The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship is scheduled to include a total of 23 rounds taking it across the planet, with the inclusion of one new and very spectacular event.
The new season begins after two days of pre-season testing that will take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain in late February. The racing starts at the Bahrain International Circuit in daylight and runs into night conditions on March 5. The 5.4 km circuit located in the middle of the Bahraini desert has been the site of many incredible races and huge accidents, headlined by the miraculous escape of Frenchman Romain Grosjean when his Haas-Ferrari split in two and exploded after a freak high-speed accident in 2020.
The Corniche Street Circuit in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah returns for its third Formula One event on March 19. This long and fast seaside street circuit has already proven to be an exciting venue, with this race also run at night.
The Formula One circuit has its first long-haul fly-away event for Round 3 at Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix circuit on April 2. For the first time in the event’s 27-year history a Melbourne-born driver will be on the F1 starting grid when young McLaren recruit Oscar Piastri takes to the track. The first daytime Grand Prix of the new season will also welcome Formula 2 and Formula 3 as support categories, along with regular supports, the Aussie Supercars and the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia series.
After a three-year absence, the Chinese Grand Prix was slated to return on April 16 at the incredible Shanghai International Circuit but was once again cancelled in December due to that country’s Covid Zero issues. Formula One has advised that it will not be replacing this round with any other venue in 2023.
Another challenging street circuit comes next in the historic city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on April 30. The incredibly long main straight really winds out the F1 cars to achieve top speeds in excess of 340 kmh. The first of three American Formula One races comes next with the nonstop party atmosphere of the Miami Grand Prix on May 7. This will be the second running of this event, which last year saw capacity crowds enjoying the high-speed action alongside the appearances of countless sports, television and movie stars.
The traditional European F1 season starts on May 21 with the teams and drivers racing in Italy at the historic Circuito Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. One week later, the most famed, glamorous and challenging event of them all takes place, the Monaco Grand Prix (May 28).
Then in a Formula One triple header, the following Sunday (June 4) finds the Championship in the Catalonian capital city of Barcelona in Spain, at their traditional undulating circuit.
Formula One then heads across the Atlantic to Montreal in Canada on June 18 at the challenging Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This circuit is located on an inner-city island called Notre Dame and features a notorious final corner that has seen a sudden and instant end to the race for more than a few superstar drivers over the years.
Then it is back to Europe to the Red Bull Ring that lies among the Austrian Alps for the 11th round on July 2, followed by the place where the F1 World Championship started back in 1950, Silverstone, England, for the British Grand Prix one week later. This super-fast track is a global favourite and always delivers fantastic races.
The tight and twisting Hungarian Grand Prix in the beautiful Eastern European city of Budapest follows two weeks later on July 23, with the Ardennes Forest of Belgium bringing the fantastic Spa-Francorchamps circuit back to life one week later (July 30) for Round 14.
Grandstands of Orange will greet national hero and now double World Champion Max Verstappen for the Dutch Grand Prix at the seaside town of Zandvoort. This is an event which is more akin to a three-day dance music party as well as an excellent Formula One race taking place on August 27.
The European season ends at the fastest circuit of them all, Monza (near Milan), for the Italian Grand Prix on September 3 — the holy grail for Ferrari fans in Italy and from all over the world. Following Monza, a number of long-haul events take place with Formula One returning to Singapore for that city’s spectacular street circuit night race on September 17, followed by the classic Suzuka Raceway in Japan one week later.
October 8 brings Formula One back to the Persian Gulf at the Losail circuit in Qatar for another night race, followed by the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the United States Grand Prix on October 22.
The Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City is one of the biggest party events of the season and will take place on October 29, with the Brazilian Grand Prix to be held at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paolo the following week (November 5).
On November 18 the third American race for the season gets underway, marking the long-awaited return to one of the world’s most famous cities by Formula One after a 40-year absence. The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be run on the Saturday evening with the city’s spectacular light show ablaze along the famed Vegas Strip which forms a part of the new 6.1 km street circuit. This Formula One race is set to be the most audacious, exclusive and star-studded Grand Prix of them all. Tickets are already in huge demand, reflecting the incredible rise in stateside popularity of Formula One racing.
It all ends in Abu Dhabi at the architectural marvel that is the Yas Marina Circuit, on November 26 under lights. This venue has grown in popularity as the exciting farewell venue for the Formula One World Championship, having hosted more than one cliffhanger finish since making its debut in 2009.
2023 F1 CALENDAR
DATE |
GRAND PRIX |
VENUE |
February 23-25 |
Pre-season testing |
Sakhir |
March 5 |
Bahrain |
Sakhir |
March 19 |
Saudi Arabia |
Jeddah |
April 2 |
Australia |
Melbourne |
April 30 |
Azerbaijan |
Baku |
May 7 |
Miami |
Miami |
May 21 |
Emilia Romagna |
Imola |
May 28 |
Monaco |
Monaco |
June 4 |
Spain |
Barcelona |
June 18 |
Canada |
Montreal |
July 2 |
Austria |
Spielberg |
July 9 |
United Kingdom |
Silverstone |
July 23 |
Hungary |
Budapest |
July 30 |
Belgium |
Spa |
August 27 |
Netherlands |
Zandvoort |
September 3 |
Italy |
Monza |
September 17 |
Singapore |
Singapore |
September 24 |
Japan |
Suzuka |
October 8 |
Qatar |
Lusail |
October 22 |
USA |
Austin |
October 29 |
Mexico |
Mexico City |
November 5 |
Brazil |
Sao Paulo |
November 18 |
Las Vegas |
Las Vegas* |
November 26 |
Abu Dhabi |
Yas Marina |
*Subject to FIA circuit homologation