The 2023 Formula One Season

Yep, time for me to start the thread for next year’s season already.

After a bit of a disappointment in that there was almost no competition for RBR this year due to Ferrari throwing it all away and Mercedes producing a rare absolute dog, I think anyone interested in F1 will be hoping for a closer battle in ‘23.

A few changes for next year, although nothing set in stone quite yet.


Technical regulations

Following porpoising during 2022, the FIA is proposing to introduce changes to the regulations to limit excessive porpoising. Floor edges would be raised by 15 millimetres (0.59 in) and the throat of the diffuser would also be raised, by a yet to be determined amount. The diffuser edge stiffness will be increased and an additional sensor will be mandated to monitor the porpoising phenomenon more effectively. Lateral floor deflection tests are also due to be more stringent. Following Zhou Guanyu's crash at the 2022 British Grand Prix, a rounded top will now be required on the roll hoop, which will reduce the chance of it digging into the ground during an accident; a change will be made to ensure a minimum height for the point of application of the homologation test; there will be a new physical homologation test where the load pushes the roll hoop in the forward direction; there will be a definition of new tests, to be carried out by calculation.


Sporting regulations

With the intention of making tyre usage more sustainable in the future, Formula One will trial a reduction in allocated tyre sets from 13 to 11 at two races in 2023. At these races the use of tyres in qualifying will be mandated as hard in Q1, medium in Q2 and soft in Q3, assuming that the weather is dry. Teams are usually free to choose which tyre compound they run during qualifying.


Sprint events

Sprint races are due to be run at six Grands Prix for 2023, compared to three in 2021 and 2022. They are due to take place at the Azerbaijan, Austrian, Belgian, United States and São PauloGrands Prix, with a sixth event yet to be announced.


Testing

There is due to be one pre-season test, at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir on 23–25 February.

I’ll get round to teams/drivers when I can be arsed

 

C’mon Max

 

Thanks for the comprehensive and considered thread Tony. An example to us all.

 

Cripes.

 

Sprint race around Spa: Installation lap, formation lap, two race laps, cooling down/celebration lap

 

Already looking forward to next year:
With any luck Ferrari will get their act together
Merx should be up there with RB
Hope McLaren, Aston Martin can also up their game… bring it on!

 

Strange that so few compained of a "procession" this year. More tedious sprints after saying they wanted tyre strategy to be more sustainable.

 

The 2022 aero changes mean that cars can follow more closely without damaging their tyres so much and the DRS was very powerful on many tracks so we did get DRS assisted overtaking. We did see a few DRS trains where the speed difference was not great enough and there were 4 to 5 cars line astern just following one car all with DRS but not enough to pass.

On the whole moving to ground effect has been a positive I think - especially for RB with the only designer who was around for the last time ground effect was legal - and close racing is possible. The teams will close up next year as they always do with constant regulations and we can see more races for the lead.

 

I would imagine there will be a lot of Red Bull and Ferrari clones next year as they were the only teams that had the best all round cars , most will leave out Ferrari strategy and tactics ! The Mercedes will definately be in a skip or used for a bucking bronco ride

 

For a bit of off-season fun.

I really can’t see anyone doing this with a hybrid F1 engine. If you can, turn the volume right up.

 

do you expect that checo perez and max verstappen stay in the same team?

if yes, would they drive one against each other?

 

Max and Daniel had some fights in the past, but Checo isn't close enough to fight Max. Even RedBull probably needs him closer to Max when more races will get more competitive, with Ferrari more reliable and Mercedes closer. George and Lewis might be too close.

 

Daniel Ricciardo to be No. 3 at Red Bull, if the guy on YouTube is to be believed.

An interesting take on this move is that it was suggested DR's media personality and following would be put to use as a RB promotional tool.....

 

It was announced officially last Wednesday.

 

I also feel this is the perfect antidote to Perez rocking the boat with Verstappen. If he chooses not to play the part required RB have another very capable driver ready to take his place. It's a hell of a lever to have and is going to make Perez think carefully about any complaints he may have in the future.

To be blunt if you want to win championships you really need a clear number 1 driver unless your car is stratospherically better than the rest. I feel that even in Mercedes can become competitive in 2023 they simply won't have enough of an advantage over the field to run their drivers as equals and if they do it could well come back to haunt them.

 

Has anyone ever believed the 'equals' schtick? I guess you can just about make a less than ideal case at the start of a season, but it soon becomes clear that one driver will have the team's best chance of winning. I have always assumed that the top banana in any team has that in the unwritten part of the contract.

The fuss about Perez was not that he was being treated as equal, that was never the case, more that in the particular instance the team had already won the Championship and had a realistic chance of number two. Instead, despite having teamate's help on numerous occasions, a real number two (geddit?) just showed his own personal colours when presented with a chance to reciprocate.

 

I like Christian Horner, but dont like Toto Wolff. I like George Russel but don't like Hamilton.

I do like Bottas and the Alfa car looks great. I also like Gasly and Renault look like a threat perhaps.

I can't work out who to support this season. Probaby George Russel, as he has a chance, looks like a vintage film star and he's English (I think?).

Wish they'd put Raikonnen back in a car. He was my favourite since James Hunt.

 

You don't like Hamilton Rich? I'm shocked. BTW Lewis is also English.

 

No. Why are you shocked? He is irritating. That counts for double points, being English only counts for half.

 

Yeah right, Lewis is irritating.