Bahrain's position as the 2024 season opener followed its use in that role in 2021 and 2023. The event was notable for scheduling reasons: to ensure the required week-long interval between consecutive races, the Bahrain Grand Prix was held on a Saturday rather than the traditional Sunday, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix scheduled to follow the weekend after. The Saudi event had been moved earlier in the year to avoid a conflict with the Ramadan period.
The race weekend coincided with the event's twentieth anniversary. The Bahrain International Circuit, measuring 5.412 kilometres and featuring 15 turns, was designed by Hermann Tilke and built on a sandy desert plot outside Sakhir. It has been run as a night race under floodlights since 2014.
Three practice sessions took place across 29 February and 1 March. Daniel Ricciardo of RB topped the opening session. Lewis Hamilton led the second session for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari set the fastest time in the final practice session.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing took pole position during qualifying on 1 March.
In the 57-lap race, Verstappen led from the opening lap to the chequered flag, converting pole position into a commanding victory and adding the fastest lap to complete a grand chelem — the fourth time a driver had achieved the feat in Bahrain after Michael Schumacher (2004), Lewis Hamilton (2019), and Charles Leclerc (2022). Teammate Sergio Pérez followed him home in second place, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. completing the podium in third.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth despite managing brake problems throughout the race. Both Mercedes drivers encountered technical difficulties: George Russell finished fifth with engine cooling issues while Lewis Hamilton placed seventh due to an ERS battery problem. McLaren's Lando Norris finished sixth and Oscar Piastri eighth.
A historically notable aspect of the race was that it concluded with no retirements — the first season-opening grand prix in Formula One history to be completed without a single car failing to finish.
The result reinforced Red Bull Racing's position as the dominant force entering the 2024 season, with Verstappen extending the form that had carried him to the previous two World Championship titles. The Bahrain opener has historically served as one of the clearest early indicators of the competitive order for the season ahead, with the circuit's abrasive surface and heavy traction zones placing particular demands on tyre management and power unit reliability — both areas where Red Bull had demonstrated clear strengths through 2022 and 2023.