Drivers, tracks, broadcasts… everything you need to know about the new season that starts this weekend

At the moment, the indications given during the winter testing (held from February 23 to 25 in Bahrain) aimed at improving the final pre-season adjustments have made Red Bull position themselves as favourites. But in the face of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who hopes to win the eighth world title, Frenchman Pierre Gasly recently arrived in the Alps or Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) are among the big favorites who could thwart the defending champion. While the cars are practically the same as in 2022, the 10 teams competing have seen a lot of action since last season.

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Only four teams have retained the same pair of drivers (Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo) for the 2023 Formula 1 season, which will see the arrival of three new faces on the grid. Among them, Dutchman Nyck de Vries, Formula E (electric) world champion in 2021, joined the ranks of AlphaTauri and found Japanese Yuki Tsunoda.

On the McLaren side, Australian Oscar Piastri, Formula 2 world champion in 2021, is taking his first steps in Formula 1 and will be linked with Briton Lando Norris while American Logan Sargeant, also a new “rookie” in the discipline and fourth in Formula 2 in 2022, will take his place to Tye Alexander Albon side at Williams. For his part, Frenchman Pierre Gasly arrived in the Alps in place of the expected Spaniard Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin. Finally, German Nico Hulkenberg returns to Formula 1 with Haas.

Starting grid for the 2023 Formula 1 season:

Red Bull with Dutchman Max Verstappen and Mexican Sergio Perez
Ferrari with Monaco Charles Leclerc and Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr
Mercedes with Briton Lewis Hamilton and compatriot George Russell
– Alfa Romeo with Finn Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese in Formula 1
McLaren with Australian Oscar Piastri and Britain’s Lando Norris
Williams with American Logan Sargeant and Thai Alexander Albon
Alpha Toure with Dutchman Nick de Vries and Japanese Yuki Tsunoda
Alpine with Frenchman Esteban Ocon and his compatriot Pierre Gasly
– Aston Martin with Spain’s Fernando Alonso and Canadian Lance Stroll
Haas with Danish Kevin Magnussen and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg

24 races, a record

This year, the Formula 1 season has brought a record 23 Grand Prix races in eight months. A frantic pace can end up weighing on teams, forcing a realignment. The Concorde Agreements, in effect through 2025, set the limit at 24 races per season. The current calendar has two “triple heads” (three GPs in three weeks) and six “consecutive” (two GPs in two weeks).

Formula 1 World Championship 2023 schedule:

Sunday March 5th at 4pm: Bahrain Grand Championship (Sakhir)
Sunday March 19th at 6pm: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix (Jeddah)
Sunday, April 2, 7am: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
Sunday, April 30, 2pm: Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)
Sunday, May 7th at 9:30pm: Miami GP
Sunday May 21st 3pm: Emilia-Romagna GP (Imola, Italy)
Sunday May 28th 3pm: Monaco GP
Sunday, June 4, 3pm: Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
Sunday, June 18th at 8pm: Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
Sunday July 2nd at 3pm: Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg)
Sunday 9 July 4pm: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
Sunday, July 23, 3pm: Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
Sunday 30 July 3pm: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)
Sunday August 27th 3pm: Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort)
Sunday, September 3rd at 3pm: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
Sunday, September 17th at 2pm: Singapore Grand Prix
Sunday, September 24, 7 a.m.: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
Sunday 8th October 3pm: Qatar GP (Losail)
Sunday, October 22nd, 9pm: United States Grand Prix (Austin)
Sunday, October 29, 8pm: Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City)
Sunday, November 5, 7pm: Brazilian Grand Prix (Sao Paulo)
Saturday, November 18th at 7 a.m.: Las Vegas GP
Sunday 26th November 2pm: Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)

TV: Where to watch the 2023 F1 season?

Canal + is the only Formula 1 broadcaster in France and will remain so until at least 2029 (the expiration date of the contract with the system). Thus, free training, qualifying and races are broadcasted on the group’s channels. In parallel, four major awards will be broadcast without encryption, starting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the second stage of the season. Jacques Villeneuve will provide commentary alongside Romain Grosjean and Julien Vibro.

Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen celebrates winning the world championship with his team after winning the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on October 9, 2022.

France Press agency

Records to break this season

Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), seven-time world champion, and Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), double title holder, hold several Formula 1 records. But this year, some drivers can throw off new ones… Here are some Records that could be broken this season:

Hamilton and Schumacher are both title winners Number of victories in the same Grand Prix or in the same circuit (8). The Briton won eight times at Silverstone (Great Britain) and in Hungary (Hungary), like Schumacher at Magny-Cours (France).

– Lewis Hamilton since 2020 is Participate in address registration He tied Germany’s Michael Schumacher, seven-time winner between 1994 and 2004.

– Michael Schumacher holds Score a hat-trick (22). In other words, he is the only one who has won the race 22 times after finishing first and setting the fastest race lap during the same Grand Prix. For his part, Lewis Hamilton has achieved this feat 19 times.

– Michael Schumacher holds The record for the fastest laps in a race (77).

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