What you need to know about the 2023 Formula One season
On Sunday, the Bahrain Grand Prix will mark the beginning of the 2023 Formula One season.
The Chinese Grand Prix’s cancellation and the decision not to replace it reduced this year’s planned record of 24 races to 23, which still stands as the most events in one season. There are only 15 weekends between the opening race in Bahrain and the last event on November 26.
For the second race of a 10-year deal, Formula One returns to Miami. The organizers elected to move the F1 paddock onto the pitch of Hard Rock Stadium and have pledged to boost the off-track spectacle for spectators. The closest thing to a live-action “Drive to Survive” episode will let viewers observe events from the stands.
Vegas looks set to be F1’s main attraction race going forward. The city signed an initial three-year deal but has just approved a plan to host a race on the strip for the next 10 years, as it eyes a "lifetime in partnership" with F1.
While legendary races in Monaco, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, and Suzuka will continue to be fan favorites, Austin will continue to serve as America’s de facto F1 home in October.
The FIA is expected to adopt new rules or modify existing ones as part of the 10 key rule revisions for F1 2023. The major adjustments for F1 2023 are listed below.
When the 2023 world championship begins in March in Bahrain, F1 will enter its longest season yet.
Max Verstappen is vying for a third straight world championship, while Charles Leclerc and George Russell are going for their first.
The rules have undergone a number of modifications from the FIA for 2023.
The FIA has implemented more measures to assist combat porpoising after it dominated the news in 2022.
The diffuser throat has also been adjusted to account for the aforementioned modification, and F1’s minimum ride heights have been lifted by 15mm.
To precisely detect the car’s vertical forces — a feature first presented at the Belgian Grand Prix — new sensors will be added. The automobiles’ minimum weight has decreased from 798kg to 796kg by 2kg.
Following the terrible incident at Silverstone involving Zhou Guanyu, roll hoops have been tightened.
Grid penalties
The FIA has addressed the situation to make it less confusing after there was a great deal of misunderstanding around back-of-the-grid penalties in Formula 1.
Drivers who are penalized to start at the rear of the grid or who get “more than 15 cumulative grid position penalties, will start behind any other classified driver.”
Radio & Cost Cap
The F1 Commission also decided to loosen the restrictions on team radio.
After 21 races, the F1 cost cap has been increased by $1.2 million to $1.8 million (per race) for each grand prix.
Sprint weekends now allow for broader freedom for component changes and greater use of self-declared Parc Fermé forms thanks to loosened parc ferme regulations.
Tires in qualifying
In qualifying, F1 will test different tires.
For two races, every driver must utilize only hard tires in the first quarter, mediums in the second, and softs in the third.
Mario Isola, the CEO of Pirelli, thinks it will benefit the tire company more in the long run.
“We got the proposal for next year,” Isola said. “It is my favorite scenario. We are talking about durability. Currently, with the current regulations, you have to be careful with the Soft tire for qualifying and you can’t use it for the race.
“If you allocate two sets of Hards for Q1, two sets of Mediums for Q2, and two sets of Softs for Q3, you still have six sets for the race. That’s perfect. We save a lot of tires with that, without disrupting the F1 show.”
More sprint races
The amount of sprint races for 2023 has doubled.
There will be six sprint weekends: Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, USA, and Brazil.
The 10 major rule changes for F1 2023
Changes to the mirrors
The rearview mirrors have changed as F1 attempts to increase visibility.
The reflective surface is now 200mm wide instead of 150mm, an increase of 50mm.
Work hours reduced
Over the following two seasons, the number of hours that F1 team employees put in the grand prix race weekends will be cut.
In 2023, the third of the three limited periods (on Fridays) will begin one hour earlier, with a further hour being eliminated in 2024.
Finally, to cut down on work hours in the paddock, the number of curfews that are permitted on the first Wednesday and second Thursday will also be halved.
Gearboxes
The rules governing gearbox modifications in F1 have been tightened.
Modifications are now only allowed “in the case of materials, techniques, or proprietary parts becoming unavailable,” without a performance advantage.
Extra freedom with fuel temperature
For 2023, teams will have more latitude in terms of fuel cooling.
According to F1.com, “fuel in a car must not be colder than the lowest of either 10 degrees below ambient temperature, or 10 degrees centigrade, at any time the car is operating after leaving the competitor’s allocated garage area.”
Changes for wet weather
Many adjustments will be made to the cars and racing in wet conditions after the F1 Commission meeting in February.
Starting with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a new wet tire specification will be available.
The new “wet weather package project” will be made possible by the introduction of a technical directive, which will allow teams to participate.
The teams have endorsed this to increase visibility in muddy conditions.
