2024 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Schedule, TV channels, how to stream, track details, best bets, weather and more

Teams have unveiled their liveries, Drive to Survive has hit Netflix and Red Bull is looking strong, all of which signal one thing: Formula 1 opens its 2024 season this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

This season will feature a record 24 races spanning 21 countries and five continents. The calendar features the return of the Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit after a four-year hiatus because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The driver lineup for 2024 is unchanged from the end of the 2023 season, but this year does mark the end of Lewis Hamilton’s incredible run at Mercedes as the seven-time world champion is jumping to Ferrari for 2025. Since joining the Silver Arrows ahead of the 2013 season, Hamilton has amassed 82 of his 103 career wins and six of his seven world titles.

Here’s what else you need to know for the year’s first grand prix weekend:

Bahrain Grand Prix broadcast schedule

All times ET

Thursday, February 29
6:25-7:30 a.m.: Free practice 1 (ESPN2, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)
9:55-11 a.m.: Free practice 2 (ESPN2, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)

Friday, March 1
6:25-7:30 a.m.: Free practice 3 (ESPN2, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)
10:55 a.m.-Noon: Qualifying (ESPN2, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)

Sunday, March 2
8:30-9:55 a.m.: Pre-race show (ESPN, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)
6:55 a.m.-Noon: Bahrain Grand Prix (ESPN, ESPN+, F1TV Pro)

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Bahrain Grand Prix race details

Track: Bahrain International Circuit, 15-turn, 3.62-mile clockwise permanent racing facility in Sakhir, Bahrain
Race length: 57 laps
Tire compounds: C1 (Hard) | C2 (Medium) | C3 (Soft)
Lap record: 1:31.447 (Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren-Mercedes, 2005)
2023 winner: Max Verstappen, Red Bull-RBPT

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Top drivers and best bets for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Triple defending champion Max Verstappen is the overwhelming favorite entering the race weekend with a -300 moneyline according to BetMGM. The next-best odds belong to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at 8-to-1. Verstappen was the fastest in the first pre-season test last week at Bahrain, while Leclerc topped the second of three sessions.

Best odds to win

• Max Verstappen -300

• Charles Leclerc +800

• Sergio Perez +1200

• Lewis Hamilton +1200

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Bahrain Grand Prix entries

Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hulkenberg (27), Haas-Ferrari
Daniel Ricciardo (3), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

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Bahrain Grand Prix weather

The forecast calls for temperatures to be in the mid-60s with no threat of rain (it is a desert afterall) during evening on-track running. The atmospheric condition most likely to impact the weekend is wind, with gusts of up to 25 mph expected during practice and qualifying. That represents an unpredictable challenge in Bahrain’s several heavy braking zones – a strong gust at just the wrong moment trying to slow the car will turn it around, ruining the lap.