German FAZ: Everything you need to know about Formula 1 2023005358

What does Formula 1 stand for?
The cars that start in Formula 1 have to comply with certain rules, i.e. formulas. The aim is to create approximately the same conditions for the participants. So Formula 1 designates a certain category of racing cars in motorsport. The regulatory authority is the International Automobile Federation FIA. The rules are constantly evolving and changing every year. There were extensive changes for the 2022 season, this year the rule holders are making only a few corrections. The next major upheaval is in 2026, when new engine regulations will take effect. In addition to Formula 1, there is also Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4 and Formula E. Formula cars are so-called monoposto racing cars, you could also say: single-seaters. And: The wheels must be free-standing.

When does the new F1 season 2023 start?

Sonke Sievers

Deputy Head of Department for Sport Online.

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Formula 1 comes on Sundays at 2:00 p.m.? That was once. In the meantime it has become much more complicated to switch on in time for the start. That has to do with the many races overseas. The first race of the new 2023 season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, starts this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. CET (in the F.A.Z. live ticker for Formula 1 and on Sky.) It has long been dark in Bahrain, because the kingdom in Arabia is German time two hours ahead. At the start of the season, the fans experience a night race on the Bahrain International Circuit, as the racetrack is called.

When is Formula 1 qualifying?
Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix starts this Saturday at 16:00 CET, which corresponds to 18:00 local time.

Which channel is broadcasting the races?
The pay channel Sky shows all Formula 1 races in Germany in 2023 live. Fans have to take out a subscription for this.

Which races will RTL 2023 broadcast?
RTL will not be showing any Formula 1 races in 2023. Four races were broadcast live there in 2022, but the Cologne broadcaster has ended the relevant cooperation with Sky and instead wants to focus on soccer and football. It is not yet known whether another broadcaster will broadcast some of the races free-to-air.

Who is the current Formula 1 World Champion?
The current world champion is Max Verstappen. The 25-year-old Dutchman drives for Red Bull and has won the title in the past two years.

Who is the record world champion in Formula 1?
Record world champions in Formula 1 are Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers shaped an era for their part. Michael Schumacher was world champion in 1994 and 1995 with the Benetton team and five times between 2000 and 2004 with Ferrari. This record was considered unbreakable, but then came Lewis Hamilton. The Englishman first triumphed in his second season in 2008. He won the next two titles in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 his stable rival Nico Rosberg slowed him down. Between 2017 and 2020, Hamilton won four more titles. Then Max Verstappen stopped his series for the time being.

Which Formula 1 team has the most wins in a season?
Mercedes has won the most races in a season so far. In 2016, the Silver Arrows won 19 of 21 races. If Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg hadn’t knocked each other out in the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, 20 wins would have been likely. But Max Verstappen won his first race in Formula 1 in the Red Bull. Later in the year, Daniel Ricciardo was able to win in the second Red Bull in Malaysia. By the way: in 2016, Mercedes also took pole position 20 times.

What about Mick Schumacher?
Mick Schumacher will no longer drive for hate in 2023. Instead, he is a reserve driver for Mercedes and McLaren. Nico Hulkenberg, who is now the last remaining German regular driver in Formula 1, takes over Schumacher’s cockpit.

Where can I buy Formula 1 tickets?
To buy Formula 1 tickets, the series’ website is the best place to go. Interested parties can search for the Grand Prix of their choice at tickets.formula1.com and will then be forwarded to the respective organizer. It pays to be quick: the races on European routes in particular always sell out quickly – especially the slightly cheaper places. This also applies to hotels, flights and rental cars.

How many Formula 1 races will there be in 2023?
Formula 1 will have 23 races in 2023 – more than ever before. The dates in the overview:

Bahrain Grand Prix 05/03/2023 at 16:00 CET
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 19/03/2023 at 18:00 CET
Australian Grand Prix 02/04/2023 07:00 CEST
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 30/04/2023 13:00 CEST
Miami Grand Prix 07/05/2023 21:30 CEST
Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna 05/21/2023 15:00 CEST
Monaco Grand Prix 28/05/2023 15:00 CEST
Spanish Grand Prix 04/06/2023 15:00 CEST
Canadian Grand Prix 18/06/2023 20:00 CEST
Austrian Grand Prix 02.07.2023 3 p.m. CEST
British Grand Prix 09/07/2023 16:00 CEST
Hungarian Grand Prix 23.07.2023 15:00 CEST
Belgian Grand Prix 30/07/2023 15:00 CEST
Dutch Grand Prix 08/27/2023 15:00 CEST
Italian Grand Prix 03/09/2023 15:00 CEST
Singapore Grand Prix 17/09/2023 14:00 CEST
Japanese Grand Prix 09/24/2023 07:00 CEST
Qatar Grand Prix 08/10/2023 16:00 CEST
US Grand Prix 22/10/2023 21:00 CEST
Mexican Grand Prix 29/10/2023 21:00 CET
Brazilian Grand Prix 05/11/2023 18:00 CET
Las Vegas Grand Prix 18/11/2023 07:00 CET
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 26/11/2023 14:00 CET

How many points are there for a win in Formula 1?
Whoever wins a race in Formula 1 gets 25 championship points. Here is an overview of who gets how many points:

First: 25 points
Second: 18 points
Third: 15 points
Fourth: 12 points
Fifth: 10 points
Sixth: 8 points
Seventh: 6 points
Eighth: 4 points
Ninth: 2 points
Tenth: 1 point

The person who drives the fastest lap of the race can get an extra point. The only condition: in order to receive the bonus point, the driver must be in the top ten.

Will there be sprint races in Formula 1 in 2023?
For 2023, the number of sprint races has been increased. In 2022 there were three of these short races over 100 kilometers, in 2023 there will be six. These take place in Baku, Spielberg, Spa-Francorchamps, Qatar, Austin and São Paulo. These races are held on Saturday, and the result determines the starting grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday.

How many points does the winner of the sprint race in Formula 1 get?
The winner of the sprint race can look forward to eight points. Here is the overview:

First: 8 points
Second: 7 points
Third: 6 points
Fourth: 5 points
Fifth: 4 points
Sixth: 3 points
Seventh: 2 points
Eighth: 1 point

What rule changes will there be in Formula 1 in 2023?
There were extensive rule changes in Formula 1 2022. Since then, ground effect cars have been driven again. But the set of rules was also changed somewhat for the new 2023 season. Here are the most important innovations:

Bouncing: In order to curb the bouncing of the cars on the straight, the so-called bouncing – this phenomenon occurred with the return of the ground effect cars – the underbody of the racers was raised by 15 millimeters for the new season. The diffuser shaft is also moved upwards and its edges stiffened. In addition, to monitor the behavior of the car, an additional sensor was installed on the bottom of the car.

Roll bar: A serious accident occurred at the 2022 British Grand Prix when Zhou Guanyu rolled over in his Alfa-Sauber and skidded headfirst down the track. Zhou was unharmed. A new rule now affects the roll bar, which pierced the asphalt and broke off during Zhou’s crash. To prevent this from happening again, its shape has been changed. The upper end must now be rounded off and should no longer taper to a point. In addition, the load test that the roll bar has to withstand changes. In the future, the pressure will be exerted further up. There is also a new test that pushes the bracket forward.

Rear-view mirrors: The rear-view mirrors will be wider in 2023, namely 20 instead of 15 centimetres. This is to improve rearward visibility.

Sprint races: In 2023 there will be six sprint races in Formula 1. So far there have been three. They take place on the tracks in Baku, Spielberg, Spa-Francorchamps, Qatar, Austin and São Paulo. This affects the cost cap: there is an additional $300,000 (282,681 euros) for each team per sprint race. By the way: Formula 1 also wants to experiment with the DRS system at this year’s sprint races. In the 100-kilometre races this year, it will be activated just one lap after the start, so far the drivers could only fold in the rear wing from the third lap. This also applies after safety car phases. If it proves successful, it could become standard in 2024.

Working hours: Formula 1 wants to curb the workload of team members. In return, the time in which work can be carried out on the cars is shortened. There are already three of these so-called curfews. The third, which comes into effect on Friday evening, started 13 hours before the start of the third practice session on Saturday. Now it starts an hour earlier, and in 2024 it will start 15 hours earlier. And something else is changing: the teams will have fewer jokers in the future to lift the curfew. So far there have been eight exceptions for the first blocking period on Wednesday evening, only four in 2023 and two in 2024. For the second blocking period on Thursday evening, three instead of six jokers remain, in 2024 two. As far as Friday evening is concerned, there will still be two exceptions in 2023.

Tires: Formula 1 practices sustainability and in this sense wants to use fewer tires. In 2023, a new qualifying will therefore be tried twice. Then the tire mixtures to be driven for the individual qualifying sections are precisely specified. Only hard Pirellis may then be used in the so-called Q1, the medium mixture in Q2 and the soft ones in Q3. This would save each driver two sets of tires per weekend. It is not yet known at which Grand Prix the experiment will take place for the first time.

In addition, Formula 1 is introducing a new tire compound: where there were previously five different Pirelli compounds, named C1 to C5, there is now a sixth variety, called C0. Actually, this is the tire that used to be called the C1. But because there is a new C1, the former C1 has now been named C0. And: Formula 1 plans to do without heating blankets in 2024, with which the tires are heated to 70 degrees Celsius so that they stick to the track faster when it starts. As early as 2023, a new rain tire that no longer requires electric blankets will be used for the first time at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola.

Minimum weight: Incidentally, a rule change that was planned for 2023 was not implemented. The minimum weight that the cars are allowed to weigh should be reduced by two kilograms – in recent years, Formula 1 cars have become heavier and heavier for various reasons. The racers are currently allowed to weigh 798 kilograms – including the driver, oil and brake fluid, but without fuel. For 2023, the cars should be two kilograms lighter, but nothing will come of it for the time being. At least for the start of the season it remains at 798 kilograms.

Why isn’t there Formula 1 in Germany?
Formula 1 used to be a regular guest in Germany, in some years even twice. German Grand Prix circuits are the Hockenheimring near Heidelberg and the Nürburgring in the Eifel. The German Grand Prix mostly took place in Hockenheim, for the last time in 2019. When the corona pandemic hit in 2020, some races were cancelled, the Nürburgring jumped in on favorable terms, and so the Eifel Grand Prix took place – for legal reasons it was allowed Race is not called the Grand Prix of Germany.

Formula 1 races at the Nürburgring have also been held as the Grand Prix of Luxembourg or the Grand Prix of Europe. There won’t be a German Grand Prix in the foreseeable future, that’s because of the costs. Formula 1 is booming worldwide and can therefore demand a lot of money from the track operators, on average 25 million euros, so that the circus stops there.