The main changes to the F1 2024 regulations and championship
Sporting regulations, technical changes, sprint race format, calendar... We sum up everything that will change in F1 in 2024.
At the dawn of a new season about to begin, teams are starting to announce the dates for the presentation of their future race cars. The actors of the 2024 season will meet from February 21st, the first day of winter testing in Bahrain. After a year of total dominance in 2023, Red Bull will have the mission of keeping the other top teams behind them. Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, which revealed itself in the second part of the season, will be eager to seek victories against the Austrian team.
Also worth noting, and for the first time in history, there have been no changes in the main driver between 2023 and 2024. Therefore, we will have the same protagonists as last year in the same race cars.
A record-breaking calendar
The 2024 Formula 1 season will start on February 29th and will feature a record number of 24 races. The calendar has been regionalized by the FIA with the aim of making the series more sustainable, notably by moving the Japanese Grand Prix from April to its usual September slot for a more defined Asian tour.
The Chinese Grand Prix will make its return to the F1 calendar after being canceled for the past four years due to the health crisis. Additionally, the Qatar Grand Prix will become the penultimate race of the season, which should help the drivers cope with the heat in 2023, but will also facilitate the transportation of the cars and equipment to the finale in Abu Dhabi.
The sprint races.
The FIA has announced an improvement in the format of sprint races for this year. This comes in response to persistent complaints regarding the format of the sprint weekend, with qualifying already taking place on Friday for Sunday’s race. However, we do not yet know the details of this new format, and the FIA commission is set to meet with team directors to discuss it.
The six sprint races of this 2024 season will take place in China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil, and Qatar.
The modifications to the sporting regulations
“The “private” trials in 2024″
At the request of Pirelli, the tire supplier in Formula 1, the number of testing days organized by the FIA for the Italian tire manufacturer has increased from 35 to 40 days. Additionally, four days will be dedicated to wet tire testing. This will allow teams to assist Pirelli in developing new intermediate and rain tires, which received criticism from drivers last year. The teams and Pirelli will also work together on a solution to improve drivers’ visibility on wet tracks.
Furthermore, the number of kilometers that teams are allowed to cover during the so-called “promotional” days, during which F1 teams often carry out their shakedowns before the first winter test, will be doubled, increasing from 100 to 200. However, teams must distribute the kilometers over the two authorized filming days in order not to complete the entire distance in a single day.
The procedure of revision rights
The FIA has modified the procedure for the right of review, which Formula 1 teams can use to challenge decisions. The time period within which such a request can be made is shortened from 14 days to 96 hours. This modification comes notably after the case of Haas, which contested a decision made during the United States Grand Prix eleven days after the race’s conclusion.
The changes to the technical regulations
Solution to hot conditions
Following the extreme heat and discomfort experienced by several drivers during and after the 2023 Qatar GP, the F1 commission has approved a change in the technical regulations. This modification will allow teams to install a cooling duct in the cockpit, which will channel air towards the cockpit.
Some minor modifications
At the floor level of the car, the FIA has notified a minor change aimed at improving driver safety. Some metal parts will be removed from certain areas of the monoplane, while others must be lightened.
But in broad terms, the 2024 technical regulations remain stable and build upon the same foundations as the previous season, while eagerly anticipating the anticipated rule changes in 2026.
The 2026 season already in sight
Finally, the development of the 2026 car can only begin on January 1, 2025. Although computer simulations work has started some time ago, the FIA has definitively clarified that the physical production of the 2026 car will not be allowed before the year preceding its launch, that is, before 2025.
