First 2 races this Season will be on Saturday not Sunday.

[John S]

I've just clocked that the dates of the first 2 races on the calender this year will be on Saturday March 2nd (Bahrain) and Saturday March 9th (Saudi Arabia).

Does this mean FP1 & FP2 will be on Thurs, or are they cutting it back to a 2 day affair?   

[Andy B]

Nothing on the F1 web site so it seems they don't know either! 

[Dare]

This is what I go by. Will update soon

https://f1calendar.com/

[Andy B]

Time will tell!

[John S]

It appears Ramadan starting on 10th March is the reason for switching the first two races to Saturday.
The paras below from TheRace.com clarify that Bahrain & Saudi Arabia races will be Thurs/Fri/Sat programmes instead of usual Fri/Sat/Sun.

The first grand prix of the year will take place in Bahrain for the fourth consecutive season.

But this time the grand prix itself will take place on a Saturday (March 2) rather than a Sunday due to the holy period of Ramadan, which begins on March 10.

This is to give enough time for the F1 paddock to pack up and move onto Jeddah, where that race will also take place on a Saturday.

The first two practice sessions in Bahrain will then take place on February 29 followed by final practice and qualifying on March 1. One day later the season-opening grand prix will be held.

Courtesy The Race.com, Thurs 4th Jan 24.

[Jericoke]

I'm all for not running race activities during a time it would be culturally insensitive, but, shouldn't you schedule around that?

Running the first two races of the year at an unusual time has a huge risk of fans missing out and realising they survived just fine missing a couple races.

[Dare]

It appears Ramadan starting on 10th March is the reason for switching the first two races to Saturday.
The paras below from TheRace.com clarify that Bahrain & Saudi Arabia races will be Thurs/Fri/Sat programmes instead of usual Fri/Sat/Sun.

The first grand prix of the year will take place in Bahrain for the fourth consecutive season.

But this time the grand prix itself will take place on a Saturday (March 2) rather than a Sunday due to the holy period of Ramadan, which begins on March 10.

This is to give enough time for the F1 paddock to pack up and move onto Jeddah, where that race will also take place on a Saturday.

The first two practice sessions in Bahrain will then take place on February 29 followed by final practice and qualifying on March 1. One day later the season-opening grand prix will be held.

Courtesy The Race.com, Thurs 4th Jan 24.

I still think Australia should be the first race and Brazil the last.

[Alianora La Canta]

I'm all for not running race activities during a time it would be culturally insensitive, but, shouldn't you schedule around that?

Running the first two races of the year at an unusual time has a huge risk of fans missing out and realising they survived just fine missing a couple races.

The requirement to schedule around the climate and a preference for a different (read: cheaper until the recent Red Sea attacks) approach to logistics took priority (that, and Bahrain paying a lot extra to have the first slot in the season).