37,000 witnessed Max Verstappen’s victory at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, a new single-day record for the largest attendance in Bahrain International Circuit’s history.
Max Verstappen dominated proceedings at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, winning the season-opening race by the largest margin ever seen at Bahrain International Circuit. Verstappen’s 55th career victory was witnessed by 37,000 fans – a new record single day crowd for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend – which ran on a Thursday to Saturday schedule – attracted a total weekend attendance of 100,000, making it the best-attended race weekend at the track since 2010.
The F1 action was supported on-track by the season-opening races of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships, plus additional races from the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East. Off track, international DJs Zedd and Diplo provided the nightly concerts.
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Celebrates Event’s 20th Anniversary
The 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix was the 20th running of the event, with race organisers hosting a number of special events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Formula 1 race in the Middle East.
Speaking about the record-breaking attendance figure, Arif Rahimi, Chairman of Bahrain International Circuit reflected on the anniversary event:
“The race weekend has offered a fitting tribute to our 20 years in Formula 1. Our record attendance yet again shows the popularity of the sport in Bahrain, the region and beyond and offers us great confidence that we can continue to develop the event well into the future. I offer my thanks to Formula 1 and the FIA for their partnership and support in delivering an incredible weekend of racing. I also thank the teams, The Bahrain Motor Federation, marshals and all those who enable us to put on such an incredible show for fans around the world.”
In early 2022, Bahrain Grand Prix organisers signed one of the longest contract extensions in F1 history, with their event now set to remain on the calendar until at least 2036. Over the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, ticket sales opened for the 2025 race. Due to the timing of Ramadan, which gets progressively earlier each year, the Bahrain Grand Prix is not expected to retain its slot as the season-opening event next year.
Coronavirus-impacted seasons aside, attendance figures at the Bahrain Grand Prix have grown year-on-year since 2012. While 2024's 37,000 is a race day record at Bahrain International Circuit, weekend attendance figures have hit 100,000 twice previously: in 2008 and 2010. FOM initially announced a weekend attendance of 100,000 for the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix but, in the end of year report, this was later rectified to only 93,000.
Capacity at Bahrain International Circuit is 70,000, though grandstand capacity is believed to be just under 50,000, with a number of grandstands having been expanded due to demand in recent years. General Admission tickets were not available for the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Along with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Bahrain Grand Prix usually has one of the lowest weekend attendance figures of the season.
Attendances Grew By 5% in 2023 F1 Season
Last month, Liberty Media confirmed a record total attendance of 6 million across the 22 race weekends held during the 2023 Formula 1 season. Last December, we estimated that attendances at F1 races in 2023 surpassed the 6 million mark. It represented a year-on-year attendance growth of 5% compared to 2022, when 5.7 million attended the 22 races staged that year.
Given the relatively uninspiring season-opening event and Red Bull’s continued domination of the sport, it’s possible that Formula 1 attendance figures will fall at some races in 2024. Ticket sales for some 2024 races have not been as strong as in previous years. The fact that there will be 24 races on this year’s calendar compared to last year’s 22 may help the overall attendance figure to remain stable.
Tickets for almost all races in the 2024 Formula 1 season are already on sale, with the exception of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The season continues next weekend with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which will also run on a Thursday to Saturday schedule.
