2023 Formula One World Championship

Honda returned as a named engine supplier to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, with both teams' engines badged as Honda RBPT.[26] While Red Bull Powertrains had planned to take over assembly and maintenance of the engines from this season onwards,[27] it was later agreed that Honda would continue its technical support of Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri until the end of 2025.[28]

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.[29] His place at Aston Martin was taken by Fernando Alonso, who left Alpine after two seasons.[30] His replacement was initially announced as the 2021 Formula 2 Champion and reserve driver Oscar Piastri.[31] Shortly after the announcement, Piastri stated that he had not signed a contract for 2023 and that he would not be driving for Alpine.[32] The FIA Contract Recognition Board ruled that he did not have any contractual obligations to race for Alpine.[33] Pierre Gasly, who had a contract to drive for AlphaTauri, moved to Alpine, replacing Alonso.[34] Gasly was replaced by the 2020–21 Formula E and 2019 Formula 2 Champion Nyck de Vries.[35]

Daniel Ricciardo left McLaren after two seasons. Although he had a contract to drive for the team in 2023, it was terminated during the 2022 championship by mutual agreement.[36] Ricciardo's seat was filled by Piastri, who made his Formula One debut.[37] Nicholas Latifi left Williams after spending three seasons with the team.[38] 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.[39] Mick Schumacher left Haas after two seasons.[40] His seat was taken by Nico Hülkenberg, who last competed in Formula One as a full-time race driver in 2019 with former team Renault.[41]

• The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled to return to the calendar, after last being held in 2021. The Grand Prix, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, was initially planned to be moved to a new purpose-built circuit, before both being retained in Lusail and Jeddah, respectively.[44][45][1]
• 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. The last Grand Prix held in Las Vegas was the 1982 Caesars Palace Grand Prix. Three races will be held in the United States in the same season for the first time since 1982.[46][47]
• 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, in Novozhilovo, located about 54 kilometres (34 mi) from Saint Petersburg.[48] However, the Grand Prix had its contract terminated in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[49]
• 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.[50]
• The Chinese Grand Prix was initially due to be part of the calendar after last being held in 2019, but it was cancelled for the fourth consecutive year due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[51] It was not replaced.[52]
• 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.[43]

Following large amounts of porpoising during 2022, the FIA introduced changes to the regulations to limit excessive porpoising. Floor edges were to be raised by 15 millimetres (0.59 in) and the throat of the diffuser were also to be raised by 10 millimetres (0.39 in). The diffuser edge stiffness was increased and an additional sensor was mandated to monitor the porpoising phenomenon more effectively.[53] Lateral floor deflection tests also became more stringent.[54]

Following Zhou Guanyu's crash at the 2022 British Grand Prix, a rounded top is now required on the roll hoop, which reduces the chance of it digging into the ground during an accident; a change was made to ensure a minimum height for the point of application of the homologation test; a new physical homologation test was introduced where the load pushes the roll hoop in the forward direction; new tests were defined to be carried out by calculation.[53]

The size of the side-mirrors was increased from 150 mm × 50 mm (5.9 in × 2.0 in) to 200 mm × 60 mm (7.9 in × 2.4 in) in an effort to improve rear visibility.[55][56]

The allowed weight of cars was set to be decreased from 798 kilograms (1,759 lb) to 796 kg (1,755 lb). However, this initially planned change was later abandoned mainly due to the introduction of heavier Pirelli tyres.[57] The allowed weight of power units was increased for 2023 from 150 kg (331 lb) to 151 kg (333 lb). The minimum fuel temperatures has been changed to 10 °C (50 °F), down from 20 °C (68 °F) in 2022, or 10 °C (18 °F) below ambient temperature when cars are operating outside designated garage areas.[58][59]

The FIA initially altered the wording of the aerodynamic regulations after Mercedes produced a front wing that exploited a potential loop-hole in the regulations. Mercedes introduced slot gap separators on their front wings at the 2022 United States Grand Prix, although they did not intend to run them at the event. Rival teams argued that the new front wing was illegal. Mercedes argued that the regulations allowed slot-gap separators as they were "primarily" there for "mechanical, structural or measurement reasons", and therefore any secondary aerodynamic benefit would be allowed. The FIA ruled that the brackets were illegal at the following 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix. The wording of the regulation was altered so that the slot gap separator brackets must perform a structural role, and the sentence explaining that the primary purpose can not be aerodynamic has been removed. This rule change was intended to outlaw slot gap separators.[60] However, this rule change had the opposite effect, as it means that slot gap separators are legal if they provide structural support, how much aerodynamic benefit they provide no longer has any bearing on their legality. Ferrari launched their car, the SF-23 with the slot gap separators.[61]

With the intention of making tyre usage more sustainable in the future, Formula One will trial a reduction in allocated tyre sets from 13 to 11 at two races in 2023, one of those was to be the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before its cancellation. At these races the use of tyres in qualifying will be mandated as hard in Q1, medium in Q2 and soft in Q3, assuming that the weather is dry. Teams are usually free to choose the tyre compound that they run during qualifying.[62]

Pirelli announced a change to the available tyre compounds for 2023, as a new compound was inserted between the old C1 and C2 compounds. This change provides teams with more flexible strategy options after criticism towards the original C1 compound for a large drop in grip compared to the other tyres.[63] Additionally, following criticism over the raceability of its full wet tyre in previous seasons, Pirelli has produced a new full wet tyre in the hope of reducing the need for safety car and red flags in wet race conditions. This new full wet tyre is scheduled to be in service from a Grand Prix to be selected. The sport will also aim to trial wet weather-specific bodywork designed to improve visibility and reduce spray during 2023 with the aim of fully introducing it by the start of the 2024 championship at latest.[64]

There were only three days of pre-season testing, a reduction from 2022 when there were six days.[55] During the F1 Commission held in February 2023 it was decided to relax the restrictions on team radio communications.[65]

The sprint format is slated to be run at six Grands Prix in 2023, compared to three in 2021 and 2022.[66] During sprint weekends, teams are given a broader choice of parts that they are permitted to change under parc fermé conditions.[67]

A new weekend format for sprint events (as compared to that used in 2021 and 2022) consists of a single practice session on Friday, followed by the qualifying session which determines the grid for the Sunday's Grand Prix. On Saturday, a new qualifying session called "sprint shootout", in place of the old second practice session, is run, determining the grid for the sprint. The Grand Prix (the main race) takes place on Sunday. The new sprint shootout qualifying is run shorter than the traditional qualifying: SQ1 is 12 minutes, SQ2 is 10 minutes, and SQ3 is 8 minutes. In addition, new tyres are mandatory for each phase, with a single set of mediums for each of SQ1 and SQ2, and a single set of softs for SQ3.[68]

The 2022 sporting regulations only specified that races ended early by a red flag used a points system that gradually increased points awarded based on the completed race distance. This caused confusion at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, where full points were awarded despite less than 75% of the scheduled distance being completed, as the race ended under green flag conditions. The wording of the regulation has now been amended: all races where less than 75% of the race distance is completed will use the sliding scale system to determine the points awarded, regardless of whether they finish under red or green flag conditions. This rule change satisfied the original intention of the gradual scale points system when it was introduced in 2022.[69]

The FIA's International Sporting Code (ISC)[lower-alpha 4] was updated to include stricter controls on drivers and teams making "political, religious and personal statements". Article 12.2.1n was introduced stating that drivers and teams must receive the FIA's permission before conducting a political statement or protest and that any protest without permission would be considered a breach of the FIA's neutrality rules.[70][71] The FIA stated the update to the ISC was done to move it in line with the ethical principles of political neutrality laid out by the International Olympic Committee, which gave formal recognition to the FIA in 2013 through the Olympic Charter.[72] FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated that the rule change was made to ensure that the FIA's platform was not used to help fulfil drivers' "private personal agenda".[73]

Following concerns from drivers and teams on how these rules would affect freedom of expression and the ability of drivers and their teams to express views about what they believe to be a worthwhile cause, the FIA clarified in February 2023 that drivers would be prohibited on making political or religious statement on the following: politically sensitive persons living or dead, military or political conflicts, separatist movements, national governments, any statements referencing a key religious figure or any statement that could be deemed offensive to the religious beliefs of the hosting country. Stewards at each Grand Prix meeting will be required to adjudge whether a driver has breached FIA neutrality rules on a case-by-case basis. Drivers remain free to share their opinions regarding political or religious topics without facing potential sanctions on their personal social media platforms, in an official FIA press conference providing it is in response to a media question or outside of a race weekend. Any driver looking for a special exemption to from the FIA to make a statement that may contravene the neutrality rules must notify the FIA four weeks in advance of an event.[74]

The FIA took further steps to relax COVID-19 safety protocols that were first introduced in 2020. This relaxation of restrictions included the removal of the need for proof of vaccination for those working in the paddock. The FIA previously dropped the requirements for mandatory face masking and COVID-testing in 2022.[75]

The budget cap has been reduced to 135 million US dollars. It was originally set at US$140 million in 2022 before being increased to US$142.5 million to account for inflation.[55] It was initially agreed by the F1 Commission to increase the cost cap by US$1.2 million to account for additional costs caused by the increased number of races. The commission subsequently agreed to adjust to the level of future cost cap increases to US$1.8 million per race when a calendar is over twenty-one races to account for the greater costs of flyaway races compared to European races. Teams have also agreed to give the FIA easier access to factories when cost cap audits are being carried out in order to more easily ensure that teams adhere to the cost cap. A winter shutdown of factories was introduced alongside the existing summer shutdown.[76]

There was one pre-season test, at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on 23–25 February.[1] Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll missed the test after suffering a "minor" cycling accident during training.[77] He was replaced by reserve driver Felipe Drugovich.[78]

Red Bull Racing locked out the front row for the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, with the two Ferraris on the second row. The much-improved Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso started in fifth.[79] Max Verstappen led nearly all the race comfortably, winning by eleven seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez. Charles Leclerc retired with a mechanical failure from third, with Alonso taking this spot, after a late race overtake on Carlos Sainz Jr.. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth. Lance Stroll, still racing with a broken wrist and toe, finished sixth, ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell.[80]

In the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Pérez took pole position in qualifying. Pérez dropped to second position in the first lap to Alonso, but regained first on lap four. Verstappen, starting fifteenth on the grid, reached second by lap 25, and remained there for the rest of the race. Verstappen also recorded the fastest lap. Alonso rounded out the podium finishing third, with the Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton finishing in fourth and fifth respectively.[81]

At the Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen took pole position in qualifying with Pérez starting from the pit lane. At the start of the race, Verstappen was overtaken by Russell and Hamilton. He regained the lead by lap 12 and would go on to lead the race comfortably, as Russell retired on lap 18 due to a mechanical issue. Verstappen won the race, followed by Hamilton and then Alonso, with Pérez clocking the fastest lap. The Grand Prix broke the record for most red flags, with three.[82]

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw the season's first sprint event. Leclerc secured pole position ahead of Verstappen and Pérez.[83] Additionally, Leclerc managed to secure pole position for the sprint ahead of Pérez and Verstappen, despite locking up and crashing out in turn 5 on his last lap.[84] Sprint polesitter Leclerc got a good start off the line to take the lead of the sprint until Pérez had the opportunity to pass Leclerc on the main straight courtesy of the DRS; he kept the lead until the end of the sprint. Verstappen finished in third; Russell fourth.[85] In the race, polesitter Leclerc led the race until lap four. The DRS was enabled on lap three, with Verstappen utilising it to pass Leclerc into the first corner on the following lap. Pérez would repeat the same move on lap six to take second place. As lap ten concluded, Verstappen went into the pit lane to switch tyres, but he would lose the effective lead of the race, as the safety car came out. Pérez, Verstappen and Leclerc would be the top three drivers for the rest of the race as Pérez took his second Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory. This was Leclerc and Ferrari's first podium finish of the season.[86]

At the Miami Grand Prix, Pérez secured pole position ahead of Alonso and Sainz; Verstappen started ninth after he was unable to set a time, compounded by Leclerc crashing out during the final stages of Q3 and bringing out a red flag. Magnussen was able to secure fourth position ahead of the race.[87] However, Verstappen would make up several positions during the race, and secured his second Miami Grand Prix victory ahead of Pérez and Alonso.[88]

Points are awarded to the top ten classified drivers, the driver who sets the fastest lap during the Grand Prix (only if one of the top ten), and the top eight of the sprint.[42][lower-alpha 6] In the case of a tie on points, a countback system is used where the driver with the most Grand Prix wins is ranked higher (if the number of wins is identical, then the number of second places is considered, and so on). The points are awarded for every race using the following system:

Pos. Constructor BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points 1 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1P 1P 1P 11 1F 224 2 2F 5F 23 2P 2 Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 3 3 3 46 3 102 6 Ret 4 78 12 3 Mercedes 5 4 2 67 4 96 7 5 Ret 8F 4 6 4 Ferrari 4 6 12 3P 2 5 78 Ret 7 Ret 55 7 5 McLaren-Mercedes 17 15 6 9 17 14 Ret 17 8 11 19 6 Alpine-Renault 9 8 13 14 8 14 Ret 9 14 15 9 7 Haas-Ferrari 13 10 7 13 10 8 15 12 17 17 15 8 Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 8 13 9 18 13 6 16F 18 11 Ret 16 9 AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 11 11 10 10 11 2 14 14 15 Ret 18 10 Williams-Mercedes 10 16 16 12 14 1 12 Ret Ret 16 20 Pos. Constructor BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points Source:[90]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap Superscript number Points-scoring position in sprint Classified but did not finish (completed over 90% of race distance)

Notes:

• Rows are not related to the drivers: within each constructor, individual Grand Prix standings are sorted purely based on the final classification in the race (not by total points scored in the event, which includes points awarded for fastest lap and sprint).