In the first season-opener to be held on a Saturday since 1982, will Verstappen continue his winning streak from the end of last year? Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix!
THE 2024 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX MILESTONES
The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the 1,102nd World Championship event in Formula 1 history.
This will be the 21st time that Formula 1 has raced in Bahrain. It will be the 21st Grand Prix held at Bahrain International Circuit. The venue has hosted the Bahrain Grand Prix 19 times so far, plus the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020. It becomes the 17th track to have hosted more than 20 World Championship events.
This will be the 20th Bahrain Grand Prix since the event was first held in 2004.
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will make their 17th appearances at Bahrain International Circuit at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. That will see them equal Kimi Raikkonen’s record for the most starts of any driver at the track.
March 2 is the earliest date in the year on which the first race of the Formula 1 season has taken place since 1992, when the South African Grand Prix was held on March 1.
The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix marks the first time that the first race of the Formula 1 season takes place on a day other than Sunday since 1982, when the season-opening South African Grand Prix was held on a Saturday. It’s the first time that the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on a Saturday.
In total, this will be the 75th round of the World Championship not to take place on a Sunday.
Alex Albon will make his 83rd start in car number 23 at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. That sees him equal Pierluigi Martini for the most starts in car 23.
Race day at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix marks 16 years, 11 months and 13 days since Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 debut at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix. He will therefore overtake Graham Hill as the British driver with the second-longest Formula 1 career, second only to Jenson Button.
The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first ever World Championship race held on March 2. It leaves August 20 as the only date in the year between March 1 and September 28 on which a World Championship race has never taken place.
Race day at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix marks 97 days since the last race, the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That makes the off-season the shortest F1 winter break since the break between the 1977 and 1978 seasons, which lasted 84 days. The off-season between the 2023 and 2024 seasons is the eighth shortest in F1 history.
ANOTHER RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR VERSTAPPEN?
Will Max Verstappen pick up where he left off in 2023? Verstappen won all of the last seven races last season and a victory at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix will see him record an eighth successive win. Only two drivers in F1 history have recorded as many as eight consecutive wins: Sebastian Vettel in 2013 and Verstappen himself last year.
At the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen joined Fernando Alonso as only the second driver to have won races from nine different grid positions. Either driver could become the first to win from ten different grid positions, while Lewis Hamilton could equal the existing record.
A victory for Max Verstappen at any race in 2024 would make him the ninth driver to have won in as many as nine different Formula 1 seasons – and the fifth to have won in nine consecutive Formula 1 seasons, after Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
If Max Verstappen leads every lap of the race, it would be the 13th race which he has led from start to finish. That would see him equal Jim Clark for fourth in the list of most races led from start to end.
Pole position for Max Verstappen would see him overtake Nigel Mansell and equal Jim Clark and Alain Prost for fifth in Formula 1’s all-time list of most pole positions.
MORE RECORDS FOR RED BULL?
A victory for Red Bull would see them equal Williams for fourth in the list of most Grands Prix won by a team in Formula 1 history.
A victory for Red Bull at any race in 2024 would make them the fifth team – after Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Lotus – to have won in 15 different Formula 1 seasons.
A win for Red Bull would make this the eighth time that a team has taken victory in nine consecutive Formula 1 seasons.
If Red Bull lead a lap, it would be the fifth time that a team has led laps in 18 consecutive seasons. Ferrari and McLaren are the only other teams to have done so.
CAN LECLERC CONVERT A POLE TO A WIN?
A pole position for Charles Leclerc would see him overtake Niki Lauda as the driver to have taken the second-most pole positions with Ferrari. Only Michael Schumacher has taken more poles at Ferrari than Lauda and Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc has failed to convert all of his last 12 pole positions into wins. Should he take pole and fail to win again at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, he would equal the record for most successive poles without a win. Rene Arnoux currently holds the record, having failed to convert any of the first 13 poles of his career into victories.
If Charles Leclerc takes pole position and fails to win, it would be the 20th time that he has done so in his Formula 1 career. That would see him overtake Nelson Piquet for fifth in the list of most failed pole to win conversions.
LONGEVITY RECORDS FOR HAMILTON AND ALONSO
A victory for Lewis Hamilton at any race in 2024 would see him overtake Michael Schumacher as the driver to have won at least one race in the most Formula 1 seasons. Both Schumacher and Hamilton have won races in 15 different Formula 1 seasons.
A points finish for Lewis Hamilton would see him become the first driver in Formula 1 history to score a point in 18 consecutive seasons. Having scored a point in every season since his debut in 2007, Hamilton currently shares the record with Jenson Button for most consecutive seasons in which a driver has scored. Button scored in all 17 seasons between 2000 and 2016.
If he completes 51 laps of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton will become only the second driver – after Fernando Alonso – to have have raced 19,000 laps in his Formula 1 career.
A podium finish for Lewis Hamilton at any race in 2024 would make him the third oldest British driver to finish on the Formula 1 podium. He currently sits fourth in the list, behind Nigel Mansell, Graham Hill and Reg Parnell.
A Fastest Lap for Lewis Hamilton would make him the first driver to have set a Fastest Lap in 17 Formula 1 seasons. A Fastest Lap would also see Hamilton equal Schumacher’s record for most consecutive seasons in which a driver has set the Fastest Lap in a Grand Prix. Schumacher set at least one Fastest Lap in all 15 seasons between 1992 and 2006, while Hamilton has set a Fastest Lap every year since 2010.
A Fastest Lap for Lewis Hamilton would see him set a new record for most Fastest Laps with a single team. He is currently tied with Michael Schumacher, having set 53 Fastest Laps with Mercedes. Schumacher took 53 Fastest Laps with Ferrari during his tenure at the team.
A win for Fernando Alonso at any Grand Prix in 2024 would make him the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since Jack Brabham at the 1970 South African Grand Prix.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso would see him overtake Alain Prost as the driver to have taken the fourth-most podiums in Formula 1 history.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso would make him the third driver – after Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to record podium finishes in 15 different Formula 1 seasons.
Pole position at any race for Fernando Alonso in 2024 would make him the oldest polesitter since Jack Brabham at the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix.
A points finish for Fernando Alonso would make him the first driver in history to have scored a point in 20 different Formula 1 seasons.
If Fernando Alonso leads a lap of any race in 2024, he would become the first driver to have led Formula 1 races over a period longer than 20 years. Alonso first led a Grand Prix in Malaysia in 2003. He most recently led at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, just a week short of the 20th anniversary of him leading a lap for the first time in Formula 1.
THE OTHER FORMULA 1 RECORDS WHICH COULD BE BROKEN
A second or third place finish for Lando Norris would see him overtake Nick Heidfeld as the driver with the most podium finishes to have never won a Grand Prix.
A points finish for Nico Hulkenberg would make him the 19th driver to score points at 100 Grand Prix weekends.
If Nico Hulkenberg scores a point, it would make 2024 the 34th consecutive year in which a German driver has scored a point. That would see Germany overtake France for third in the list of most consecutive seasons in which a nation has scored points.
A points finish for a French driver would make 2024 the 70th season in which a French driver has scored. Only two other nations have scored points in 70 seasons: Britain and Germany.
Pole position for a Ferrari driver would mark the 250th pole position for a Ferrari car in Formula 1 history.
A 1-2 finish for Mercedes would make them the second team, after Ferrari, to record 60 1-2 finishes in Formula 1. Ferrari reached the milestone at the 2002 United States Grand Prix.
A podium finish for a Mercedes-powered car would make 2024 the 30th consecutive season in which Mercedes power has recorded a podium finish.
A points finish for Logan Sargeant would make the United States the 12th country to score 1,000 points in World Championship history.
A front row start for Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix would make this the 100th Grand Prix at which an Australian driver has lined up on the front row of the grid.
THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX RECORDS TO BREAK
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most victories at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with five. He could extend the record to six at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Victory for Max Verstappen would make this the seventh time that a driver has taken consecutive wins in Bahrain. Lewis Hamilton, in 2019 and 2020, was the last driver to do so.
A different driver has won each of the last four races at Bahrain International Circuit. A victory for someone other than Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen would make this the first time that there has been five successive different winners at the track.
Ferrari have always held the record for most wins at the Bahrain Grand Prix since the event was first held in 2004. Their current tally of seven wins at the event could be equalled by Mercedes this weekend.
Mercedes and Ferrari are currently tied as the most successful engine manufacturers at Bahrain International Circuit, with seven victories apiece. Either manufacturer could set a new record at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ferrari and Mercedes are also currently tied for most podiums at Bahrain International Circuit. Either team could set a new outright record.
Nico Rosberg’s record of three Fastest Laps in Bahrain could be equalled this weekend by either Valtteri Bottas or Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes and Ferrari are tied as the teams with the most Fastest Laps in Bahrain. Either team could set a new outright record at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, while Ferrari could equal Mercedes as the engine manufacturer with the most Fastest Laps at the track.
Lewis Hamilton could set a new record for most laps led in Bahrain at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel currently holds the record, having led 237 laps here. Hamilton will overtake Vettel’s record if he leads 24 laps of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen currently holds the record for the most laps raced at Bahrain International Circuit, having completed 925 laps at the track. Both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso could overtake Raikkonen’s tally at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton needs to race 24 laps to do so, while Alonso needs to race 52 laps to overtake Raikkonen’s total.
German and British drivers are currently tied for the most wins in Bahrain, with six apiece. Either nation could set a new record at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Britain has the most podiums of any nation in Bahrain, with 13. Their record could be extended this weekend – or equalled by Finland.
Lewis Hamilton currently holds the record for most Bahrain Grand Prix finishes, having reached the chequered flag on 16 occasions. He could extend the record to 17 at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, or his existing record could be equalled by Fernando Alonso.
A DNF for Oscar Piastri would make him the third driver – after Jacques Villeneuve, Bruno Senna and Carlos Sainz – to retire from both of his first two Bahrain Grand Prix appearances.
A retirement for Max Verstappen at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix would see him equal Jenson Button’s unwanted record of six DNFs in Bahrain. It’s not the record for most non-finishes, however, as Button recorded a DNS at the track in addition to his six retirements.
A first lap retirement for Max Verstappen or Charles Leclerc would make them the first driver to record multiple first lap retirements in Bahrain.
2024 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING RECORDS
Lewis Hamilton currently shares the record for most poles in Bahrain with Sebastian Vettel. Their shared record of three poles in the country could be equalled at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix by Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc or Max Verstappen.
Pole position for Max Verstappen would make him the fourth driver – after Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton – to secure consecutive poles in Bahrain.
Mercedes currently hold the record for most pole positions at Bahrain International Circuit, with seven. Ferrari could equal their record at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Similarly, Ferrari could equal Mercedes as the engine manufacturer with the most poles in Bahrain.
A front row lock-out for Ferrari at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix would see them equal Mercedes’ record of five front row lock-outs at Bahrain International Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton currently holds a 100% Q3 appearance rate at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He’ll be hoping to maintain that and stay in a group of only four drivers – the others being Christian Klien, Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul di Resta – with a 100% Q3 appearance rate at the circuit.
A Q2 exit for Alex Albon or Nico Hulkenberg would see them equal Sergio Perez’s record of five Q1 eliminations in Bahrain. Perez could extend the record to six.