2023 Formula One World Championship facts for kids

Max Verstappen won his third World Drivers' Championship, driving for Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT.

Red Bull Racing won their sixth World Constructors' Championship.

The 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship was a super exciting motor racing season. It was the 74th time the Formula One World Championship happened! Formula One cars are special open-wheel racing cars. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is in charge of these races. They say it's the top level of racing in the world.

This championship had twenty-two Grand Prix races all over the globe. It started in March and finished in November. Drivers and their teams competed for two big titles. These were the World Drivers' Champion and the World Constructors' Champion.

Max Verstappen was already the Drivers' Champion from last year. He won his third title in a row at the Qatar Grand Prix. His team, Red Bull Racing, also won their sixth team title. They won it at the Japanese Grand Prix, right before Max's win. It was their second team title in a row!

Teams and Drivers

Here are the teams and drivers who raced in the 2023 World Championship. All the teams used special tyres from Pirelli. Each team had to have at least two drivers, one for each of their two cars.

Teams and drivers that compete in the 2023 World Championship

Team Name	Car Maker	Car Model	Engine	Race drivers
				Number	Driver Name	Races
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	C43	Ferrari 066/10	24 77	Zhou Guanyu  Valtteri Bottas	1–17 1–17
Scuderia AlphaTauri	AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT	AT04	Honda RBPTH001	21 3 40 22	Nyck de Vries  Daniel Ricciardo  Liam Lawson  Yuki Tsunoda	1–10 11–13 13–17 1–17
BWT Alpine F1 Team	Alpine-Renault	A523	Renault E-Tech RE23	10 31	Pierre Gasly  Esteban Ocon	1–17 1–17
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	AMR23	Mercedes-AMG F1 M14	14 18	Fernando Alonso  Lance Stroll	1–17 1–17
Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	SF-23	Ferrari 066/10	16 55	Charles Leclerc  Carlos Sainz Jr.	1–17 1–17
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	Haas-Ferrari	VF-23	Ferrari 066/10	20 27	Kevin Magnussen  Nico Hülkenberg	1–17 1–17
McLaren F1 Team	McLaren-Mercedes	MCL60	Mercedes-AMG F1 M14	4 81	Lando Norris  Oscar Piastri	1–17 1–17
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes	F1 W14	Mercedes-AMG F1 M14	44 63	Lewis Hamilton  George Russell	1–17 1–17
Oracle Red Bull Racing	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT	RB19	Honda RBPTH001	1 11	Max Verstappen  Sergio Pérez	1–17 1–17
Williams Racing	Williams-Mercedes	FW45	Mercedes-AMG F1 M14	2 23	Logan Sargeant  Alexander Albon

Practice Drivers

Teams sometimes let new drivers practice. These drivers haven't raced in many Grand Prix events before. It's a rule that each team must do this twice a season.

Drivers that took part in free practice sessions during the 2023 World Championship

Car Maker	No.	Driver	Races
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	34	Felipe Drugovich	14
Ferrari	39	Robert Shwartzman

Team Changes

Honda became an engine supplier again for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. Their engines were called Honda RBPT. Honda agreed to keep helping these teams until the end of 2025.

Driver Changes

Oscar Piastri (left), Nyck de Vries (centre) and Logan Sargeant (right) made their Formula One season debuts with McLaren, AlphaTauri and Williams, respectively.

Sebastian Vettel retired after 16 seasons in Formula One. Fernando Alonso took his spot at Aston Martin. Alonso left Alpine, and Pierre Gasly moved from AlphaTauri to Alpine. Nyck de Vries then joined AlphaTauri.

Daniel Ricciardo left McLaren. Oscar Piastri made his Formula One debut and took Ricciardo's place. Nicholas Latifi left Williams. Logan Sargeant joined Williams, becoming the first American Formula One driver to race full-time since 2006. Mick Schumacher left Haas, and Nico Hülkenberg took his spot.

Mid-Season Changes

Nyck de Vries left AlphaTauri after ten races. Daniel Ricciardo returned to race for AlphaTauri starting from the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Later, Liam Lawson, a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, made his Formula One debut. He replaced Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix. Ricciardo had broken a bone in his hand during practice. Lawson also raced at the Italian Grand Prix while Ricciardo recovered.

Lance Stroll withdrew from the Singapore Grand Prix after a crash during qualifying.

Race Calendar

The 2023 season had twenty-two Grand Prix races. Some races, like the Azerbaijan and Qatar races, also included a special "sprint" format.

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Race date
1	Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	5 March
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah	19 March
3	Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	2 April
4	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	30 April
5	Miami Grand Prix	Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens, Florida	7 May
6	Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monaco	28 May
7	Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	4 June
8	Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal	18 June
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	2 July
10	British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	9 July
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	23 July
12	Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	30 July
13	Dutch Grand Prix	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort	27 August
14	Italian Grand Prix	Monza Circuit, Monza	3 September
15	Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	17 September
16	Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	24 September
17	Qatar Grand Prix	Lusail International Circuit, Lusail	8 October
18	United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	22 October
19	Mexico City Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	29 October
20	São Paulo Grand Prix	Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo	5 November
21	Las Vegas Grand Prix	Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Paradise, Nevada	18 November
22	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	26 November

New and Changed Races

The Qatar Grand Prix returned to the calendar after not being held in 2022. The Las Vegas Grand Prix was a brand new race. It took place on a street track in Las Vegas in November. This was the first time since 1982 that three races were held in the United States in one season.

The Russian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar due to a conflict. The French Grand Prix also did not happen in 2023. The Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled for the fourth year in a row because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled due to severe flooding in the area.

Rule Changes

Formula One often changes its rules to make racing safer and fairer.

Car Design Rules

Stopping "Porpoising"

In 2022, cars sometimes bounced a lot, like a porpoise. This was called "porpoising". To stop this, the FIA made changes. The edges of the car's floor were raised. The diffuser, a part under the car, was also raised. New sensors were added to check for porpoising.

Roll Hoop Design

After a crash in 2022, the roll hoop design was updated. The roll hoop is a safety structure above the driver's head. It now has a rounded top. This helps prevent it from digging into the ground during an accident.

Mirror Size

The side-mirrors on the cars were made bigger. They changed from 150x50mm to 200x60mm. This helps drivers see better behind them.

Weight and Fuel Temperature

The allowed weight of the cars was supposed to go down. However, it stayed mostly the same because the new Pirelli tyres were heavier. The weight of the engine parts was slightly increased. Also, the minimum fuel temperature was changed to 10°C.

Front Wing Slots

The rules about the front wing were changed. This was to make sure that certain parts, called slot gap separators, were only there for strength. They should not be used to gain an unfair aerodynamic advantage.

Race Rules

To help the environment, Formula One tried using fewer tyres. At some races, teams had 11 sets of tyres instead of 13. Usually, teams can choose their tyres for qualifying. But at these races, they had to use hard tyres in Q1, medium in Q2, and soft in Q3, if the weather was dry.

Pirelli also introduced a new tyre compound. This gives teams more options for their race strategy. A new full wet tyre was also made. This helps reduce the need for safety cars or red flags in rainy races.

There were only three days of pre-season testing in 2023. This was less than in 2022. Rules about team radio messages were also relaxed.

Sprint Races

The "sprint" format was used at six Grand Prix events in 2023. This was more than in 2021 and 2022. During sprint weekends, teams could change more parts on their cars.

A new weekend format was introduced for sprint events.

• Friday: One practice session, then qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix.
• Saturday: A new "sprint shootout" session, which sets the grid for the sprint race. The sprint race then takes place.
• Sunday: The main Grand Prix race.

The sprint shootout was shorter than regular qualifying. Drivers also had specific tyre rules for each part of the shootout.

Points for Shortened Races

The rules for giving out points in races that end early were made clearer. If less than 75% of a race is completed, a special points system is used. This applies whether the race finishes under a red flag or green flag.

Political Statements

The FIA updated its rules about drivers making "political, religious, and personal statements". Drivers and teams now need permission from the FIA before making such statements during race weekends. This rule was made to keep the sport neutral. Drivers can still share their opinions on social media or in press conferences if asked.

COVID-19 Rules

The FIA also relaxed its COVID-19 safety rules. People working in the paddock no longer needed proof of vaccination. Mandatory masks and testing had already been removed in 2022.

Money Rules

The budget cap for teams was set at $135 million. This is the maximum amount of money teams can spend. It was adjusted to account for inflation and the number of races. Teams also agreed to let the FIA check their factories more easily. This helps make sure everyone follows the budget rules.

Season Highlights

Pre-Season Testing

Teams had one pre-season test in Bahrain from February 23-25. Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll missed the test. He had a cycling accident and was replaced by reserve driver Felipe Drugovich.

First Races

• Bahrain Grand Prix: Red Bull Racing started strong. Max Verstappen won easily, followed by his teammate Sergio Pérez. Fernando Alonso finished third for Aston Martin.
• Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Pérez took pole position and won the race. Verstappen started 15th but finished second. Alonso was third again.
• Australian Grand Prix: Verstappen won, even after being overtaken at the start. Lewis Hamilton finished second, and Alonso was third. This race had three red flags, a new record!
• Azerbaijan Grand Prix: This was the first sprint event. Charles Leclerc took pole for both the sprint and the main race. Pérez won the sprint. In the main race, Pérez won again, with Verstappen second and Leclerc third.
• Miami Grand Prix: Pérez got pole position. Verstappen started ninth but drove brilliantly to win the race. Pérez was second, and Alonso was third.
• Monaco Grand Prix: Verstappen took pole and won this famous race. Alonso finished second, his best result of the season. Esteban Ocon got his first podium since 2021.
• Spanish Grand Prix: Verstappen dominated again, winning from pole position. Hamilton finished second, and George Russell was third. This moved Mercedes to second in the team standings.

Mid-Season Races

• Canadian Grand Prix: Verstappen continued his winning streak. He won Red Bull Racing's 100th Formula One victory. Alonso was second, and Hamilton third.
• Austrian Grand Prix: Verstappen won both the sprint and the main race. He led every lap of the main race. Leclerc finished second, and Pérez was third. Many drivers got penalties for going off track.
• British Grand Prix: McLaren showed great improvement. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified second and third. Verstappen won his sixth race in a row. Norris finished second, and Hamilton was third. Red Bull Racing tied a record with 11 consecutive wins.
• Hungarian Grand Prix: Hamilton took pole position, his first since 2021. But Verstappen won, making it seven wins in a row. Norris was second, and Pérez third. Red Bull Racing set a new record with 12 consecutive wins.
• Belgian Grand Prix: Another sprint weekend. Verstappen won the sprint. In the main race, he started sixth due to a penalty but still won his eighth race in a row. Pérez was second, and Leclerc third.
• Dutch Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo was injured in practice and replaced by Liam Lawson. Verstappen won his home race, equaling a record of nine consecutive wins. Alonso was second, and Pierre Gasly was third.
• Italian Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz Jr. started on pole. Verstappen passed him and won his tenth consecutive race, breaking a record! Sainz and Leclerc finished third and fourth.

Final Races

• Singapore Grand Prix: Sainz took pole and won the race! This was a big moment as it ended Verstappen's winning streak. Norris and Hamilton joined him on the podium. Red Bull Racing struggled this weekend.
• Japanese Grand Prix: Verstappen returned to pole and won his 13th race of the season. Norris was second, and Piastri got his first-ever Grand Prix podium. Verstappen's win meant Red Bull Racing won the World Constructors' Championship!
• Qatar Grand Prix: This was a sprint weekend. Oscar Piastri won the sprint race, his first F1 victory. Max Verstappen finished second in the sprint, which was enough for him to win his third consecutive Drivers' Championship because Sergio Pérez crashed out. In the main race, Verstappen dominated. Piastri and Norris completed the podium. McLaren also set a new record for the fastest pit stop!

Results and Standings

Grand Prix Winners

Round	Grand Prix	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Winning Team
1	Bahrain Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Zhou Guanyu	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
2	Saudi Arabian Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez	Max Verstappen	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
3	Australian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Sergio Pérez	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
4	Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Charles Leclerc	George Russell	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
5	Miami Grand Prix	Sergio Pérez	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
6	Monaco Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Lewis Hamilton	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
7	Spanish Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
8	Canadian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Sergio Pérez	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
9	Austrian Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
10	British Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
11	Hungarian Grand Prix	Lewis Hamilton	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
12	Belgian Grand Prix	Charles Leclerc	Lewis Hamilton	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
13	Dutch Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Fernando Alonso	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
14	Italian Grand Prix	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Oscar Piastri	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
15	Singapore Grand Prix	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Lewis Hamilton	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari
16	Japanese Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
17	Qatar Grand Prix	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
18	United States Grand Prix
19	Mexico City Grand Prix
20	São Paulo Grand Prix
21	Las Vegas Grand Prix
22	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

How Points Are Scored

Points are given to the top ten drivers in a Grand Prix. The driver with the fastest lap also gets one point, but only if they finish in the top ten. In sprint races, the top eight drivers get points. If two drivers have the same points, the one with more wins is ranked higher.

Driver Standings

Pos. Driver BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points 1 Max Verstappen 1P 2F 1P 23 1F 1P 1PF 1P 1P 1 F 1PF 1F 11 1P 1 5 1PF 400 2 Sergio Pérez 2 1P 5F 11 2P 16 4 6F 32 6 3 2 4 2 8 Ret 223 3 Lewis Hamilton 5 5 2 67 6 4F 2 3 8 3 4P 47 F 6 6 3F 5 190 4 Fernando Alonso 3 3 3 46 3 2 7 2 55 7 9 5 2F 9 15 8 174 5 Carlos Sainz Jr. 4 6 12 55 5 8 5 5 63 10 8 Ret4 5 3P 1P 6 150 6 Charles Leclerc Ret 7 Ret 3P 2 7 6 11 4 2 9 7 3P 5 Ret 4 4 4 135 7 Lando Norris 17 17 6 9 17 9 17 13 4 2 2 76 7 8 2 2 115 8 George Russell 7 4 Ret 84 F 4 5 3 Ret 78 5 6 68 17 5 16 7 115 9 Oscar Piastri Ret 15 8 11 19 10 13 11 16 4 5 Ret2 9 12F 7 3 57 10 Lance Stroll 6 Ret 4 78 12 Ret 6 9 94 14 10 9 11 16 WD Ret 47 11 Pierre Gasly 9 9 13 14 8 7 10 12 10 18 Ret 113 3 15 6 10 46 12 Esteban Ocon Ret 8 14 15 9 3 8 8 147 Ret Ret 8 10 Ret Ret 9 38 13 Alexander Albon 10 Ret Ret 12 14 14 16 7 11 8 11 14 8 7 11 Ret 21 14 Nico Hülkenberg 15 12 7 17 15 17 15 15 Ret6 13 14 18 12 17 13 14 9 15 Valtteri Bottas 8 18 11 18 13 11 19 10 15 12 12 12 14 10 Ret Ret 6 16 Zhou Guanyu 16F 13 9 Ret 16 13 9 16 12 15 16 13 Ret 14 12 13 4 17 Yuki Tsunoda 11 11 10 10 11 15 12 14 19 16 15 10 15 DNS Ret 12 3 18 Kevin Magnussen 13 10 17 13 10 19 18 17 18 Ret 17 15 16 18 10 15 3 19 Liam Lawson 13 11 9 11 2 20 Logan Sargeant 12 16 16 16 20 18 20 Ret 13 11 18 17 Ret 13 14 Ret 0 21 Nyck de Vries 14 14 15 Ret 18 12 14 18 17 17 0 22 Daniel Ricciardo 13 16 WD 0 Pos. Driver BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap Superscript number Points-scoring position in sprint

Notes:

•  – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Team Standings

Pos. Constructor BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points 1 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 0 2 Mercedes 0 3 Ferrari 0 4 Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 0 5 McLaren-Mercedes 0 6 Alpine-Renault 0 7 Williams-Mercedes 0 8 Haas-Ferrari 0 9 Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 0 10 AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT 0 Pos. Constructor BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver Second place Bronze Third place Green Other points position Blue Other classified position Not classified, finished (NC) Purple Not classified, retired (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not practice (DNP) Excluded (EX) Did not arrive (DNA) Withdrawn (WD) Did not enter (empty cell) Annotation Meaning P Pole position F Fastest lap Superscript number Points-scoring position in sprint

Notes:

•  – Driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
• Rows are not related to the drivers: within each constructor, individual Grand Prix standings are sorted purely based on the final classification in the race (not by total points scored in the event, which includes points awarded for fastest lap and sprint).

See also

In Spanish: Temporada 2023 de Fórmula 1 para niños