Formula One is poised for another dramatic season, starting on March 5 in Bahrain, and ending with the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 26 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Hopes are high for a thrilling and hard-fought contest as Red Bull's Max Verstappen bids for a third successive drivers' world championship.
But, after cruising to the title in 2022, the Dutch driver is not expected to have it so easy in 2023 as Ferrari and Mercedes go all-out to wrestle away his crown.
Here's all you need to know about the 2023 world championship.
The drivers Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas (Finland, car 77)
Zhou Guanyu (China, car 24)
AlphaTauri
Nyck de Vries (Netherlands, car 21)
Yuki Tsunoda (Japan, car 22)
Alpine
Esteban Ocon (France, car 31)
Pierre Gasly (France, car 10)
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso (Spain, car 14)
Lance Stroll (Canada, car 18)
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (Monaco, car 16)
Carlos Sainz (Spain, car 55)
Haas
Kevin Magnussen (Denmark, car 20)
Nico Hulkenberg (Germany, car 27)
McLaren
Lando Norris (GB, car 4)
Oscar Piastri (Australia, car 81)
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton (GB, car 44)
George Russell (GB, car 63)
Red Bull
Max Verstappen (Netherlands, car 1)
Sergio Perez (Mexico, car 11)
Williams
Alexander Albon (Thai-GB, car 23)
Logan Sargeant (USA, car 2)
The race calendar First place winner Monaco's Formula One driver Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow celebrates with the trophy after winning the Formula One Grand Prix of Bahrain at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, 20 March 2022. EPA / ALI HAIDER
Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain IC, Sakhir
March 3-5
Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing celebrate after winning the 2022 Saudi Arabia GP at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Getty
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah
March 17-19
Williams' Ralf Schumacher is launched in the air over Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello at the start of a dramatic 2022 Australian Grand Prix. AFP
Australian Grand Prix Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit
March 31-April 2
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Baku City Circuit
April 28-30
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing wins the 2022 Grand Prix of Miami. EPA
Miami Grand Prix Miami International Autodrome
May 5-7
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Imola
May 19-21
Monaco Grand Prix Monte Carlo
May 26-28
Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates after winning the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya. AFP
Spanish Grand Prix Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
June 2-4
Canadian Grand Prix Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal
June 16-18
Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
June 30-July 2
Zhou Guanyu's Alfa Romeo crashes at the start of the British GP at Silverstone on Sunday, July 3, 2022. Getty
Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu crashes at the start of the British Grand Prix. AP
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu crashes at Silverstone. Getty
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu crashes at Silverstone. Getty
Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou crashes at the start of the British Grand Prix. AP
Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou crashes at the start of the British Grand Prix. AP
Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu after the crash. AFP
Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou crashes at the start of the British Grand Prix. AP
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu crashes into the barrier. PA
Mercedes driver George Russell checks on Guanyu Zhou. EPA
The huge crash at the start of the British GP. AP
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz celebrates after winning the British GP. AFP
Carlos Sainz and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. AFP
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz celebrates winning the race on the podium. Reuters
Carlos Sainz celebrates on the podium with second-placed Red Bull driver Sergio Perez and third-placed Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Reuters
British Grand Prix Silverstone
July 7-9
Hungarian Grand Prix Hungaroring, Mogyorod
July 21-23
Race winner Max Verstappen celebrates after the 2022 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Getty
Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps
July 28-30
Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort
August 25-27
Italian Grand Prix Monza
September 1-3
Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay, SingaporeMarina Bay, Singapore
September 15-17
Max Verstappen celebrates after becoming F1 drivers world champion at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka. AP
Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka
September 22-24
Qatar Grand Prix Losail International Circuit, Doha
October 6-8
United States Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas, Austin
October 20-22
Mexican Grand Prix Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City
October 27-29
Mercedes driver George Russell after winning the sprint race prior to the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix in 2022. EPA
Brazilian Grand Prix Interlagos, Sao Paulo
November 3-5
Las Vegas Grand Prix Las Vegas Street Circuit
November 17-19
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yas Marina
November 24-26
The Al Fursan aerial display team fly above the Yas Marina Circuit before the start of Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. Victor Besa / The National
Activists at a rally by the feminist collective NousToutes in Paris demand a new law and €2bn ($2bn) a year to tackle violence against women. AFP
Young cadets sing the national anthem during a ceremony at a boarding school in Kyiv, Ukraine. AFP
Sulma, 17, from Honduras, endures cold and wet weather while standing with other young migrants traveling without adults as they surrender to border patrol agents after being smuggled across the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. Reuters
Hermes, a young male seal that was found injured on a beach in Greece last September, is treated at the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, or Mom. Hermes and Minos, two young seals found separated from their mothers, were taken to Mom's facilities. The monk seal is one of most endangered seal species in the world and the only seal species residing in the Mediterranean Sea. EPA
Kherson residents charge their phones at the city's train station, one of the few buildings in the Ukrainian city with electricity. AFP
Flames shoot out from The Spider structure during the Arcadia Music Festival in Doha. Reuters
A resident walks on the street during a snowstorm as extreme winter weather hits Buffalo, New York. Reuters
Australia celebrates with the trophy after winning the Rugby League World Cup final against Samoa at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. AP
Snow covers T-34 tanks at the Soviet War Memorial in the Tiergarten, Berlin. EPA
Models wearing outfits made from various recycled materials wait backstage before a 'trashion show' in Sangotedo, Lagos, Nigeria. AP
The opening ceremony of the Fifa World Cup 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. Getty Images
Updated: February 10, 2023, 3:46 AM