Formula 1 season kicks off Saturday with Bahrain Grand Prix on TSN
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The Formula 1 season gets underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix beginning on Friday.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will be going for his third straight world championship and his fourth of his career beginning in Bahrain.
The 26-year-old set a Formula 1 record last season by winning 19 of the 22 races en route to the championship, breaking his previous record of 15 set in 2022.
Red Bull, as a team, won 21 of the 22 races last season for a win rate of 95.45 per cent, the highest in F1 history.
Fans will also get their last look at star driver Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel for Mercedes after he announced he will be leaving for Ferrari at the conclusion of the season..
The 39-year-old shocked the racing world when he announced he'll be ending his 12-season career with Mercedes, where he won six of his seven world championships.
“I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old,” Hamilton said in a statement on Feb 1. “It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge.”
Hamilton has a record 103 total victories in his career, but he has not won a race since the 2021 season.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll is the lone Canadian on the circuit, entering his eighth season in F1.
Stroll became the second youngest driver to finish in a podium position, behind Verstappen, when he finished in third place at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He reached the podium two more times in his career, finishing in third place at the Italian Grand Prix and Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020.
How to watch 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
All three practice sessions for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix can be viewed on Thursday with a subscription to TSN+ beginning at 6:20 a.m. ET/3:20 a.m. P
2024 Formula 1 Qualifying: Bahrain Grand Prix
When: Friday, March 1
Time: 10:10 a.m. ET/7:10 a.m. PT
Where to watch: TSN5, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.
2024 Formula 1: Bahrain Grand Prix
When: Saturday, March 2
Time: 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT
Where to watch: TSN1/5, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.