John N
The Formula 1 season will be here before we know it, and the ramp-up to ‘lights out’ at Bahrain is gathering pace.
The first Grand Prix of 2023 is not until Sunday, March 5, but the excitement hits a new level as we go through February. Except for a launch date for the Haas, all key dates are ready to be fired into the diary.
As well as the car launches, the new Drive to Survive season premiere, and, of course, the pivotal three days of preseason testing at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the first race weekend of the year all take place in the second calendar month of the year.
Whether your diary is kept electronically or by old-school pen and paper, here’s a very helpful list of the all-important dates to put in there…
Launches of the 2023 cars
At the time of writing, nine of the ten teams have set a date for the car’s unveiling for next season. Only Haas has not yet announced anything about the launch. The Red Bull Racing team will be the first to pull the curtain off the new car on Friday, February 3. View all dates below. This table will be completed when the remaining teams announce a date.
2023 Car Launch Dates
- Red Bull Racing – Friday, February 3
- Williams – Monday, February 6
- Alfa Romeo – Tuesday, February 7
- AlphaTauri – Saturday, February 11
- Aston Martin – Monday, February 13
- McLaren – Monday, February 13
- Ferrari – Tuesday, February 14
- Mercedes – Wednesday, February 15
- Alpine – Thursday, February 16
- Haas – Not yet known
Drive to Survive – Season 5
Formula 1 has announced, in collaboration with Netflix, the date on which the fifth season of the hit series Drive to Survive will premiere. The show’s fifth series, which focuses on the 2022 season, will be available on the streaming service from February 24.
Testing in Bahrain
The test days before the 2023 Formula 1 season will occur from Thursday, February 23, to Saturday, February 25, at the Bahrain International Circuit. Just like last year, the teams have to make do with three days, whereas, in the past, this has sometimes been six days divided over two weeks at differing locations.
Formula 1 season – 2023
The official start of the season then follows pretty quickly after the test days. Teams that run into significant problems during these three days must pull out all the stops to get their cars ready.The 2023 Formula 1 season will officially start on Friday, March 3, with the first and second free practice sessions in Bahrain. Two days later, Sunday, March 5, will mark the first Grand Prix of a record 23-race calendar.
