Formula 1's 'Regionalized' 2024 Calendar Isn't Very Regional

Photo: Clive Rose (Getty Images)

Earlier today, Formula 1 announced its 2024 calendar, which is particularly notable thank to the fact that the series is claiming that it is a “regionalized” calendar. Basically, that means all races in, say, Europe should take place in a cluster, while the races in Asia take place in a different cluster, all to reduce emissions. But I’ll be honest — I’m not seeing a ton of regionalization.

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F1 2024 Calendar

March 2: BahrainMarch 9: Saudi ArabiaMarch 24: AustraliaApril 7: JapanApril 21: ChinaMay 5: MiamiMay 19: Emilia RomagnaMay 26: MonacoJune 9: CanadaJune 23: SpainJune 30: AustriaJuly 7: United KingdomJuly 21: HungaryJuly 28: BelgiumAugust 25: NetherlandsSeptember 1: ItalySeptember 15: AzerbaijanSeptember 22: SingaporeOctober 20: USAOctober 27: MexicoNovember 3: BrazilNovember 23: Las VegasDecember 1: QatarDecember 8: Abu Dhabi

Well. In terms of regionalization, I guess there’s some. The Japanese Grand Prix, for example, has finally been moved out of typhoon season and will take place in April instead of September or October; that also places it just after Australia and before the alleged return of China, therefore achieving a certain amount of regional focus.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said in a release that “We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the traveling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport.”

Which is a nice sentiment. But I’m still looking at that May/June stretch that takes the F1 circus from North America to Europe and then back to North America. I’m also seeing Singapore take place pretty much in a bubble, between Azerbaijan and the United States, when it would probably fit a little more reasonably into that early season swing.

The decision to get regional is an interesting one from a global sport. Designing a motorsport calendar comes with a lot of pressure regarding local logistics, climate, travel distance, visa requirements, market oversaturation, and more — so it does make sense why some races still stick out of the schedule’s general location trend like sore thumbs. Whether or not that works for the sport, though, remains to be seen.