As teams prepare for pre-season testing at Sakhir Feb. 23, an eventful Formula One offseason ends with the first Bahrain Grand Prix looming March 5.
New Drivers
The 2022 top three teams in Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes retain their drivers, hoping to climb atop the Constructors Championship. The seven teams below the top three changed a driver other than Alfa Romeo as they retained the veteran Valtteri Bottas and second-year driver Zhou Guanyu.
Alpine changed the most intriguing driver as former AlaphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly was promoted to join Esteban Ocon. The French duo will likely retain their fourth-place 2022 season by possibly climbing into the top three by having one of the most talented duos in Formula One.
Below Alpine in 2022 was McLaren as they brought in rookie Oscar Piastri to pair with Lando Norris to become one of the youngest driver pairings in Formula One. Unfortunately, McLaren expects to begin the season behind the pace as the 2023 car has been downgraded.
After Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel retired, Aston Martin brought in another World Champion as his replacement Fernando Alonso. With the Spaniard on the final leg of his career, he’ll look to make the most out of his opportunity as he’ll ride along with Lance Stroll.
In an unexpected move, Haas brought Nico Hulkenberg in the Formula One offseason to replace the youthful Mick Schumacher, who became a Mercedes reserve driver. In 2022, Haas rebounded after a woeful few years and will have a pair of veterans in Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen leading the team.
AlphaTauri brought in long-time Mercedes reserve driver Nyck De Vries to replace Gasly. In a start for Williams in 2022, De Vries placed in the points in one of the season’s most memorable moments. Alongside the Dutchman, Yuki Tsunoda will begin his third season for AlphaTauri.
Last on the grid, Williams brought up Formula Two driver Logan Sargeant in a popular move as the American joined the grid. Alexander Albon will join Sargeant in his second season with Williams.
Schedule Changes
Two additions to the 2023 schedule because Russia and China are again left off the calendar. One is Qatar, as the last race was held in 2021, a critical race in the close-knit Drivers Championship. The other addition is Las Vegas, the biggest and most anticipated, as it’ll become the third grand prix held in the United States. Drivers will be overtaking and battling down the Vegas Strip in the penultimate race. Adding the Las Vegas Grand Prix further intensifies Formula One’s recent impact on the United States fanbase.
Higher Expectations
Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing will be the favorites to win the Drivers and Constructors Championship. The 2022 champions haven’t shown that they’ll slow down, as Verstappen won a record 15 races in 2022.
In his way will be Ferrari, as they started ahead last season, but their championship hopes would fall apart because of reliability and race strategy. In the Formula One offseason, Ferrari addressed both issues as they have a new team principal in Frederic Vasseur, and the 2023 car has supposedly improved reliability.
If Ferrari fails to succeed in competing, look towards the seven-time champion in Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to return to form after a lackluster 2022 season. Mercedes undoubtedly has the most talented drivers in Hamilton and George Russell, but their hopes will remain in how the car’s pace compares to Red Bull Racing. These questions will begin to be answered in preseason testing as teams can see where they stack up against the field.
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