The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is close to becoming the inaugural event of the 2024 Formula 1 campaign, with a change of plans that initially indicated Australia as the first race of the season.
The information was released thanks to an official statement from the Victorian state government which confirmed a two-year new deal for the Australian Grand Prix, that has now extended its contract until 2037.
The statement informed that the motorsport street circuit around Albert Park Lake, three kilometres south of central Melbourne, would host the first race a minim of four years during the contract, but Saudi Arabia would do so in the 2024 season “out of respect for Ramadan”.
Bahrain, which is located next to Saudi Arabia, has become the standard first round of the championship for the last few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted the format of the calendar three years ago. It held its race on 20 March this year. But Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is due to start on 11 March in 2024, as opposed to 2 April in 2022.
With this in mind, the sport wanted to move the start of the campaign back in Australia, as Melbourne had been the usual opening round before the pandemic.
Formula now Formula 1 has not officially announced that Saudi Arabia would be the initial round of the 2024 season. It explained in a press release: “Formula 1 has not released any details of future calendars. The 2024 calendar will be confirmed in the usual way later in the year.”
Yet BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson informs that, while former Ferrari boss and current Formula 1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali is still evaluating the best options for the first rounds of the 2024 championship and the season, the event at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has a good chance of being the opening race.
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BBC adds that there is no clear explanation for the change of plans which indicated the Australian Grand Prix as the opening round in 2024. Nor is it clear why, if it is possible to hold a grand prix in the Middle East to start the season before Ramadan in 2024, it would be in Saudi Arabia and not Bahrain.
There will be speculation that Saudi Arabia – a location that already pays Formula 1 one of the largest hosting fees for the possibility of organizing the event, has agreed to pay an extra fee for the opportunity and prestige of hosting the first race. However, BBC Sport reported that it was not the case.
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