When is F1 and every other motorsport series starting in 2024?

Formula 1 officially started its 2024 season with the recent Bahrain Grand Prix meaning it is now one of many championships already underway for this year. 

Formula E was the first to start with its season-opener on the 12-13 January at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, while the World Rally Championship commenced again later that month. 

Many more racing categories including F1 soon followed suit, but some are still yet to start its 2024 season so here is a run-down of when every major series starts this year. 

*Championships are shown in chronological order

Formula E

Next race: Mexico City E-Prix: 12-13 January, 2024

Formula E was first of the single-seater seasons to start in 2024, as Jake Dennis began his title defence in Mexico. It was the second time that Mexico had opened the season after doing so in 2023 when the E-Prix was won by Dennis, however the Andretti driver failed to make a winning start to 2024 finishing a disappointing ninth at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Pascal Wehrlein instead took the chequered flag ahead of second-place Sebastian Buemi, who is one of seven Formula E champions on the 2024 grid which includes the return of Nyck de Vries following his unsuccessful stint in F1.

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Start action

World Rally Championship

Next race: Monte Carlo Rally: 25-28 January, 2024

Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera was absent from the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, as the 23-year-old will only contest the 2024 WRC season part-time to "recharge his batteries". In his absence, Thierry Neuville won nine of the 17 stages to take overall victory by 16.1 seconds over Sebastien Ogier, with Elfyn Evans completing the top three. Neuville is a five-time runner-up of the WRC crown, so 2024 is as good of a chance as any for the Hyundai driver to finally clinch his maiden title. 

IMSA SportsCar Championship 

Next race: 24 Hours of Daytona: 27-28 January, 2024

The prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona continued its tradition of kickstarting the IMSA season. This year's race, which was held at the famous Daytona Speedway, was won by Porsche Penske who overcame an epic duel with Cadillac where late drama saw the race won by just 2.1 seconds. It was the 62nd edition of the Daytona 24, which is part of the endurance racing triple crown alongside Le Mans 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring.

Extreme E

Next race: Desert X-Prix: 17-18 February, 2024

Saudi Arabia hosted the Extreme E season opener for a third consecutive year where Rosberg X Racing and the Sainz XE Team both scored a win on the opening weekend. It is no surprise that both teams are strong once again after finishing 1-2 in the 2023 championship, where Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky clinched the 2023 crown for Nico Rosberg's squad. This will be Extreme E's third year as a championship with its 10-round season being spread across five weekends, but it will be without 2022 champions Team X44 as Lewis Hamilton's outfit dropped out for 2024. 

Photo by: Colin McMaster / Motorsport Images

Hedda Hosas, Tanner Foust, NEOM McLaren Extreme E, Amanda Sorensen, RJ Anderson, GMC Hummer EV Chip Ganassi Racing, and Cristina Gutierrez, Fraser McConnell, X44 Vida Carbon Racing

NASCAR

Next race: Daytona 500: 18 February, 2024

William Byron finally won the prestigious Daytona 500 which has hosted every NASCAR Cup season opener since 1982. The 2024 edition of the race was both epic and frantic as it took place a day late due to extreme weather conditions, before Byron took the race lead from Ross Chastain with just four laps remaining. It was not such a good outing for the defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney though, who finished a lowly 30th. 

Supercars Championship 

Next race: Bathurst 500: 22-25 February, 2024

The hallowed Mount Panorama Circuit opened the 2024 Supercars Championship with the Bathurst 500, which returned to the calendar for the first time since 2021. It was a winning weekend for Triple Eight Race Engineering as both of its drivers won a race at Bathurst, while defending champion Brodie Kostecki was absent. This season will be the second year racing with a Gen 3 Supercar, where the series will use it across 12 weekends in 2024 which finishes with the Adelaide 500 in November.

Formula 1

Next race: Bahrain Grand Prix: 29 February - 2 March 2024

F1 had an air of familiarity at its 2024 season-opening Bahrain GP as defending champion Max Verstappen dominated from pole position in a Red Bull 1-2. He and team-mate Sergio Perez were joined on the podium by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, while the 10 point positions were all filled by drivers of the top five teams from the 2023 constructors' championship. Verstappen is therefore the strong favourite to clinch the crown again and if he does, he will become the fifth driver in history to win four consecutive F1 championships behind Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Start action

Formula 2

Next race: Bahrain: 29 February - 2 March, 2024

Zane Maloney completed a sprint and feature race double in Bahrain, which made him the first driver to win both events on the opening weekend of the F2 season since its inception as GP2 in 2005. It was the first weekend of a much-changed F2 grid following the departures of Theo Pourchaire, Frederik Vesti, Jack Doohan and Ayumu Iwasa, who all finished inside the top four in 2023. So, without them, the championship picture is wide open with Maloney, Oliver Bearman and Victor Martins amongst the favourites to challenge. It is also worth paying attention to Mercedes protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is line to become Hamilton's replacement at the Silver Arrows should the 17-year-old showcase his potential in his rookie F2 campaign.

Formula 3

Next race: Bahrain: 29 February - 2 March, 2024

The 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year winner Luke Browning made a winning start to his second season in F3 by taking victory at the feature race in Bahrain. It was his maiden win in F3 after a disappointing rookie season which yielded just one podium. Given the top five drivers from last year's championship have all progressed to F2, it's left the championship picture wide open for 2024 where F3 will be an F1 support race on 10 weekends including Bahrain. 

World Endurance Championship 

Next race: Qatar 1812km: 29 February - 2 March, 2024

The 2024 World Endurance Championship season commenced on the same weekend as F1 with Qatar making its debut on the calendar. WEC drivers raced 1812km - 10-hour time limit - around Losail Circuit where Toyota arrived as the dominant force having won the past five championships, yet it was Porsche who took overall victory with both entrants from the Japanese manufacturer finishing off the podium. It should be an enthralling year for WEC as its hyperclass class has increased with the addition of Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini, while 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button is driving for Team Jota.

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Start action

F1 Academy

Next race: Jeddah Corniche Circuit: 7-9 March, 2024

F1 Academy kickstarts its second year with a debut visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a new era for the all-female single-seater championship. All 10 F1 teams will support an F1 Academy driver in 2024 with Alpine, for example, backing Abbi Pulling whose car - which is F4 spec - will be dressed in Alpine colours. F1 Academy will visit seven countries across three continents in 2024, but without its defending champion as Marta Garcia has moved to the Formula Regional European Championship - so who will be next to claim the crown? 

F1 Academy: Everything to know ahead of the 2024 season

MotoGP

Next race: Grand Prix of Qatar: 8-10 March, 2024

MotoGP is one of many racing championships starting in March 2024, with Francesco Bagnaia’s title defence beginning in Qatar. The Ducati rider has won the past two championships and is one of the favourites for the 2024 crown, however, his competition should be stern. Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has joined Gresini Racing thus ending his legendary partnership with Honda, while Enea Bastianini will hope to bounce back from his injury-plagued 2023 campaign and compete closer with team-mate Bagnaia.

IndyCar Series

Next race: Grand Prix of St Petersburg: 8-10 March, 2024

The 2024 IndyCar season commences on the same weekend as MotoGP with St Petersburg in Florida hosting the opening race for a third consecutive year. It is where Alex Palou will start his championship defence after driving a mega 2023 which resulted in a second IndyCar crown. However, the Chip Ganassi driver has never won the Grand Prix of St Petersburg as Palou’s former team-mate Marcus Ericsson had that honour in 2023, while the former F1 driver has joined Andretti for 2024.

Photo by: Josh Tons / Motorsport Images

Fireworks at Race Start

Super Formula

Next race: Suzuka: 8-10 March, 2024

Super Formula will be without its top two drivers from the 2023 championship. Winner Ritomo Miyata has moved to F2 while 2023 title challenger Liam Lawson is Red Bull’s reserve driver, however the Japanese open-wheel championship will still have big names from European racing in 2024. F2 champion Pourchaire is set for his debut, as is Iwasa who finished fourth in the 2023 F2 standings. Ex-F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi will also continue to race in Super Formula, with its season beginning at Suzuka in March ahead of a nine-round season consisting of Japan’s biggest circuits.

British GT

Next race: Oulton Park: 29 March - 1 April, 2024

British GT will be one of the first UK championships to start in 2024 with a round at Oulton Park across March and April. It will be the third consecutive year Oulton Park has hosted the season opener with the series then visiting United Kingdom’s four major tracks in 2024: Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Silverstone and Snetterton. However, in June British GT will also go overseas with a round at Spa-Francorchamps.

GT World Challenge Europe

Next race: Circuit Paul Ricard: 5-7 April, 2024

Circuit Paul Ricard will open the GT World Challenge Europe season for the first time as drivers face three hours around the French track. It is part of a 10-round calendar that finishes with a debut appearance of Saudi Arabia for the Six Hours of Jeddah, meaning it is the first time the championship will have visited a non-European venue. Raffaele Marciello has won the past two titles; however, it is understood that he’s set for a BMW hypercar drive in WEC this season so the 29-year-old’s forthcoming GT commitments are currently unknown.

Photo by: SRO

#51 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors Ferrari 296 GT3: Alessio Rovera, Robert Shwartzman, Nicklas Nielsen

European Le Mans Series

Next race: 4 Hours of Barcelona: 12-14 April, 2024

Many big names are set for a season in the European Le Mans Series, which commences its campaign in Barcelona for another year. Ex-F1 drivers Robert Kubica and Will Stevens are returning to the endurance series and will race against the likes of Gregoire Saucy, Oliver Jarvis and Clement Novalak. Meanwhile, Alex Lynn will defend his LMP2 crown alongside new team-mates as Olli Caldwell and Matthias Kaiser have joined Algarve Pro Racing. ELMS will visit six circuits in 2024 with all races being four hours long. 

DTM

Next race: Motorsport Arena Oschersleben: 27-28 April, 2024

Thomas Preining will commence his championship defence at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, which opens the DTM season for a second straight year. It was Preining’s maiden crown in Germany’s top touring car championship, however, this year he may have extra competition with the addition of three new manufacturers to DTM as McLaren, Aston Martin and Honda are all understood to be planning an entrance. DTM will visit eight circuits in 2024 which includes two overseas tracks with Zandvoort and the Red Bull Ring on the calendar.

British Touring Car Championship 

Next race: Donington Park: 27-28 April, 2024

Ashley Sutton will begin his defence of the British Touring Car Championship crown in Donington Park after a record-equalling 2023. Sutton won his fourth BTCC title, which meant he matched Colin Turkington and Andy Rouse for the series’ most drivers’ championships. The 2024 BTCC season will begin at the end of April, a month after British GT starts its year, before visiting nine other UK circuits.

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Start of the race, Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST leads

World Rallycross Championship

Next race: World RX of France: 8-9 June, 2024

The 2024 World Rallycross Championship calendar is yet to be announced, but the all-electric series tends to start later in the year. Portugal kickstarted its 2023 season in June, which was World RX’s earliest starting month since 2019 with Abu Dhabi in April. Regardless of the starting month, it is another championship dominated by Kristoffersson who has won the past four titles including six of the last seven.