The 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship begins this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix to get the season underway.
After an exciting 2022 season, this year’s 23-round Formula 1 season will be its biggest-ever and it’s sure to deliver once again with the multiple changes to make it interesting for all.
Australia will once again have representation at the world’s premiere open wheel category, only it won’t be eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo, it will be Melbournian Oscar Piastri.
Piastri will enter this season as one of the most highly anticipated juniors to debut in recent times, with the 21-year-old having won both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 Championships in consecutive years.
Having been an Alpine Academy driver in 2021, Piastri ended up switching teams and secured a deal with McLaren to make his debut this year.
While it’s been a tough initiation with some challenging practicing sessions, Piastri will be hoping to start the year on a high.
Of course, he is just one of a few rookie drivers making their long-awaited debuts this weekend – with Piastri’s former Prema Racing teammate Logan Sargeant making the step up into Williams.
The American will be the second driver to debut in Williams in consecutive years with Nick De Vries having made his maiden F1 appearance for the British team last year.
After an impressive effort that saw him net a top 10 finish in the Italian Grand Prix, as well as serving as a reserve and test driver for Mercedes and Aston Martin, the Dutchman was rewarded with a full-time seat at Alpha Tauri – replacing the outgoing Pierre Gasly.
The move was just one of many in a silly season that certainly lived up to its namesake.
Just four teams kept their same line-ups, with Gasly joining fellow countryman Esteban Ocon at French outfit Alpine after Fernando Alonso moved to Aston Martin following the retirement of Sebastian Vettel.
Haas opted to remove Mick Schumacher to replace him with the ever-experienced Niko Hulkenburg, while Piastri’s entry came at the expense of Ricciardo, who was snapped up by his former team Red Bull as its reserve driver.
This weekend's second running of the Bahrain Grand Prix will be the first of four races hosted in the Middle East this year with Saudi Arabia up next, Qatar in October and Abu Dhabi for the season finale.
Before the championship wraps up in the UAE, it will hold the penultimate round in Las Vegas for the first time since 1981/1982 – the brand-new Grand Prix to be the third US event, joining Miami and Texas.
Visits to Australia, Japan and Singapore cover the East Asia/Pacific region, while the Mexico, Canadian and Brazilian Grand Prix are the remaining events outside of Europe, which will have 11 races in 2023.
This year will also see an increase of Sprint races with a total of six races, with Baku, Red Bull Ring, Spa, Qatar, Texas and Interlagos all hosting Saturday races.
It will be all to play for Sunday though as the 2023 season gets underway this weekend with Bahrain, which has a mixed schedule for Aussie viewers.
Practice one and three will take place at 22:30 on Friday and Saturday evenings, while Practice 2, Qualifying and the Race itself will be 2am on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings.
Click here for more information on the Formula 1 World Championship.
The Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off the F1 season at the Bahrain International Circuit on 3-5 March.
F1 Calendar
5 March - Bahrain GP - Sakhir
19 March - Saudi Arabian GP - Jeddah
2 April - Australian GP - Melbourne
30 April - Azerbaijan GP Baku
7 May - Miami GP - Miami
21 May - Emilia Romagna GP - Imola
28 May - Monaco GP - Monaco
4 June - Spanish GP - Barcelona
18 June - Canadian GP - Montreal
2 July - Austrian GP - Red Bull Ring
9 July - British GP - Silverstone
23 July - Hungarian GP - Hungaroring
30 July - Belgium GP - Spa-Francorchamps
27 August - Dutch GP - Zandvoort
3 September - Italian GP - Monza
17 September - Singapore GP - Singapore
24 September - Japanese GP - Suzuka
8 October - Qatar GP - Lusail
22 October - United States GP - COTA
29 October - Mexican GP - Mexico City
5 November - Brazilian GP - Interlagos
18 November - Las Vegas GP - Las Vegas
26 November - Abu Dhabi GP - Yas Marina
F1 Teams/Drivers
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake
Zhou Guanyu
Valtteri Bottas
Scuderia AlphaTauri
Nyck de Vries
Yuki Tsunoda
BWT Alpine F1 Team
Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
Fernando Alonso
Lance Stroll
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz Jr.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team
Kevin Magnussen
Nico Hülkenberg
McLaren F1 Team
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Oracle Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen
Sergio Pérez
Williams Racing
Logan Sargeant
Alexander Albon