Formula 1 set for rare appearance, third time in last 39 years

The 2024 Formula 1 season got underway on Saturday with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. The reason why the traditionally Sunday race was contested on Saturday instead is actually because of this coming weekend's race in Saudi Arabia.

Instead of being contested on Sunday, March 10, like it ordinarily would be, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit is set to be run on Saturday, March 9. The race is set to be run on Saturday due to the start of Ramadan this weekend.

This influenced Formula 1's decision to run the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday instead of Sunday as well, as a Sunday race would have given everybody one less day to travel and prepare for the next event in what is an already loaded -- and record-breaking -- 24-race schedule.

It marks two consecutive Saturday Grands Prix to open up the season, and going back to last year's inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix at the new Las Vegas Strip Circuit, it marks three Saturday races in the last four races.

Those three Saturday races are also the only three Saturday races in the last 39 Formula 1 seasons.

Prior to last November's Las Vegas race, the first in the city since the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix, Formula 1 had not run a race on a Saturday (local time) since October 1985, when the Grand Prix of South Africa was contested at Kyalami Circuit.

This year's Las Vegas Grand Prix is also set to be contested on a Saturday (though it's still set for 1:00 a.m. ET), which would mark only the fourth such race since 1985.

The 2024 season's first Sunday race is scheduled to take place on March 24. That race, the Australian Grand Prix, is set to be contested at Albert Park Circuit at 3:00 p.m. local time (12:00 a.m. ET).

ESPN2 is set to broadcast both the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (11:55 a.m. ET) and the Australian Grand Prix live. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss either event!