In 2023, Formula One Racing is heading to 24 unique circuits. These 24 circuits are located in 21 different countries and span five different continents. There is the addition of one new circuit, the loss of a classic circuit, the return of two circuits, and many visits to fan favorite circuits. Next year’s calendar also features five double headers and two triple headers.
Adding the Las Vegas Grand Prix means big things for both Formula One and the United States. Since the premier of Netflix’s docuseries Drive to Survive, Formula One’s popularity has grown exponentially over the course of the last few years. The Miami Grand Prix joined the United States Grand Prix in Austin as a second stop in the U.S. Not long after, fans started speculating if a third circuit would be added in America. This past summer those theories were confirmed with the announcement of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. This race will break from the traditional race weekend structure by hosting its feature race on Saturday night rather than the usual Sunday afternoon. The Las Vegas Grand Prix will take place on November 18 at 10 p.m. Pacific time.
The 2023 race calendar also sees the return of two circuits. The first of these is the Qatar Grand Prix. Qatar hosted its first race back in 2021 but was absent from the 2022 calendar due to the country focusing on hosting the FIFA World Cup. The other race making a return is the Chinese Grand Prix. F1 hasn’t visited the country in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but 2023 will be the year it makes its return.
Formula One is an ever-changing and ever-growing sport and because of that sometimes-classic circuits have to be left off the schedule. The French Grand Prix was noticeably absent when the race schedule was announced. This isn’t the first time the sport has axed the French Grand Prix and it will probably not be the last classic circuit to receive this treatment. As the sport continues to expand, rumors that other circuits such as Belgium’s Spa Francorchamps could be next on the chopping block.
Following the announcement of the 2023 calendar, it was announced that six of the 24 races would feature sprint races. Sprint races were added in 2021 as a way to add more action to the race weekends. These races require teams and drivers to compete in a shorter race to determine the starting grid places for the feature race. Adding these to a race weekend takes away one of the practice sessions and bumps the traditional race qualifying to the first day. This qualifying session determines the order for the sprint race’s start. Aside from just adding to the action, the sprint race is also a time for drivers to earn more points in the championship. The top eight finishers all earn points based on their position which is added to their total.
While the 2023 season may be a few months away, you can still catch this year’s championship battle. There are five races left on the 2022 calendar with the first of those being a stop in Japan on October 9. This race might be a little harder to watch, considering the feature race starts at 1 a.m. Eastern time. But don’t worry, a few weeks later F1 is back in the US with teams heading to Austin, Texas on October 23 with race time set for 3 p.m. Eastern time.
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