2023 Formula One World Championship

74th Formula One season
2023 FIA Formula One
World Championship
Drivers' Champion: Max Verstappen
Constructors' Champion: Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Previous: 2022 Next: 2024
Support series:
Formula 2 Championship
FIA Formula 3 Championship

The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship is a planned motor racing championship for Formula One cars. This will be the 74th running of the Formula One World Championship.[a]

Drivers and teams are scheduled to compete for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively. The season was dominated by defending champion Max Verstappen, who cruised to his third consecutive Drivers' Championship title at the Qatar Grand Prix, winning a record 19 out of 22 Grands Prix held and finishing on the podium 21 times (also a record number for most podiums in a season) by the end of the championship. His team, Red Bull Racing achieved their sixth Constructors' Championship title, the second consecutively, at the preceding Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing won 21 out of 22 Grands Prix, breaking the team record for highest percentage of Grand Prix wins in a season at 95.45%, beating McLaren's 1988 season. Verstappen also broke the record for the highest Grand Prix win percentage for drivers, with a win rate percentage of 86.36%, beating the previous record set by Alberto Ascari in 1952.

Entries change

The following constructors and drivers are under contract to compete in the 2023 World Championship. All teams are due to compete with tyres supplied by Pirelli.

Teams and drivers that are contracted to compete in the 2023 World Championship
Entrant Constructor Chassis Power unit Race drivers
No. Driver name
  Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C43 Ferrari 24   Zhou Guanyu
77   Valtteri Bottas[1]
  Scuderia AlphaTauri AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT AT04 Red Bull[2][3] 3   Daniel Ricciardo
21   Nyck de Vries
22   Yuki Tsunoda
40   Liam Lawson
  BWT Alpine F1 Team Alpine-Renault A523 Renault 31   Esteban Ocon[4]
10   Pierre Gasly
   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes AMR23 Mercedes 14   Fernando Alonso[5]
18   Lance Stroll
  Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari SF-23 Ferrari 16   Charles Leclerc[6]
55   Carlos Sainz Jr.
  MoneyGram Haas F1 Team Haas-Ferrari VF-23 Ferrari[7] 20   Kevin Magnussen
27   Nico Hülkenberg
  McLaren F1 Team McLaren-Mercedes MCL60 Mercedes 4   Lando Norris
81   Oscar Piastri
  Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 W14 Mercedes 44   Lewis Hamilton
63   George Russell[8]
  Oracle Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT RB19 Red Bull[2][3] 1   Max Verstappen
11   Sergio Pérez[9]
  Williams Racing Williams-Mercedes FW45 Mercedes[10] 2   Logan Sargeant
23   Alexander Albon
Source:

Honda returned as a named engine supplier to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, with both teams' engines badged as Honda RBPT While Red Bull Powertrains had planned to take over assembly and maintenance of the engines from this season onwards, it was later agreed that Honda would continue its technical support of Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri until the end of 2025.

Driver changes change

Oscar Piastri (left), Nyck de Vries (centre) and Logan Sargeant (right) made their Formula One season debuts with McLaren, AlphaTauri and Williams, respectively.

Sebastian Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 championship ending his Formula One career after 16 seasons. His place at Aston Martin was taken by Fernando Alonso, who left Alpine after two seasons. His replacement was initially announced as the 2021 Formula 2 Champion and reserve driver Oscar Piastri. Shortly after the announcement, Piastri stated that he had not signed a contract for 2023 and that he would not be driving for Alpine. Pierre Gasly, who had a contract to drive for AlphaTauri, moved to Alpine, replacing Alonso. Gasly was replaced by the 2020–21 Formula E and 2019 Formula 2 Champion Nyck de Vries.

Daniel Ricciardo left McLaren after two seasons. He had a contract to drive for the team in 2023, but it was terminated during the 2022 championship by mutual agreement. Ricciardo's seat was filled by Piastri, who made his Formula One debut. Ricciardo then proceeded to become a reserve driver for Red Bull.

Nicholas Latifi left Williams after spending three seasons with the team. His seat was filled by Logan Sargeant, who made his Formula One debut by graduating from Formula 2 and became the first American Formula One driver to compete since Alexander Rossi in 2015 with former team Marussia and the first to compete full-time since Scott Speed in 2006 with former team Toro Rosso.

Mick Schumacher is left Haas after two seasons. His seat was filled by Nico Hülkenberg who last competed in Formula One as a full-time race driver in 2022 with former team Aston Martin.

Mid-season changes change

Daniel Ricciardo (left) and debutant Liam Lawson (right) drove for AlphaTauri after Nyck de Vries' departure.

Nyck de Vries was relieved of his driving duties for AlphaTauri after underperforming in the first ten races of his rookie season. His seat will be filled by Daniel Ricciardo from the Hungarian Grand Prix. Ricciardo had raced with the team, which at the time was called Toro Rosso, in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. However, during the Dutch Grand Prix, only his third race of the season, Ricciardo broke a metacarpal bone in his left hand in a crash during the second practice session.

As a result, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri's reserve driver Liam Lawson made his Formula One debut at the race. Lawson continued to substitute in for Ricciardo at the Italian, Singapore, Japanese and Qatar Grand Prix Ricciardo is set to return for the Unites States.

Calendar change

The 2023 calendar was due to feature twenty-three Grands Prix, but will have twenty-two instead because the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix being called off due to severe weather issues.[11]

Round Grand Prix Circuit Race date
1 Bahrain Grand Prix   Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir 5 March
2 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix   Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah 19 March
3 Australian Grand Prix   Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne 2 April
4 Azerbaijan Grand Prix   Baku City Circuit, Baku 30 April
5 Miami Grand Prix   Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens, Florida 7 May
6 Monaco Grand Prix   Circuit de Monaco, Monaco 28 May
7 Spanish Grand Prix   Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló 4 June
8 Canadian Grand Prix   Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal 18 June
9 Austrian Grand Prix   Red Bull Ring, Spielberg 2 July
10 British Grand Prix   Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone 9 July
11 Hungarian Grand Prix   Hungaroring, Mogyoród 23 July
12 Belgian Grand Prix   Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot 30 July
13 Dutch Grand Prix   Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort 27 August
14 Italian Grand Prix   Monza Circuit, Monza 3 September
15 Singapore Grand Prix   Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore 17 September
16 Japanese Grand Prix   Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka 24 September
17 Qatar Grand Prix   Lusail International Circuit, Lusail 8 October
18 United States Grand Prix   Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas 22 October
19 Mexico City Grand Prix   Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City 29 October
20 São Paulo Grand Prix   Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo 5 November
21 Las Vegas Grand Prix   Las Vegas Street Circuit, Las Vegas[b] 18 November
22 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix   Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi 26 November

Calendar expansion and changes change

The Chinese and Qatar Grands Prix are scheduled to return to the calendar, after last being held in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

The Qatar Grand Prix, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, were initially planned to be moved to new, purpose-built circuits, before being retained in Lusail and Jeddah, respectively.[12][13][11]

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is due to make its debut, with the race planned to be held in November on a new street track across the Las Vegas Strip. It will be the first Grand Prix which will be held in Las Vegas since the 1982 season with the Caesars Palace Grand Prix and the third race in the calendar to be held in the United States for the first time since the same season.[14][15]

The Russian Grand Prix was under contract to feature on the 2023 calendar. It was originally meant to switch its venue from the Sochi Autodrom to Igora Drive, located on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.[16] However, the Grand Prix had its contract terminated in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[17]

The French Grand Prix will not feature on the 2023 calendar although the promoters of the Grand Prix stated that they would aim for a rotational race deal by sharing its slot with other Grands Prix. The Grand Prix will return in 2025 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans in 11-years contract.[18]

The Chinese Grand Prix was initially due to be part of the calendar after last being held in 2019,[11] but it was cancelled for the fourth consecutive year due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The Grand Prix will not be replaced and is expected to return for the 2024 season.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place on 21 May as the sixth round of the championship, was cancelled on 17 May due to flooding in the area.

List of planned races change

The following 19 Grands Prix are contracted to form a part of the 2023 World Championship:

Grand Prix Circuit Ref.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix   Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi [19]
Azerbaijan Grand Prix   Baku City Circuit, Baku [20]
Bahrain Grand Prix   Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir [21]
Belgian Grand Prix   Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot [22]
British Grand Prix   Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone [23]
Canadian Grand Prix   Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal [24]
Dutch Grand Prix   Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort [25]
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix   Imola Circuit, Imola [26]
Hungarian Grand Prix   Hungaroring, Mogyoród or TBA, Debrecen [27]
Italian Grand Prix   Monza Circuit, Monza [28]
Japanese Grand Prix   Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka [29]
Las Vegas Grand Prix   Las Vegas Street Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada [30]
Miami Grand Prix   Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens, Florida [31]
Qatar Grand Prix   TBC [32]
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix   TBC [33][34]
São Paulo Grand Prix   Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo [35]
Singapore Grand Prix   Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore [36]
Spanish Grand Prix   Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló [37]
United States Grand Prix   Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas [38]

The following 3 Grands Prix are under contract to run in 2022, but do not have a contract for 2023:

Grand Prix Circuit Ref.
Austrian Grand Prix   Red Bull Ring, Spielberg [39]
Mexico City Grand Prix   Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City [40]
Monaco Grand Prix   Circuit de Monaco, Monaco [41]

Calendar expansion and changes change

  • In late March of 2022, the Las Vegas Grand Prix was officially announced. This third race in the US, planned to be held in November, will be staged on a new street track across the Las Vegas Strip.[42]
  • The Qatar Grands Prix are scheduled to return to the calendar, after last being held in 2021, respectively.
  • The Russian Grand Prix was under contract to feature on the 2023 calendar. It was originally meant to switch its venue from the Sochi Autodrom to Igora Drive, located on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.[43] However, the Grand Prix had its contract terminated in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[44]
  • The Chinese Grand Prix was under contract to feature on the 2023 calendar. It was originally meant to change the layout venue of turn 9 from the Shanghai International Circuit, but was not included due to Chinese travel restrictions related to the Zero-COVID. The Grand Prix is due to return in the 2024 championship.
  • For the first time since 2007, Bahrain will not host the opening round by Bahrain Motor Federation for numbers of reasons. However, Abu Dhabi will not host the closing rounds by mutual agreement.
  • The French Grand Prix will not feature on the 2023 calendar although the promoters of the Grand Prix stated that they would aim for a rotational race deal by sharing its slot with other Grands Prix. The Grand Prix will return in 2025 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans in 11-years contract.

Results change

Notes change

  1. In the history of Formula One, regulations were first introduced during the 1946 Grand Prix season. These were adopted for every race in 1948, and were formally organised into a championship in 1950.
  2. The Las Vegas Street Circuit is subject to the FIA circuit homologation.[11]

References change

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  2. 2.0 2.1 "Red Bull agree deal to run Honda engine technology until 2025". Formula1.com. 15 February 2021. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Smith, Luke (3 July 2021). "Honda's Sakura facility will supply Red Bull F1 engines in 2022". Autosport. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  4. "Esteban Ocon signs bumper three-year contract extension with Alpine". Formula1.com. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. "Fernando Alonso to join Aston Martin F1 in 2023".
  6. Elizalde, Pablo (23 December 2019). "Charles Leclerc's Ferrari F1 deal extended until end of 2024 season". Autosport. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  7. Grandprix.com. "Haas to stick with Ferrari amid engine crisis". grandprix.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  8. "George Russell signs for Mercedes: British driver to join Lewis Hamilton for 2022 Formula 1 season". Sky Sports. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  9. Filip, Cleeren (31 May 2022). "Perez signs two-year extension to Red Bull F1 contract". motorsport.com. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  10. Horton, Phillip (13 September 2019). "Williams extends Mercedes F1 power unit deal through 2025". MotorSport Week. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "F1 announces 24-race calendar for 2023". Formula1.com. 20 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
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  13. "Qatar to join F1 calendar in 2021, as country signs additional 10-year deal from 2023". f1.com. 30 September 2021. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  14. Benson, Andrew (31 March 2022). "Formula 1: Las Vegas to host grand prix from 2023 - third yearly race in United States". BBC.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
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  28. "F1 News:Italian GP deal extended by an extra year to 2025". Autosport. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  29. "Suzuka granted new contract until 2024". Suzuka Official Website. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  30. "Las Vegas to host Formula 1 night race from 2023". f1.com. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  31. "Miami Grand Prix to join F1 calendar in 2022, with exciting new circuit planned". www.f1.com. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
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  33. "F1 adds Saudi Arabian Grand Prix night race to 2021 calendar". F1. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  34. Bashraheel, Aseel (29 October 2020). "Racing in the streets: Jeddah to host first Saudi F1 Grand Prix". Arab News. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  35. "Sao Paulo's Interlagos Circuit to host Brazilian Grand Prix until 2025". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
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  41. Larkam, Lewis (23 September 2021). "Monaco GP F1 race weekend format to change in 2022". Crash. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
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Other websites change