Official 2024 F1 calendar announced – and it’s not looking good for South Africa

Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2024 season, as approved by the World Motor Sport Council.

With a confirmed 24 races for the year, the championship will kick off on 2 March 2024 in Bahrain and bow out on 8 December in Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately, it seems that rumours from earlier this year were accurate as, at least for now, a South African race isn’t on the calendar.

In June, RacingNews365 reported that a local Grand Prix was deemed “untenable in the near future” due to the South African government’s friendly ties with Russia whilst it’s waging a war in Ukraine.

F1 did not provide official confirmation that the decision has been reached, but the calendar which is barren of any races on the African continent has cleared up some of the mist that was hanging over the situation.

Additionally, the F1-focused publication said that 777, an alternative investment firm that is the official event promoter, has yet to sign a contract for the hire of the Kyalami circuit in Midrand, Gauteng despite priorly agreeing to rent the racetrack.

Therefore, it’s unlikely we’ll see an F1 race on a local racetrack in 2024.

2024 F1 calendar

The 2024 Formula 1 calendar is detailed below:

This roster demonstrates “important steps towards our shared goals” of reducing logistical difficulties during the season and making the sport more sustainable, said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA.

By moving Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September, and Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi, this current calendar includes greater regionalisation than the years before and creates a better flow of races in certain geographical regions as a result.

For the opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Grand Prix will also take place on a Saturday, a decision taken to accommodate Ramadan.

“We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the traveling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport,” said Sulayem.

“Stefano Domenicali and his team have done a great job to both bring in new and exciting venues in emerging markets for Formula 1, and stay true to the sport’s long and remarkable heritage.”