Lexi Webster
The 2024 F1 season is well underway, with the first race taking place in Bahrain. The first of the two free practice sessions took place on Thursday, February 29, 2024, with the second session following in the evening. Due to the month of Ramadan, the practice sessions were scheduled a day earlier than usual, with the race taking place on Saturday. The second session saw Mercedes take the lead with Lewis Hamilton in first place, followed by George Russell. Max Verstappen of Red Bull, however, showed a clear advantage on heavy fuel, consistently performing well during the latter part of FP2.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Free Practice 1 | Thursday 29th February 2024 |
| Time of Free Practice 1 | 14:30 - 15:30 local time |
| Date of Free Practice 2 | Thursday 29th February 2024 |
| Time of Free Practice 2 | 18:00 - 19:00 local time |
| Date of Free Practice 3 | Friday 1st March 2024 |
| Time of Free Practice 3 | 15:30 - 16:30 local time |
What You'll Learn
Free Practice 1 timings
The 2024 F1 season has arrived following pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Lewis Hamilton leading a Mercedes 1-2 at the end of FP2, while Red Bull appeared off the pace with Max Verstappen in sixth and Sergio Perez in tenth.
Due to the month of Ramadan, the first practice sessions are taking place on Thursday, with the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled for Saturday. The Bahrain GP will run to a different schedule from most races, with the race taking place on Saturday night. Accordingly, the first of the two practice sessions will be held on Thursday, followed by FP3 and qualifying on Friday.
The first free practice session took place on Thursday 29th February 2024, from 14:30-15:30 local time in Bahrain (11:30-12:30 GMT in the UK).
Daniel Ricciardo topped the timesheets in FP1, with the Australian being just one of four drivers to use the soft tyre. He was less than a tenth ahead of former McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top four in first practice.
With the first practice session taking place during the day, the running and lap times are ultimately unrepresentative given that qualifying and racing occur under floodlights.
WhatsApp in Bahrain: Is It Accessible?
You may want to see also
Free Practice 2 timings
The second of the two free practice sessions for the 2024 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix took place on Thursday, 29 February 2024, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm local time in Bahrain. In the UK, this was from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm GMT, and in Portugal, it was from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm GMT. In Europe, the timings were 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm CET, and in the US (Eastern Time), it was from 10:00 am to 11:00 am ET. On the US Pacific coast, it was from 7:00 am to 8:00 am PT.
In Australia, Free Practice 2 took place from 2:00 am to 3:00 am AEDT on Friday, 1 March 2024. In Japan, it was held from 12:00 am to 1:00 am JST on Friday, 1 March 2024. For those in Africa, the timings were 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm SAT / 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm EAT on Thursday, 29 February 2024. And finally, in India, Free Practice 2 was held from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm IST on Thursday, 29 February 2024.
The second free practice session is considered more representative as the first session took place during the day, and qualifying and racing occur under floodlights. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes topped the Thursday practice times for FP2, with Max Verstappen of Red Bull in sixth place.
Bahrain's GDP: Understanding the Country's Economic Growth
You may want to see also
Free Practice 3 timings
The timings for Free Practice 3 of the 2024 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix are as follows:
Bahrain Local Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 3:30 pm-4:30 pm
United Kingdom/Portugal Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
Central European Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
US Eastern Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 7:30 am-8:30 am
US Pacific Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 4:30 am-5:30 am
Australian Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 11:30 pm-12:30 am (Saturday morning)
Japan Standard Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 9:30 pm-10:30 pm
South Africa Standard Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 2:30 pm-3:30 pm
East Africa Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 3:30 pm-4:30 pm
India Standard Time:
Friday 1st March 2024, 6:00 pm-7:00 pm
Exploring Manama, Bahrain: A Unique Gem in Asia
You may want to see also
Qualifying timings
The 2024 F1 season is well and truly underway, with the Bahrain GP taking place a day earlier than usual due to the following week's Saudi Arabian GP and the start of Ramadan.
Qualifying for the Bahrain GP started at 7 pm local time (4 pm GMT) on Friday 1 March 2024, using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.
In the UK, Sky Sports F1 broadcast the Bahrain GP qualifying coverage, starting at 3:10 pm GMT. Channel 4 also broadcast highlights of qualifying at 7:30 pm GMT on Friday evening, with a 90-minute programme covering the major talking points of the race weekend so far.
In the US, the qualifying session started at 11:00 am Eastern Time and 8:00 am Pacific Time.
In other parts of the world, the qualifying timings for the 2024 Bahrain GP were as follows:
- Europe: 5 pm-6 pm CET
- Australia: 3:00 am-4:00 am AEDT
- Japan: 1:00 am-2:00 am JST
- Africa: 6:00 pm-7:00 pm SAT / 7:00 pm-8:00 pm EAT
- India: 9:30 pm-10:30 pm IST
Red Bull's Bahrain GP: What Went Wrong?
You may want to see also
Viewing options
United Kingdom
Sky Sports F1 broadcasts all F1 races, including the Bahrain GP, and can be added to a Sky Sports package for £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99 or a monthly membership of £34.99 per month.
Channel 4 will also be broadcasting highlights of every qualifying and race of each event for the entire 2024 F1 season. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on-demand catch-up services.
United States
For viewers in the US (Eastern Time), the first free practice session will be broadcast from 06:30-07:30 ET, and the second from 10:00-11:00 ET.
Australia
For Australian viewers, the first free practice session will be broadcast from 22:30-23:30 AEDT, and the second from 02:00-03:00 AEDT.
Europe
For viewers in Europe, the first free practice session will be broadcast from 12:30-13:30 CET, and the second from 16:00-17:00 CET.
Radio
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying, and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, or via the BBC Sport website. Coverage of Bahrain GP qualifying will start at 4:00 pm GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sounds app.
Golden Visa in Bahrain: Benefits and Requirements
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The first of the two free practice sessions for the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix took place on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from 14:30 to 15:30 local time. The second session was held on the same day from 18:00 to 19:00 local time.
The free practice sessions are an opportunity for teams to test their cars and gather data before qualifying and the race. There are usually two or three free practice sessions held over the race weekend, with FP1 and FP2 typically held on Friday and FP3 held on Saturday before qualifying.
In the United Kingdom, every F1 practice, qualifying, and race is broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. You can also watch live through NOW with a one-off day payment or a monthly membership.
