Formula One's record 24-race calendar for 2024

Formula One will have a record 24 races in the season that starts in Bahrain on Saturday. The calendar is as follows:

1. Bahrain (Sakhir) - March 2

The Middle East's first race celebrates its 20th anniversary, held on a Saturday to accommodate Ramadan. The track is abrasive, with wind also a factor. Lewis Hamilton has won five times in Bahrain. Fernando Alonso is the only driver still racing who took part in the 2004 debut.

2. Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) - March 9

Sergio Perez won last year, one of only three that Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen did not win. The Corniche layout is the season's second longest and the fastest street circuit. It will also be held on a Saturday.

3. Australia (Melbourne) - March 24

Albert Park is a home race for McLaren's Oscar Piastri and RB's Daniel Ricciardo but no Australian has ever won in Australia. Hamilton has been on pole a record eight times in Melbourne and McLaren have won a record 11 times.

4. Japan (Suzuka) - April 7

Held in September last year. Red Bull clinched the constructors' title at Honda-owned Suzuka in 2023 with Verstappen's second successive Japanese win. The figure eight circuit is a home for RB's Yuki Tsunoda. It has been 20 years since Ferrari's last win, with Michael Schumacher in 2004.

5. China (Shanghai) - April 21

Absent from the calendar since 2019, when Hamilton won for Mercedes, Shanghai hosts a sprint race for the first time. Sauber's Guanyu Zhou will be the first Chinese F1 driver to race in front of his home crowd.

6. Miami - May 5

The fifth round of the season last year and a key moment. Verstappen and Perez were on two wins each, but Miami began a record run of 10 in a row for Verstappen. This year, Miami hosts a sprint for the first time. One of three home races