The preview: This weekend’s motorsport action
For many, March marks the real start of the motorsport year.
Whilst we’ve already seen the seasons start for Formula E, WRC, Extreme E, and NASCAR in 2024, it’s in March where we really start having to block out our weekends in order to consume all of the racing action at hand.
Last weekend, Formula 1, and its support series Formula 2 and Formula 3 entered the fray in earnest in Bahrain, whilst WEC’s championship also started in the Middle East, as Porsche Penske took victory in the 963.
Things are only set to get busier from here on in, though, so rejoice, petrolheads, because March means motorsport. Here’s what to look out for this weekend:
Formula 1
The off-track stories are making more headlines than the on-track action at the moment in F1.
The saga around Christian Horner continues at Red Bull Racing, whilst Max Verstappen is being linked with a shock move to Mercedes, and an exodus at Alpine has taken place after their shocking start to the year.
Alongside that, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been the centre of allegations concerning meddling in last year’s Saudi result, and trying to prevent the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit from getting the safety approvals it needed to host last year’s race.
The paddock is in Saudi Arabia this weekend but, amid seemingly more Max dominance, focus may well again be off of the circuit.
Formula 2
Zane Maloney enjoyed the perfect start to the Formula 2 season, as the man from Barbados earned victory in both the Sprint and Feature races last time out.
He leads the championship at this early stage, then, but in F2 things tend to go towards the wire, and so he won’t be getting ahead of himself one jot.
F2 joins F1 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this weekend, then, but isn’t the only support series in town…
Formula 1 Academy
Alongside F2, Formula 1 Academy is also set to support the Grand Prix this weekend on the Red Sea coast as the first races of the new season take place.
F1 Academy is going to be on the agenda at seven Grand Prix weekends this year, giving it as much exposure as possible, and it’s going to be exciting to see which of the drivers in the all-female series shines brightest.
MotoGP
Keeping in the Middle East, MotoGP’s season gets underway this weekend as well, with the premier motor-cycle racing championship kicking off for a landmark campaign.
MotoGP is celebrating 75 years of racing this season, and the riders will be looking to mark the occasion with another thrilling year.
Pecco Bagnaia will be aiming to defend his title once more, whilst Jorge Martin will look to carry the fight to him once again. Enea Bastianini will be eager to remind us of his quality after an injury-hit 2023, whilst the likes of Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez will want to be back at the sharp end on bikes that their talent deserves.
Marquez is in particular of interest, given his big move from Honda to Gresini, and we’ll start getting some answers around the many sub-plots heading into this season in Qatar this weekend.
IndyCar
Another championship kicking off for 2024 this weekend is IndyCar, with the Grand Prix of St Petersburg. The series can boast to be one of the most competitive around, and comprises a mix of purpose-built circuits, road courses, and ovals.
Alex Palou goes into the season as the defending champion, with him winning his second title in 2023 with Chip Ganassi Racing.
NASCAR
The NASCAR season has already got up and running, with the iconic DAYTONA 500 starting proceedings back in February.
Since then, we’ve raced in Atlanta and Las Vegas, with the pack now heading to Phoenix.
Kyle Larson currently leads the standings, ahead of Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and William Byron – but it’s very early days yet.
MXGP
Finally, the MXGP season begins in Argentina this weekend. Jorge Prado took the title last season after a mammoth campaign, and will be determined to defend it from a packed field in 2024.
Featured image credit: F1 Academy
