It would be really stupid to miss the first Grand Prix of the year.
Make no mistake, for the first race of the F1 season, in Bahrain, the appointment is this Saturday, March 2 at 4 p.m. (French time).
The following week, the Saudi Arabian GP is also scheduled for a Saturday, March 9.
But why ?
The explanation is actually quite simple.
Formula 1 management has adapted to the start of Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims taking place from Sunday March 10 to Tuesday April 9.
The Saudi Arabian GP, where Islam is the main religion, could therefore not be held on Sunday.
The Jeddah Grand Prix has logically been brought forward to Saturday March 9.
A third GP on Saturday in Las Vegas
Direct consequence: as the first two meetings of the year followed from one week to the next, the Bahrain GP was also forced to change the calendar so as not to put the drivers and teams in the red from the start of a historic season with 24 races on the clock.
The first race of the season has therefore also been brought forward to Saturday March 2.
For practical purposes, the entire weekend is moved forward by one day (free practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday).
In the season, a third GP will take place on a Saturday, that of Las Vegas, on November 23.
For now, no religious explanation, but rather a story of time difference on a circuit which is intended to be nocturnal.
To guarantee broadcast on a European scale at suitable times, the Grand Prix will take place on Saturday evening on site, and on Sunday morning when you wake up in France, around 7 a.m.