Ferrari made the perfect start to the 2022 season in Bahrain. Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc stood top of the podium with teammate Carlos Sainz in second and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in third.
The new season is set to welcome the return of the China and Qatar Grands Prix and changes to race dates now mean Belgium will go back-to-back with Hungary at the end of July and the Netherlands with Italy after the traditional summer break in August. The calendar also includes a triple-header of USA, Mexico and Brazil for good measure.
Formula 1 CEO and President Stefano Domenicali, said “We are excited to announce the 2023 calendar with 24 races around the world. Formula 1 has unprecedented demand to host races and it is important we get the balance right for the entire sport.” [formula1.com]
The 2023 season onwards is also expected to run six Sprint events, double the number of this current season, following discussions with the governing body FIA.
An F1 Sprint is like a mini Grand Prix with high action and intensity where the drivers are all competing for the first starting spot. This type of race is usually a 100km dash, about one third a normal Grand Prix distance, and there are no mandatory pit stops, meaning drivers can push their cars to its maximum limit in order to try and gain crucial points in both the driver’s and constructors’ championships.
There are also rumours circulating of F1 extending their race calendar even further and adding an extra race in the 2024 season. This could make room for South Africa, as the contracts of other events will end after next season. Races like the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps may finish as they only secured a single-year contract extension for 2023.
So, what do you think about the plans for the future of F1? Exciting times are ahead but maybe the addition of more races might prove to be unnecessary.
