A good three months after the Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 is starting its new season. The test drives are the starting point: which car is how fast? Who gets along best with the new car? World champion Max Verstappen, record champion Lewis Hamilton or Ferrari: who is doing the show?
From Thursday (February 23rd, 2023) to Saturday, the Formula 1 drivers will do the only test laps before the start of the season on March 5th.
Where and how do the Formula 1 test drives take place?
The 5.412 kilometers long Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir is again the scene for the test drives. At temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, man and machine are subjected to demanding stress tests, the asphalt temperature can quickly rise to values over 40 degrees. So the tires have to show what they can do. The teams have a total of 25.5 hours for the tests over the three days.
When is the first race?
The opening race on March 5th will also be held in the kingdom in the Persian Gulf. The race starts at 4 p.m. (CET). The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix follows two weeks later (03/19/23, 6 p.m.) and at the beginning of April the Australian Grand Prix (04/02/23, 7 a.m., then summer time). A total of 23 races will take place in 2023, the final will also take place on the Arabian Peninsula, then in the United Arab Emirates (26.11.23).
Will a Formula 1 Grand Prix take place in Germany?
A race in Germany is again missing from the calendar. The closest races will be in Austria (Spielberg, July 2nd), in Belgium (Spa, July 30th) and in the Netherlands (ZandvoortAugust 27).
Is there a German driver in Formula 1?
Veteran Nico Hülkenberg is back in Formula 1. The 35-year-old replaces Mick Schumacher at the US team Haas. The son of record world champion Michael Schumacher has to be in second place for the time being and is a substitute driver at Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel retired from Formula 1 in 2022.
Hülkenberg’s Formula 1 career is remarkable: the native of Emmerich has competed 181 times and collected 521 World Championship points. His best result: A fourth place at the South Korean GP in 2013. Hülkenberg is the Formula 1 driver with the most race starts without a podium finish. Nevertheless, his skills and experience are beyond all doubt. The reward: the standard cockpit 2023.
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg.
Who are the new drivers, what changes have there been?
Are new to the field of drivers Oscar Piastri (Australia, McLaren) and Logan Sargeant (US, Williams). Nyck De Vries (Netherlands, AlphaTauri) was allowed to replace Alex Albon in Monza in 2022 Williams ran and scored two points straight away.
Also changing: Fernando Alonso from Alpine to Aston-Martin and Pierre Gasly from Alpha Tauri to Alpine. Daniel Ricciardo lost his cockpit at McLaren and will be a reserve driver in 2023 red bull. Nicholas Latifi resigned after three years Williams and from Formula 1.
During the tests Aston Martin-Regular pilot Lance Stroll by the way, at short notice from a replacement pilot Felipe Drugovich (Brazil) replaced. Stroll was injured in a bicycle accident. The racing team did not provide any information on the severity and duration of the injury.
How does the sports show report?
The sports show reports from the first second of the race on all training sessions, qualifying sessions and races in the live ticker in the app and on sportschau.de. There are also follow-up reports from all live sessions between the Grand Prix Background stories and interesting stories. The sports show with Formula 1 is also represented on the social media channels Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Where can you watch the races live?
In 2023, Formula 1 will probably only be available on the pay channel Sky and its streaming service wow. RTL has stopped reporting. Under certain circumstances, there could still be a replacement for free TV transmissions, but RTL has not yet given any precise information about this.
What else is new?
The minimum weight of the racing cars was reduced from 798 to 796 kilograms (without fuel). Many teams compensate for this with significantly less paint on the cars. In addition, sprint races (previously three) will be started on six Saturdays this season.