Melbourne made season-opener again in 24-race F1 calendar for 2025

50 comments on “Melbourne made season-opener again in 24-race F1 calendar for 2025”

1. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   12th April 2024, 12:47

   A surprisingly early unveiling after only four GPs since June-July is generally the period when race calendars get released at the very earliest.
   Surprisingly, FOM & FIA once again didn’t bother using any viable opportunities to avoid triple-headers altogether, especially in the early-season phase, by simply having the Australian & Japanese GPs both a week earlier, or even two weeks earlier for Melbourne, followed by Shanghai-Suzuka on 16/23.3, & thus the following also earlier, which would simultaneously avoid the Imola-Monaco-Montmelo triple to at least minimize their total amount rather than keeping it at 3, despite not having the COTA-AHR-Interlagos triple anymore or the unnecessarily lengthy intervals towards the end, albeit no traditional summer break length next year, but one fewer non-race weekend & the same with Silverstone-Spa interval (I also note Spa & Hungaroring have swapped order).
   Finally, Bahrain & Saudi Arabian GPs could be the first two rounds if they took place earlier than 28.2 when next year’s Ramadan period begins, as nothing forbids racing in February, so just because F1 races haven’t been held in February for a long time doesn’t mean this couldn’t be done again, just like with December until 2019/20, not that doing so would be necessary to avoid triple-headers anyway.
   Yes, I also acknowledge that with this season ending on 8.12, the off-season interval would get shortened further, but teams would still have decent enough preparation time for the next season.
   1. 

      notagrumpyfan
      12th April 2024, 14:07

      A good break between seasons is good for almost all parties involved:
      Drivers and travelling circus (teams, FIA, press) some time off (off travelling at least);
      Dedicated focus on the new season for factory staff;
      Fans to spend some time with family and friends;
      etc. etc.

      Also for personal reasons I want the season start in Melbourne.
      1. 

         Jere (@jerejj)
         12th April 2024, 16:51

         Valid points, although the week-shorter August interval is a little too short for the traditional 14-day factory shutdown period, so I guess that’ll be spread by having a 7-day shutdown period both before & after the Belgium-Hungary double.
         1. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            12th April 2024, 16:51

            I forgot to add that I’m indifferent about the season-opener between Australia & Bahrain.
            1. 

               Simon
               12th April 2024, 22:34

               Of course you:
               a) did
               b) are

               And as usual (as a special gift) – fantasy calendar again.
               When. The. Calendar. Has. Already. Been. Published.
            2. 

               EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
               13th April 2024, 5:52

               Simon. Sorry, but what does any of what you wrote actually mean?
   2. 

      Nick T.
      12th April 2024, 23:41

      Great news because Bahrain and Saudi didn’t even like the season had started with those antiseptic locales. Also, I’m sure they weren’t happy about the rescheduling debacle. Though, personally, I LOVED a format that had the GP done before Sunday.
2. 

   some racing fan
   12th April 2024, 12:56

   Liberty has no respect for other racing series. GP’s on the same day as Le Mans and Indianapolis- again with the latter…

   It should be this:

   1. Miami (March 16)
   2. Australia (March 30)
   3. Saudi (April 6)
   4. Bahrain (April 13)
   5. Japan (April 20)
   6. Las Vegas (May 3)
   7. Imola (May 18)
   8. Monaco (June 1)
   9. Spain (June 8)
   10. Canada (June 22)
   11. Austria (July 6)
   12. Britain (July 13)
   13. Hungary (July 27)
   14. Holland (August 3)
   15. Belgium (August 31)
   16. Italy (September 7)
   17. Azerbaijan (September 21)
   18. Singapore (October 5)
   19. China (October 12)
   20. USA (October 26)
   21. Mexico (November 2)
   22. Brazil (November 16)
   23. Qatar (November 30)
   24. Abu Dhabi (December 7)
   1. 

      some racing fan
      12th April 2024, 12:58

      EDIT:

      It should be this: (never have 4 GP’s in a row)

      1. Miami (March 9)
      2. Australia (March 23)
      3. Saudi (April 6)
      4. Bahrain (April 13)
      5. Japan (April 20)
      6. Las Vegas (May 3)
      7. Imola (May 18)
      8. Monaco (June 1)
      9. Spain (June 8)
      10. Canada (June 22)
      11. Austria (July 6)
      12. Britain (July 13)
      13. Hungary (July 27)
      14. Holland (August 3)
      15. Belgium (August 31)
      16. Italy (September 7)
      17. Azerbaijan (September 21)
      18. Singapore (October 5)
      19. China (October 12)
      20. USA (October 26)
      21. Mexico (November 2)
      22. Brazil (November 16)
      23. Qatar (November 30)
      24. Abu Dhabi (December 7)
      1. 

         Jere (@jerejj)
         12th April 2024, 16:57

         Monaco GP & Indy 500 races never directly clash due to time difference & the same with the Canadian GP & Le Mans 24H races, so making a fuss out of them, especially the former, is pointless.
         As for your alternative race calendar, fortunately, it doesn’t have a single triple-header (nor four consecutive weekends of racing after your correction), but Las Vegas in May is pretty unbearable temp-wise, so that would be an unnecessarily risky move.
         1. 

            some racing fan
            12th April 2024, 19:19

            Vegas cools a whole lot at night thanks to its dry climate. So it wouldn’t be that risky.
         2. 

            Simon
            12th April 2024, 22:39

            @jerejj

            But you will “make a fuss out of them”, regardless…

            Also, nice snark about an alternative suggested calendar that does not match “jerejj’s F1 Fantasy Calendar ™”
         3. 

            Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
            13th April 2024, 10:12

            @jerejj the fuss isn’t that precious you can watch them both. The fuss is that sone of us motorsport traditionalists would like these events to not clash (yes events, not race – events last multiple days, so do clash), in order to give the opportunity for drivers (yes, the important ones in this sport) to potentially enter these spectacular and historic races alongside their F1 seasons without having to chose one over another (most contracts will not allow a choice).
      2. 

         Nick T.
         12th April 2024, 23:43

         I’d never want the worst GP of the year as the opener.
   2. 

      S
      12th April 2024, 13:07

      Liberty has no respect for other racing series.

      You surprised?
      F1 has always had conflicts with other major events, anyway – though almost always with different timezones in play.
      It’s up to you how much motorsport you watch…. You probably wouldn’t be missing much if you skipped the F1…
   3. 

      Anuj
      12th April 2024, 20:24

      Too much travel. GPs around same areas are clubbed together.
   4. 

      anon
      12th April 2024, 21:31

      some racing fan, why are people making such an issue of this now when clashes between Formula 1 events and other series is something that has happened for decades, and long before Liberty Media ever got involved in Formula 1? Were they showing insufficient respect when those clashes were happening as far back as the 1950’s? Or is this just another arbitrary excuse to complain about something again?
      1. 

         some racing fan
         12th April 2024, 23:22

         The reason as to why people like me are inclined to complain about clashes with other major events in other racing series is because of the far greater access to information, through- you guessed it- the Internet. People are exposed (that is the key word here- exposure) to other racing series all around the world that have a platform on a site like YouTube, so they follow it, and they like it, and maybe even want to go to a race or two, even if it means traveling over oceans to do so. So the more awareness of other racing series, the more respect- to a certain degree. Back before the internet, information on other racing series was largely word of mouth or through print, but you probably already knew that.
         1. 

            some racing fan
            12th April 2024, 23:29

            I know some people over here in the US who just discovered the BTCC- and they think it’s the greatest thing they’ve ever seen. They’re gonna make a business-related excuse to go to London just so they can go to a BTCC race at Brands Hatch whenever it is held there.
            1. 

               Nick T.
               12th April 2024, 23:43

               Report them and take their jobs and/or budget for misallocation of company funds!
   5. 

      Nick T.
      13th April 2024, 0:18

      With so many races, it’s all but impossible for F1 to not clash with other series. Monaco was run on the same weekend as the Indy 500 for many, many years IIRC.
3. 

   F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
   12th April 2024, 13:10

   Why of why are Miami and Canada not paired together. Now we go from Middle East to US back to Europe only to go back to Canada a month later for a single race before proceeding with Europe races.

   Just 12 double headers each time with 1 week in between except for summer break being 3 weeks – completing the season in 37 weeks leaving 15 weeks for off season.
   * Australia & Singapore 13th & 20th March
   * China & Japan 3rd & 10th April
   * Saudi & Bahrain 24th April & May 1st
   * Miami & Canada 15th & 22nd of May
   * Italy & Monaco 5th & 12th of June
   * Spain & UK 26th & 3rd of July
   * Austria & Hungary 17th & 24th of July
   Summer break No race 31st July, 7th & 14th of August
   * Netherlands & Belgium 21st & 28th August
   * Italy & Baku 11th & 18th September
   * USA & Mexico 2nd & 9th October
   * Brazil & USA 23nd & 30th October
   * Qatar & Abu Dhabi 13th & 20th November
   1. 

      Stephen Taylor
      12th April 2024, 13:52

      Because Canadas promoter refuses to move the June slot.
      1. 

         F1statsfan (@f1statsfan)
         12th April 2024, 14:08

         Well in that case it could be:
         * Saudi & Bahrain 24th April & May 1st
         * Italy & Monaco 15th & 22nd of May
         * Miami & Canada 5th & 12th of June

         I think above is actually preferred by the teams as it brings them to Europe from the Middle East before going across the Atlantic for 2 races.
         1. 

            Erick
            12th April 2024, 14:55

            Miami is extremely warm and humid in June, averaging 30 degrees Celsius, with frequent thunderstorms. It kind of has to be before the summer.
            1. 

               some racing fan
               12th April 2024, 15:33

               That’s right. Miami in June is not only extremely warm and humid- like 32C average with 90 percent humidity but it rains 25 cm in that one month alone. Miami honestly should be the first race.
   2. 

      stefano (@alfa145)
      12th April 2024, 13:54

      totally agree with your point.
      Still, Australia as the season opener is most welcome news.
   3. 

      some racing fan
      12th April 2024, 15:21

      I’d switch around Austin/Mexico and Brazil/Vegas. Austin is still seriously hot at that time of year
   4. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      12th April 2024, 17:08

      @f1statsfan – Differences in climatic aspects make grouping the Miami & Canadian GPs difficult.
      Additionally, May 1st is getting risky for Middle East locations temp-wise.

      Stephen Taylor – Canadian GP doesn’t have a specific date, but rather date range varying from 5th to 20th over the last 20 or so years, but that isn’t what this particular matter is about.

      Erick & some racing fan – Stop exaggerating. Temps aren’t the issue in June, especially early in the month, as just like in Southeast Asia, they’re relatively stable all-year-round + June is only marginally (about couple degrees) warmer than May by mean daily maximum & daily mean averages, & F1 has raced in high-20s to low-30s many times, so nothing different in this regard.
      The only issue with racing in June would be the Atlantic Hurricane seasons that covers June-November, so this is the factor why June is worthy of avoiding.

      some racing fan – Yes, the Austin/Elroy area can still be hot in early-October, but this isn’t necessarily an annual thing.
      1. 

         Simon
         12th April 2024, 22:43

         Oh dear… someone has dared to suggest having races at different times of year, which of course has triggered your incessant obsession/blathering with the weather
4. 

   Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
   12th April 2024, 13:51

   Good – a proper season opener with fans, sunshine and anticipation. Enjoy it while it lasts (and you don’t have to scroll past what I think the calendar should have been)
   1. 

      Unicron (@unicron2002)
      12th April 2024, 19:16

      @Bullfrog I second your comment, but I can’t BELIEVE you didn’t post what you think the calendar should be, because I really care about your opinion on that! (Tongue firmly in cheek)
      1. 

         Nick T.
         12th April 2024, 23:45

         lol. I third and second all of that.
5. 

   Red Andy (@red-andy)
   12th April 2024, 14:34

   Putting Las Vegas in a double- or triple-header situation with venues on literally the other side of the world (12-hour time difference) is incredibly reckless and stupid. People got ill last year, and they will again; eventually something very bad will happen as a result.
   1. 

      S
      12th April 2024, 15:08

      People got ill last year, and they will again; eventually something very bad will happen as a result.

      Yeah – teams’ HR departments really need to be more mindful of the well-being of their own staff. More rotation is in order – given that, staffing-wise, modern F1 teams are truly enormous.
      The industry doesn’t stop just because the individual businesses can’t manage themselves properly.
6. 

   MichaelN
   12th April 2024, 15:05

   It’ll take some time to get used to Japan being so early on, but then again Australia also used to be towards the back of the season and now people see it as the perfect season opener. I suppose in time all calendar changes will become the new normal as new fans never knew anything else.

   The Las Vegas combo with Qatar is a bit silly, given the attempts to keep travel a bit under control in other areas of the calendar. Also for the people. That’s a huge time difference in less than a week of travel, especially with both races being night events.

   Also disappointed that the first European race isn’t until May 18th, and the last is already on September 7th. That’s two months before, and three months after with not a single European race.
   1. 

      S
      12th April 2024, 15:12

      It’ll take some time to get used to Japan being so early on, but then again Australia also used to be towards the back of the season

      And Brazil has been the opener in the past too – but now sits firmly toward the closing end.
   2. 

      Simon
      12th April 2024, 22:53

      I thought the Baku a week after Montreal, a few years ago was brutal. Las Vegas to Qatar will be even more so.
7. 

   Sam Crawford
   12th April 2024, 15:19

   Far East Leg
   2/3 Melbourne
   9/3 Suzuka

   23/3 Singapore
   30/3 Shanghai

   First Middle East Leg
   13/4 Bahrain
   20/4 Qatar
   27/4 Baku

   Mini Euro Stop
   11/5 Monaco
   18/5 Barcelona

   First US Leg
   1/6 Miami
   8/6 Montreal

   Europe
   22/6 Imola
   29/6 Silverstone
   13/7 Hungaroring
   20/7 Spielberg
   3/8 Spa

   Post Break Europe
   31/8 Zandvoort
   7/9 Monza

   Second US Leg
   21/9 COTA
   4/10 Mexico
   18/10 Brazil
   30/10 Las Vegas

   Second Middle East Leg
   13/11 Saudi Arabia
   20/11 Abu Dhabi

   Also allows space for Indy 500 and Le Mans 24hr to not clash with F1 races, there’s 3 triple headers but they’re more manageable, and there’s no double headers that cross huge distances/time zones
   1. 

      some racing fan
      12th April 2024, 15:30

      Suzuka in early March is too cold. People often don’t take weather into account. I’d put Singapore in its place and put Suzuka in the 30/3 spot (although that’s still pushing it)

      I’d also switch Barcelona/Monaco and Miami/Montreal around. Miami in June is pretty unbearable and it rains 10 inches in that one month.

      Austin is too hot in September- we’re talking 35C hot. I’d start with Brazil, then Vegas, Mexico and then Austin.
8. 

   David B
   12th April 2024, 16:27

   Good. There’s nothing less exciting as having the season opener in the middle of the desert with barely any audience & zero atmosphere. Just need to put Brazil back at the end now.
9. 

   dot_com (@dot_com)
   12th April 2024, 16:37

   That’s a crazy calendar, but seeing Australia as the opening race is fantastic news.
10. 

    Paul (@frankjaeger)
    12th April 2024, 17:11

    Great. Now just change Interlagos back to season finale and everybody’s happy
    1. 

       Imre (@f1mre)
       12th April 2024, 17:32

       I get the romantics with Brazil but I think the Abu Dhabi sunset has its charm. And yes, Australia is a proper season opener.
    2. 

       anon
       12th April 2024, 21:51

       @frankjaeger why does Interlagos need to be at the tail end of the season? Back in the 2000’s, people were complaining then about the decision to move Interlagos from it’s traditional place on the calendar, which was near the beginning of the season, to the end of the season instead.

       Out of the 51 races held at Interlagos, nearly two thirds (32) of those races were held near the beginning of the season – sometimes the opening race, but often the second race (sometimes the third race of the season), and it was only ever the final race 8 times (2004 to 2008 inclusive, and 2011 to 2013 inclusive).

       If you really want a traditional timeslot for Interlagos, March would be more historically appropriate – of course, if you really wanted to go back to it’s earliest days, then the race should be in January or February.
       1. 

          Nick T.
          12th April 2024, 23:47

          Probably because it produces the best or one of the best races of the season with by far the highest % of any track. And because, like Japan, the fans are amazing.
11. 

    John
    12th April 2024, 17:25

    No indication that it is provisional so looks set in stone.
    Anyone any idea where the pre season testing might be for 2025?
    I’m hoping for Barcelona rather than Bahrain
12. 

    Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
    12th April 2024, 18:20

    A few comments about F1 not avoiding clashes with other series – no reason that they should bother avoiding other series – it doesn’t impact F1 financially at all, and that is all they are worried about.

    It does impact the ability of some fans to enjoy other series too – but Liberty have regularly proven that there is no part in their decision making process that takes the fans into account anyway.
13. 

    Angel
    12th April 2024, 20:57

    I was sitting here thinking “why are they saying 2025?” and then it hit me – we’re almost halfway through 2024 already! Anyway, Las Vegas in May is actually a stupid idea!
14. 

    Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
    13th April 2024, 10:17

    The one I’m surprised no one has raised is China.
    The number of times in the past its been mentioned about how difficult it can be to get stuff thru Chinese customs, to the point that I’m 100% certain it’s been stated in previous years that China could not follow a week after another race.
    So we’re suddenly confident that all freight from Aus to China can be turned around in 3 days?
    I’d have expected Japan and China reversed (same dates).

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