F1 circuits: every track on the 2024 calendar
From Bahrain to Abu Dhabi, here is every F1 circuit on the record-breaking 2024 grand prix calendar
Monaco will join 23 other venues on the 2024 F1 calendar
Grand Prix Photo
It’s the biggest season in F1 history, with 24 circuits making up the 2024 season, spread over 21 countries and five continents.
Each one is a known quantity, having appeared on the calendar at least once before (Las Vegas), or in Monza’s case, 73, but fans will notice a mild reshuffle in the order, partly thanks to F1’s efforts to group the races more logically, reducing travels costs and emissions, as well as fatigue during the record-breaking year.
While the season begins in Bahrain, as it has done in recent years, the paddock will go to Japan in April — rather than autumn as it has done traditionally. China follows — returning for the first time since the 2019 pre-Covid race.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is pushed back to September, and there’s a long stretch in the Americas before once again ending the season in Abu Dhabi, via a race in Qatar.
There are few surprises in Europe during mid-season though, with a return for Imola, following last year’s cancellation due to flooding, as well as classics at Silverstone, Spa, Monte Carlo and Monza.
Bahrain International Circuit/Sakhir
Bahrain Grand Prix
With 15 corners, 2 DRS-assisted straights and plenty of overtaking zones, the Bahrain International Circuit has provided its fair share of memorable moments, from Lewis Hamilton’s drama-filled win over Nico Rosberg in 2014 to Max Verstappen’s titanic battle with Charles Leclerc in 2022.
But it’s hotly anticipated simply as the host of pre-season testing and the season opener. As testing gives way to competitive running, the desert track finally reveals the true performance order at the start of the year.
With average speeds topping out at just over 155mph — second only to the ‘Temple of Speed’ of Monza — the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is an unrelenting attack on an F1 driver’s senses.
A high pace yet technical sector 1 unfurls into a beach-side sprint through sectors 2 and 3, where drivers will risk it all to overtake their rivals into the penultimate turns — and hope to avoid falling victim to a DRS pass across the line. It’s a new but thrilling spectacle no matter where you watch from.
After two years of significant renovations amid Covid, the Melbourne Street Circuit in Albert Park returned to the F1 calendar in 2022 — now faster than ever.
Four DRS zones often keep the pack close together, promoting some wheel-to-wheel racing, but also raising the risk of collison — just ask Alpine team-mates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly…
F1’s annual visit to Suzuka, a widely regarded fan and driver favourite, will come two seasons earlier in 2024, as it moves to the front end of the calendar, following the Australian Grand Prix, which allows for greater transport efficiency.
It’s a driver favourite, if not the driver favourite, thanks to the high-speed twists epitomised by the Esses near the start of the lap and the flat-out 130R near the end.
The climate also has its part to play, with wet weather frequently shuffling the order. It’s an early highlight.
The ever-tightening combination of opening corners at Shanghai’s International Circuit means on-track action begins just as quickly as the lights go out, and the ultra-long DRS-assisted back straight is often a site for last gasp overtakes in the run up to the chequered flag.
The Chinese Grand Prix returns to the calendar for the first time since 2019, and is the third and final leg in F1’s springtime visit to Australia and Asia.
Built in a stadium car park far from the oceanfront, with a famously fake marina, and eye-watering hospitality prices, Miami has plenty of detractors, but it has proven its worthiness on the F1 calendar.
Last year’s race was helped by several big names, including Max Verstappen, fighting their way through the field after starting in the middle of the pack, showing that overtaking is possible on the 19 corner circuit where three straights separate overtaking opportunities with tricky elevation changes too – specifically through the uphill chicane at Turn 14 and 15, which can send cars flying (literally) if drivers get it wrong.
Renowned as an Italian “thrill ride” by the drivers, the Imola circuit is not only historic — having hosted F1 grands prix since the 1980s — but is a tricky challenge for even the best to get right.
Returning after last year’s cancellation due to flooding, the track’s 18 corners and a singular DRS zone are blended by a strip of tight and twisty tarmac which makes overtaking here difficult but also incredibly rewarding.
Sainte Devote. Casino Square. The Grand Hotel Hairpin. The Tunnel. Almost every inch of the Monte Carlo Street Circuit is immersed in F1 history, and it remains one of the most prestigious events in the sporting world.
The 19-turn challenge comes largely in qualifying before the processional race where 20 drivers prove that overtaking really is all but impossible. Strategic errors can be punished harshly though.
Much like the man it is named after, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is fast and relentless. Quick sections of track are ended abruptly by numerous heavy braking zones, which create a fair share of overtaking opportunities. But all eyes should be on the notorious Wall of Champions — a wall of concrete on the exit of the final chicane which has claimed many a big name.
After turning its lithesome final sector into an ultra-fast double left-hand turn — with speeds in excess of 160mph — the Catalunya circuit has been transformed into a racing venue filled with opportunity. Drivers recorded a combined 75 overtakes around this 14-turn circuit last year, with the best opportunities coming at Turn 1 after drivers slingshot out of the final corner with a DRS assist along the start/finish straight.
Don’t let its size fool you. Despite being just 2.5 miles long and with average lap times coming in at a little over a minute, the Red Bull Ring is a colossal challenge with massive uphill sections of circuit that reward power and utter commitment as drivers head into the heavy braking zone at Turn 3. Plunging back down the hill is equally as exhilarating but just as treacherous for battling drivers.
The home of Formula 1 in Britain, and some would say of the series as a whole, given that it hosted the first world championship grand prix in 1950 and is regarded by most teams as their home circuit.
Challenging sections of racetrack like Maggotts, Becketts and Abbey flow effortlessly into heavy braking zones — creating race-changing opportunity for cars throughout the field. But its fast nature can end in spectacular clashes, and it has witnessed title contenders coming together through the ages.
Built like an upscaled karting circuit — with few straights and seemingly endless corners — the Hungaroring keeps drivers on their toes, with Monaco levels of precision required to meet the chequered flag first. At its widest, the track is only 15m across, making overtaking a challenge.
Few circuits are more beloved than Spa-Francorchamps — a 4.3-mile, 19-turn behemoth situated in lush Belgian countryside which pushes cars to their limits. Unpredictable weather can quickly turn the thrilling climb up through Eau Rouge to Raidillon into motor sport’s largest water slide; but the 134ft climb to the top still remains one of the most famous sections of race track anywhere in the world.
Undulating terrain, ‘crazy’ banked corners and sand-covered braking zones are just some of the challenges which face F1 drivers at Zandvoort — a 14-corner historic circuit that’s back on the calendar in an updated guise. Dominant Dutchman Max Verstappen is a regular hometown favourite here, and brings with him an army of support, whose orange flares can often create a chaotic atmosphere — both on track and off it.
With cars at full throttle for 80% of the lap — hitting an average speed of well over 150mph — Italy’s Monza is widely regarded as F1’s ‘Temple of Speed’ for good reason. Kilometre-long straights are ended suddenly by a series of tight and narrow chicanes, which often tempt trailing drivers to lunge down the inside of their rival ahead — resulting in moments of brilliance and chaos.
Baku’s city street circuit is often described as a mash-up of many different racing venues. The 1.4-mile long main straight can see cars reach Monza-like speeds while racing three abreast, while the following technical sections often force drivers to form a single file line — much like Monaco — where the smallest mistakes can be punished almost instantaneously. Safety cars and red flag restarts are never too far away.
The Marina Bay Circuit arguably presents the most daunting physical challenge on the current F1 calendar. As well as having to compete on a relentless 19-turn street circuit with little margin for error, drivers also have to cope with excruciating heat and humidity which can cause them to lose up to 3kg of weight during the race.
It’s where America learned to love Formula 1 again. The flowing circuit shows the cars off to their best; the uphill drag from the start line to the wide Turn 1 often results in a first tense first corner battle for the lead; and there are overtaking opportunities for the brave.
Combining some of the best bits of circuits elsewhere in the world, Circuit of the Americas is a favourite stop on the schedule.
At 2km above sea level, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a breathless experience for the drivers as well as their machinery.
The thin air means engines produce less power, but there’s also less drag, making slipstreaming down the main straight a powerful weapon before heading into Turn 1. A technical sector 2 eventually unwinds into a fan-filled stadium section, where thousands of spectators produce one of the best F1 vistas on the calendar.
Host to some of the best racing the series has produced in recent times, Brazil’s Interlagos circuit is widely regarded as a near-perfect racetrack. The 2.7 mile ribbon of asphalt sits in the middle of a natural bowl, with numerous banked corners and two DRS-assisted straightaways which produce plenty of overtaking right up until the chequered flag, as Lewis Hamilton, Timo Glock and Felipe Massa know all too well.
While racing in Las Vegas isn’t a totally new concept, its new street circuit is: promoted by F1 itself, and with a new permanent building designed to publicise the brand year-round, the venue is supposed to be a showcase for a slicker, even more glamorous future for the series.
Not everybody is on board with the vast hospitality areas and high prices, and a loose manhole cover caused a nightmare start for race organisers, as well as the spectators who were shut out. However, a captivating debut race, with high-speed racing on the Strip, went a long way to winning round its critics.
It’s no secret that the Losail Circuit was built for racing on two wheels instead of four. Despite splaying out over 3.4 miles of Qatar desert, the MotoGP circuit itself is fast, flowing and filled with medium to high-speed corners. With little room to overtake, doing so takes an expert touch and the heat and humidity can create a tough atmosphere in which to succeed.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit is the final stop on F1’s record-breaking calendar and looks spectacular, even if the racing is often mediocre. Adaptations made in 2021 have made the circuit faster overall, but the addition of a major hairpin at Turn 5 as well as Turn 9, means this circuit – once difficult to race on — offers more overtaking possibilities right up to the final racing lap of the year.
