F1 2023 Calendar: madness of grandeur!

We were waiting for confirmation, she fell. In 2023, the 20 drivers on the grid F1 will have a very busy calendar with no less than 24 Grands Prix on the menu. A record figure reached in particular with the return of the Grands Prix of China (if the health situation permits...) and of Qatar, absent in 2022 due to the Football World Cup, and especially the long-awaited (and publicized) arrival of the Las Vegas Grand Prix !

If the number of race weekends makes some salivate (especially among decision-makers), those involved in the paddock are already anticipating a very (very) long year, which will take them to all continents in a little over 8 months.

A record schedule in record time

Never has F1 competed in so many Grands Prix. In the trough of the wave just a few years ago, the premier category found a second wind which allowed it to gain considerably in popularity and above all to reach a whole new audience thanks to social networks and largely to Netflix. Thus, interest has continued to grow in recent years and Liberty Media found itself faced with an influx of requests encouraging it to expand its schedule to 24 dates, the maximum allowed by the Concorde Agreements signed by all the teams and the FIA ​​in the summer of 2020.

After the 22 Grands Prix in 2021 and 2022, F1 has decided to raise the bar by adding two additional races, bringing the total to 24. A “historic” season which will start earlier and end at the very end of November. 

Used to launching hostilities in the 2^e fortnight in March, Formula 1 has this time chosen to kick off on March 5 in Bahrain. Thus begins a 37-week marathon to compete in no less than 24 Grands Prix in the four corners of the world. Because in addition to the record number of weekends, the actors will travel a lot in the space of only 8 months with often very long sequences in a short time.

In 2023, drivers and teams will cover no less than 133.570 km in 37 weeks (not counting the fact that the drivers return home between rounds) according to estimates. The start of the season will already be very busy for the paddock with 5 Grands Prix in 8 weeks, from Bahrain to Baku (Azerbaijan) before passing through Saudi Arabia, Australia and even China.

F1 will then cross the Atlantic for the Miami Grand Prix (May 7) before launching the European tour in earnest at Imola (May 21). A strange journey which allows you to accumulate kilometers by plane across 4 different continents (Asia, Oceania, Europe and America) at a time when F1 advocates ecology more than ever with the objective of carbon neutrality set for 2030 .

Regionalization almost abandoned

Faced with the influx of requests but also to respect their ecological commitment, the leaders of Liberty Media had mentioned a possible regionalization of the calendar to avoid long return trips between European meetings and those placed particularly in North America at the start of the year with Miami and Canada. Finally, we notice that this has not really been applied.

After Azerbaijan (April 30), F1 will cross the Atlantic for the first time for the Miami Grand Prix a week later. The organizers could therefore have taken advantage of their presence on the American continent to continue with the Canadian Grand Prix. Well no. Before the Canadian meeting scheduled for June 18, the paddock will return to Europe to compete in 3 events (Emilia-Romagna, Monaco and Spain).

By opening the doors wide to new destinations, Formula 1 found itself with an (over)loaded calendar. So much the better for the new generation of spectators eager for Grands Prix. The pilots, and especially the mechanics who do not fly in Business class, will have to prepare for the season of all records.

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