The F1 2023 Race Calendar consists of a record-breaking 23 races! I know that the same thing was supposed to happen last year, but hopefully, this year that record can finally be broken. This may be great for fans, but it will be a huge struggle for teams. Mechanics would have to travel even more and work even harder. The traveling is more hectic than ever with a 3rd race in the United States. THE LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX! It’s incredible that Las Vegas is hosting a Formula 1 race. The fact that F1 cars will zoom down the Las Vegas Strip is just surreal. The 2023 F1 Season begins at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as Bahrain hosts the season opener for the 2nd year in a row. Bahrain is also hosting the Official Pre-season Testing this year, just a week before the Grand Prix itself.
After that, surprisingly, is a 2-week gap before the Saudi Arabian GP, with F1 returning to Jeddah for the 3rd year in a row. And after that is another 2-week gap before the Australian GP. With Azerbaijan and Miami then following, you can clearly see that this year’s calendar is not the most efficient. Some of the most gruesome parts for the teams will be the short gap between Azerbaijan and Miami, the 3 races in a row of Austin, Mexico and Brazil, and then the Abu Dhabi GP being only a single week after the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The jet lag will be pretty difficult after flying from Vegas to Abu Dhabi.
While the start of the F1 2023 Race Calendar has a small reshuffle compared to 2022, the rest of the calendar is pretty traditional. The European part of the calendar is largely the same. However, the French GP sadly will not be taking place this year. It’s the last few rounds where things get really interesting.
For the first time since 2021 Formula 1 returns to Qatar. F1 orginally went to Qatar in 2021 as a replacement for the Australian GP. The race wasn’t the best, but then F1 and Qatar signed a new contract. The Qatar GP was to take place for 10 years 2023 onwards at a different circuit. However, this year’s race is still at the Lusail Circuit, the same circuit used in 2021. The circuit is a MotoGP circuit, meaning it’s not the best fit for Formula 1. This means that it doesn’t provide the most exciting F1 races. That’s why I don’t expect as much from the 2023 Qatar GP.
4 rounds after the Qatar GP is the long-awaited Las Vegas GP. Looking at the circuit, I’m skeptical about it. It’s got the insanely long straight down the Las Vegas Strip, and doesn’t have many corners. It may create a situation like the Kemmel Straight where DRS is over-powered, taking away from the entertainment and the racing. While the hype and atmosphere will be fantastic at a night race in Vegas, I’m not to sure about the racing.
The season ends, as usual, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The 2022 F1 Season was somewhat underwhelming in comparison to the rollercoaster of 2021. It was iconic nevertheless, as a new era of Formula 1 came in. As the teams and drivers have changed and developed, with a series of driver and Team Principal moves, this season is set to be a unique one. Can anyone stop Max Verstappen from achieving 3 World Championships in a row? Will Mercedes be back to winning ways? Can Ferrari avoid a season riddled with mistakes? 23 ROUNDS. 2 NEW RACES. 1 CHAMPION.