 14) Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 1:30.278 |
| 15) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:30.529 |
| Knocked out in Q1 | ||
| 16) Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | 1:30.756 |
| 17) Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | 1:30.757 |
| 18) Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:30.770 |
| 19) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:30.793 |
| 20) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:30.948 |
What happened in the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix?
In an impressive display of skill and strategy, Max Verstappen kicked off his Formula 1 world championship defence with a win, leading a Red Bull one-two finish alongside Sergio Perez at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Commanding the track from start to finish, Verstappen not only clinched victory by a significant margin of 22 seconds ahead of Perez, who had an outstanding ascent from fifth to second but also earned an additional point for recording the fastest lap of the race.
Carlos Sainz, set to be succeeded by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season, showcased his prowess by securing the last spot on the podium, outshining his teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc faced brake issues, which saw him fall from his initial second-place start, but he managed to recover to fourth after overtaking Mercedes‘ George Russell in the closing stages.
Lando Norris defended his position against Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to finish sixth, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took eighth place. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finished in the top 10, marking a race where all 20 competitors crossed the finish line, demonstrating remarkable reliability across the board.
Verstappen’s victory in Bahrain extends his winning streak to eight races and reinforces the predictions of Red Bull’s continued dominance following the 2023 season where they won 21 out of 22 races. Despite this, the distinctive demands of the Sakhir circuit’s surface hint at potential competitiveness in the upcoming 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Street Circuit, providing a glimmer of hope for Red Bull’s rivals.
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix race results
| Driver | Team | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:31:44.742 | 26* |
| 2) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +22.457 | 18 |
| 3) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +25.110 | 15 |
| 4) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +39.669 | 12 |
| 5) George Russell | Mercedes | +46.788 | 10 |
| 6) Lando Norris | McLaren | +48.458 | 8 |
| 7) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +50.324 | 6 |
| 8) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +56.082 | 4 |
| 9) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1:14.887 | 2 |
| 10) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1:33.216 | 1 |
| 11) Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12) Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13) Daniel Ricciardo | RB | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14) Yuki Tsunoda | RB | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15) Alex Albon | Williams | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16) Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap | 0 |
| 19) Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | +1 lap | 0 |
| 20) Logan Sargeant | Williams | +2 laps | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
2024 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 26 |
| 2 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 18 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Ferrari | 15 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 12 |
| 5 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes | 10 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren | 8 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 6 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren | 4 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Mercedes | 2 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Mercedes | 1 |
| 11 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | RB-Honda RBPT | 0 |
| 14 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | RB-Honda RBPT | 0 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
| 16 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Alpine Renualt | 0 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Alpine Renualt | 0 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Stake F1 Team | 0 |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
2024 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
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