2023 Formula One World Championship

## Drivers' Championship

The **2023 FIA Formula One World Championship** is a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 74th running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over twenty-two (originally twenty-three) Grands Prix, which were held around the world.

Drivers and teams competed for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively. The 2023 championship saw the introduction of six sprint races for the season. Max Verstappen is the reigning Drivers' Champion, while his team, Red Bull Racing, is the reigning Constructors' Champion.

## Entries

The following constructors and drivers are under contract to compete in the 2023 World Championship. All teams are due to compete with tyres supplied by Pirelli. Each team is required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the two mandatory cars.

### Free Practice Drivers

Across the season, each team must field a driver in a free practice session who has not raced in more than two Grands Prix, on two occasions, once in each car. The following drivers were entered at selected events to drive in free practice:

### Team Changes

* Honda returned as a named engine supplier for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, with both teams' engines badged as Honda RBPT.

### Driver Changes

* Sebastian Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 Championship, ending his Formula One career after 16 seasons. His place in Aston Martin Aramco was taken by Fernando Alonso, who left Alpine after two seasons.
* Oscar Piastri, 2021 Formula 2 Champion, was announced to drive for Alpine in the 2023 Championship, but shortly after the announcement, Piastri stated that he had not signed a contract for 2023 and that he would not be driving for Alpine. The FIA Contract Recognition Board ruled that he did not have any contractual obligations to race for Alpine.
* Pierre Gasly took Alonso's place in Alpine, after three seasons with AlphaTauri.
* Nyck de Vries, 2019 Formula 2 Champion and 2020-21 Formula E Champion, took Gasly's place in AlphaTauri.
* 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. Ricciardo was replaced by Oscar Piastri.
* Nicholas Latifi left Williams after three seasons. He was replaced by Logan Sargeant.
* Mick Schumacher left Haas after two seasons. Schumacher's place was taken by Nico Hülkenberg.

### Mid-Season Changes

* Nyck de Vries was relieved of his driving duties for AlphaTauri after failing to score points in the first ten races of his rookie season. His seat will be filled by Daniel Ricciardo from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.
* Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri's reserve driver Liam Lawson replaced Ricciardo for the Dutch Grand Prix after the latter broke a metacarpal bone in his left hand in a crash in the second practice session. Lawson made his Formula One debut. Ricciardo eventually returned at the United States Grand Prix.

## Calendar

The 2023 calendar contains twenty-two Grands Prix. The Azerbaijan, Austrian, Belgian, Qatar, United States and São Paulo Grands Prix will feature the sprint format.

### Calendar Changes

* 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.
* 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.
* 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. However, the Grand Prix had its contract terminated in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
* 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.
* 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. It was not replaced.
* The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which was scheduled to take place on 21 May as the sixth round of the championship, was cancelled few days before being held due to flooding in the area.

## World Constructors' Championship

1. ↑ Championship Points. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.