World Motor Sport Council approved the announced Formula 1 2023 Schedule. Only a few months ago it was impossible to imagine even 23 races on the calendar. Furthermore, a plan to hold so many races had been abandoned for the third year in a row. Twenty four races is the new record for Formula 1. Drivers said it would be a challenging season. How is F1 going to hold so many races, what has changed, and why has the schedule for F1 2023 been criticized?
What is Formula 1 schedule for 2023?
Updated:
It was decided not to replace the Chinese Grand Prix. So, there will be no record breaking as the F1 2023 schedule includes 24 races instead of the announced 25.
F1 sprint races in the 2023 season.
Officially announced there will be six sprint races in the F1 2023 schedule: in Azerbaijan (Baku Grand Prix), Austria, Belgium, Austin, Qatar and Brazil.
F1 schedule for 2023 season includes almost all the races from 2022 calendar with few key changes. First about three novelties.
And the Chinese Grand Prix returns for the first time since 2019. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the race has been absent.
The most anticipated event is the return to Las Vegas for the first time since the eighties. The racing circuit will be completely new. It will be a street track incorporating the famous Las Vegas Strip.
The Qatar Grand Prix is a third novelty as it also returned after a year of due to the FIFA football World Cup taking place the same year.
The French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard did not take place in 2023 since the contract was not renewed. This pin was the only option for the F1 calendar, as the last race drew little attention from the fans. Although some slots are still up for discussion.
The races with many doubts in the F1 2023 schedule. Doubt was cast over the race in Belgium. But it returned, though it earned a one-year extension for 2023. Belgian Grand Prix’s future is uncertain after the 2023 season.
Monaco.
Monaco Grand Prix is iconic, historic and legendary. Although, there are not enough words to express how legendary this event is. Almost half of the Formula 1 Paddock Club voted against canceling the Monaco race.
We must say that the arguments are very compelling. Someone says that it will be better to reduce the number of races in the East. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Abu-Dhabi have taken their places, so there are more than enough.
Someone was disappointed as there are too many races in the United States, while it could be better to save iconic stages in Europe. Well, both were right. Because there was no other option, Stefano Domenicali announced that the Monaco Grand Prix would remain on the Formula 1 calendar until the 2025 season.
Six night races!
There will be six night races in the F1 2023 season: in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Qatar, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
Las Vegas
Remarkable that the Las Vegas Grand Prix will take the latest start time ever in F1 history. Thus, for the first time since 1985, the race will be held on Saturday instead of Sunday. It was confirmed that the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled for 10PM local time.
The season will start in Bahrain on March 5 and concluding in Abu Dhabi on November 26, the season will feature a record-breaking 24 races, with China and Qatar set to return, and Las Vegas arriving as the penultimate round for a Saturday night race.
From February 23 to 25 pre-season testing will take place over three days at the Bahrain International Circuit.
South Africa in the F1 2023 schedule
Despite all the rumours, South Africa’s Kyalami Circuit will not host a Formula 1 race in 2023. The reason is quite clear. The local promoter was unable to live up to the financial guarantees. For 2024, however, they promise to return to the F1 calendar.
The lack of racing in Africa may seem to be a drawback, but it makes the challenge of completing the F1 schedule for 2023 a little bit easier. Because if the deal with the promoter was successful, then we would have two options: either to lose the Monaco Grand Prix on the calendar or to have 25 races per year. Both of these would have a lot of critics.
The F1 schedule for 2023 has received a lot of criticism.
Formula 1’s goal to keep at least 25 races annually was evidence that there would be a racing collapse in motorsport. This is because there will be clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other events. Well, the new F1 calendar for 2023 avoids the mess. Nevertheless, there will be a clash with the GT World Challenge Europe calendar. Thus, slated for July 28-30, Formula 1 has assumed that weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix, and GT’s 24 Hours of Spa takes the place. As a result of such an impact, GT World Challenge Europe is changing the provisional schedule.
The clash with other championship series is not the only issue. Teams, especially in F2, F3 and the W-Series, also point out these disadvantages. Their lower budgets will make shipping more challenging since they are the lower-class series.
In Formula 1, drivers and teams hold opposing opinions. There is an opinion that 2023 will be a fun season, while others are concerned about the very busy schedule, which means too much work. F1 team boss Toto Wolff already made a wish that next season he would not attend every race.
F1 2023 teams and drivers (provisional information)
Even so, we already know who will compete in F1 2023. While some slots are still to be determined, we expect all drivers’ line-ups to be completed by the end of December. The information will be updated.
| Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | Valtteri Bottas/ Zhou Guanyu |
| AlphaTauri-Red Bull | TBA/ Nyck de Vries |
| Alpine-Renault | Esteban Ocon/ Peirre Gasly |
| Aston Martin-Mercedes | Fernando Alonso/ TBA |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc/ Carlos Sainz Jr. |
| Haas-Ferrari | TBA |
| McLaren-Mercedes | Oscar Piastri/ Lando Norris |
| Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton/ George Russell |
| Red Bull Racing | Sergio Perez/ Max Verstappen |
| Williams-Mercedes | Alex Albon/ TBA |
When will 2023 F1 calendar be confirmed?
The F1 2023 schedule is released, but it is still provisional. Official confirmation will be made no later than the first week of December. Slots can also be changed and postponed until March 2023. In very few cases Formula 1 races could be cancelled during the season.
Leave a Comment