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The new F1 season will return this weekend with Max Verstappen chasing his third consecutive drivers’ championship title.
After a disappointing 2022, Lewis Hamilton will be desperate to win again and challenge Verstappen for the title.
Ferrari, with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, will also seek to compete for the championship.
Alpine and McLaren made up the rest of the top five in the Manufacturers’ standings and both teams will be aiming for another strong season. Following the arrival of Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin is also in the mix.
sports mail breaks down everything you need to know about the drivers competing this year and the changes that have been made.
Max Verstappen (centre) is chasing his third consecutive drivers’ championship title this year
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (L) and George Russell (R) hope for a better season in 2023
Red Bull
Engine: Honda-RBPT
Drivers: Max Verstappen (NED), Sergio Perez (MEX)
Car: RB19
Red Bull is looking forward to another successful year. Last season, Max Verstappen took 15 race wins, and his teammate Sergio Perez scored another two to fend off challenges from Ferrari early in the year and from Mercedes towards the end.
Red Bull appears to have improved on last year’s car, following its success in pre-season. The RB19 proved to be the fastest car during testing ahead of this weekend’s opening.
Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team seemed to catch the eye of many during pre-season.
ferrari
Engine: ferrari
Drivers: Charles Leclerc (CAM), Carlos Sainz (ESP)
Car: SF-23
After starting strong last season, Ferrari is hoping for a consistent season this year. After some disastrous strategic decisions last year, which cost the team at times, Fred Vasseur replaced Mattia Binnoto as team boss.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will once again lead the Ferrari team as they look to push Red Bull to the finish this year. The pair formed a fine partnership last year, with Leclerc aiming to be the lead once again.
Leclerc started well last season but was unable to maintain consistency throughout the season.
Mercedes
Engine: Mercedes
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (GBR), George Russell (GBR)
Car: W14
In 2022, Mercedes endured a torrid season but started to pick up towards the end of the season. Lewis Hamilton said his team is not yet where he wants to be ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Most of the team remains unchanged, but it lost chief quarterback James Vowles, who replaced Jost Capito as crew chief at Williams. The game could be a big loss for the new season of Mercedes.
Hamilton will be eager to return to regular podium finishes after his poor 2022. On the other hand, Hamilton’s teammate George Russell will be looking to skyrocket the drivers’ standings.
Lewis Hamilton had a tough 2022 but will be desperate to move up the rankings in 2023
Alpine
Engine: renault
Drivers: Pierre Gasly (FRA), Esteban Ocon (FRA)
Car: A523
Arguably one of the most exciting teams to watch last year was Alpine, with many intrigued to see how they will perform this year.
It will be a French duo, with Pierre Gasly joining Esteban Ocon in Alpine this season. Both drivers are quick in their day and capable of scoring points, with the team looking for another impressive year.
McLaren
Engine: Mercedes
drivers: Lando Norris (GBR), Oscar Piastri (AUS)
Car: MCL60
All eyes will be on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri heading into the new season to see how well he adapts to F1.
Last year, Alpine announced that Piastri would race for them this season, but the driver denied on social media that he had a contract with the French team, which caused havoc between Alpine and the driver. Later, a court battle determined that the Australian driver would compete with McLaren.
With Lando Norris taking over as the main man of the season, the team has arguably the most exciting driver pairings on the grid.
If the car is good enough, McLaren could be a real contender for the 2023 season.
All eyes will be on McLaren and Oscar Piastri following their decision to turn down Alpine
alfa romeo
Engine: ferrari
drivers: Zhou Guanyu (CHI), Valtteri Bottas (FIN)
Car: C43
Following up on its recent design with a new black and red color scheme, its rear end is said to unlock the “next level of performance”, according to the team’s technical director.
With Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu leading the way for Alfa Romeo, the pair provide a balance of experience and speed as the team looks to move up the standings this season.
Aston Martin
Engine: Mercedes
Drivers: Fernando Alonso (ESP), Lance Stroll (CAN)
Car: AMR23
2023 could be a big year for Aston Martin after the arrival of veteran Fernando Alonso. It shows a great statement of intent from team owner Lawrence Stroll with the team looking to start strong.
Towards the end of last season, Aston Martin started to get good results but will be looking to start strong.
Alonso’s arrival could help teammate Lance Stroll in his goal of a better 2023.
Aston Martin is considered to be one to watch out for ahead of the new Formula One season.
The team has been strengthened after the arrival of Formula One veteran Fernando Alonso
haas
Engine: ferrari
Drivers: Kevin Magnussen (DNK), Nico Hulkenberg (GER)
Car: VF-23
Heading into the new season, Haas has quite the experienced pairing in Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg who could help the team secure more points on the board this year.
Over the years, Haas has been pretty inconsistent and can’t keep up with the better-funded teams in terms of mid-season improvements.
alphatauri
Engine: Honda-RBPT
Drivers: Nyck de Vries (NED), Yuki Tsunoda (JAP)
Car: AT04
Yuki Tsunoda and engineer Mattia Spini start a third year of working together on AlphaTauri. The team had a difficult year in 2022 – AlphaTauri only scored 35 points in total.
Nyck de Vries will drive alongside Tsunoda ahead of the 2023 campaign, with the former Formula E champion aiming to make big waves for AlphaTauri.
williams
Drivers: Alexander Albon (THI), Logan Sargeant (USA)
Engine: Mercedes
Car: FW45
Following the arrival of team principal James Vowles, Williams will be hoping for a better year in 2023. Vowles enjoyed a remarkable spell with Mercedes, but he has the uphill task of pushing Williams up after his poor 2022.
Alexander Albon is expected to lead the way for the team this year after being paired with young Logan Sargeant for the new season.
After finishing fourth in F2 last season, Sargeant will make the jump to F1 this year with all eyes on the youngster to see if he can help guide Williams up the Constructors’ Championship table.
There have been some rule changes that teams will be addressing heading into the weekend.
What are the significant changes to cars in 2023?
With the first race just around the corner, there haven’t been too many rule changes, but there are a few that teams will be looking to take advantage of.
A big change is, above all, the increased ride height. Basically, this is lifting the cars higher off the ground to help reduce the porposition phenomenon that has plagued several teams.
This is done by raising the edge of the floor and throat, while the edge of the diffuser has also been stiffened. There is also an additional sensor to effectively monitor the porpoise.
Teams used testing in Bahrain to address rule changes ahead of the season opener.
Another major change in cars is that more safety additions are included when it comes to prohibiting designs.
The anti-roll rings have been strengthened after Zhou Guanyu’s crash at Silverstone last year.
Car weight was a major talking point heading into the 2022 season, with teams trying to get closer to the 798kg limit (without fuel).
Now, there has been a reduction of 2 kg (796 kg), which means that the designers will try to reduce more weight.