Formula One 2023 season: Key talking points ahead of the new campaign

However, their early optimism wavered. Hamilton spoke of underlying problems with this year’s car – an evolution of last season’s machine that Hamilton was desperate to consign to history.

It seems certain that the black-liveried cars will be off Red Bull’s pace in Bahrain. There is hope at Mercedes – perhaps misconceived – that they will make inroads but Hamilton is 4/1 in the F1 world championship betting while Russell is 12/1.

Will Hamilton sign a new contract?

Hamilton is gearing up for his 17th season in F1 with a year to run on his current £40million-a-deal.

Hamilton and Mercedes insist that a new contract – one which is likely to extend the seven-time world champion’s F1 stay into his forties – is a formality.

However, Hamilton, 38, has also said he does not want to end his career by making up the numbers and if an extension is a formality, why has it not been signed?

Should Mercedes fail to deliver Hamilton a winning car, then there is a chance, albeit a slim one, that this could be his final year in the sport.

What about the other teams?

Ferrari, with former Alfa Romeo chief Frederic Vasseur now at the helm following Mattia Binotto’s departure, will want to bounce back from a year plagued by mechanical failures and toe-curling strategic mistakes.

There were some encouraging signs in testing that Ferrari will be there or thereabouts, but whether Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the machine to challenge Verstappen over the course of a 23-race campaign is uncertain. Leclerc is 4/1 to win the world title while Ferrari are 3/1 in the constructors’ championship odds.

#F1Testing ✅ 417 laps and 2,257 KM over three days 🤯#F1 #Charles16 #Carlos55 pic.twitter.com/O3chgVk9nm

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 25, 2023

Aston Martin have underwhelmed since returning to F1, but the Silverstone squad, led by the ambitious fashion billionaire Lawrence Stroll, look ready to move up the grid.

However, McLaren could be braced for a poor campaign. CEO Zak Brown has already said his team has not met its performance targets and they looked sluggish in testing. Reliability could be a problem, too. They completed the fewest laps of any of the grid’s 10 teams.

Have there been any driver changes?

At the age of 41, Fernando Alonso is set to embark on another chapter of his remarkable career following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin. The double world champion replaces Sebastian Vettel, a winner of four titles, who headed for retirement.

Pierre Gasly takes Alonso’s place to join Esteban Ocon in an all-French line-up for the French team. Highly-rated Australian rookie Oscar Piastri teams up with Lando Norris at McLaren after the popular Daniel Ricciardo was told to clear his desk.

Elsewhere, veteran Nico Hulkenberg is back following Mick Schumacher’s Haas axe, while Dutchman Nyck de Vries and American Logan Sargeant are set for their first seasons on the grid with Alpha Tauri and Williams respectively.

What else has happened during the winter break?

Binotto’s failure to deliver the world championship for Ferrari saw him replaced by Vasseur as team principal. Andreas Seidl left McLaren to head up Alfa Romeo, which will become Audi in 2026. Andrea Stella was promoted at McLaren to fill Seidl’s shoes, while James Vowles, a key figure in Hamilton’s success with Mercedes, departed the Silver Arrows to become team principal at Williams.

Meanwhile there are question marks over Mohammed ben Sulayem’s position as FIA president following the surprise announcement that he has relinquished day-to-day control of F1 following a string of controversies.

How does the Formula One 2023 calendar look?

F1 bosses have laid down a record 23-round campaign to be completed in nine months. The Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled and will not be replaced, while an eagerly-anticipated debut race on the Las Vegas strip is set for November. Qatar makes its second appearance on the F1 schedule.

Lights, camera, Vegas 🎬 The boys are ready to hit The Strip this November! #LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Vw2xKFuXWV

— F1 Las Vegas (@F1LasVegas) February 28, 2023

The British Grand Prix will be on July 9, avoiding a direct clash with the Wimbledon men’s singles final (July 16) and golf’s Open Championship, which concludes on July 23.

Six sprint races, up from three last year, are also due in the Formula One 2023 season – with Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin (USA) and Brazil selected as the venues.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication