Formula One appears to be going greater, brighter and bolder this season, with an epic 23-race calendar set to mild up the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen vying for a 3rd consecutive championship.
The 25-year-old Dutch driver is the favourite for the opener in Bahrain on March 5, with the game hoping he has a tougher time than final 12 months when he received 15 of twenty-two races and took the title with 4 rounds to spare.
Testing final week at Sakhir steered Red Bull stay on pole however with Ferrari’s 2022 runner-up Charles Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz the closest challengers in what shall be an intense improvement battle.
If Ferrari, now beneath the administration of French boss Fred Vasseur, get their act collectively and the automobile working to most impact then a primary title since 2008 might but be on the playing cards.
Mercedes have loads to do if Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of changing into Formula One’s first eight occasions world champion are to not evaporate once more.
“Ferrari look like they’re quick. Mercedes’ form is difficult to read at the moment. Are they holding something back? We’ll see this time next week,” mentioned Red Bull boss Christian Horner on the weekend.
On the plus aspect, Mercedes have banished the ‘porpoising’ that tormented them final 12 months however nonetheless want extra pace.
With the retirement of four-times champion Sebastian Vettel on the finish of final season, Hamilton now has extra wins than the remaining put collectively however including a record-extending 104th shall be one thing particular.
No driver has ever received after reaching 300 begins and Hamilton, 38, is making ready for his 311th after the profession first of failing to win something final 12 months.
He mentioned Mercedes nonetheless had a mountain to climb.
“We have some things we need to work on, it’s still not perfect and we’re still not able to match the Red Bulls, or the Ferraris, currently,” he added.
Evolution not revolution
Double world champion Fernando Alonso, who at 41 is about to grow to be the primary driver to race in 20 completely different seasons, might even be sooner than Hamilton with the brand new Aston Martin making an enormous impression.
In midfield, the battle may very well be nearer with the 2023 vehicles very a lot an evolution after final 12 months’s guidelines revolution.
McLaren had a poor take a look at, finishing the fewest laps, whereas tail-enders Williams confirmed shocking pace. Renault-owned Alpine purpose to defend fourth general with Pierre Gasly becoming a member of Esteban Ocon in an all-French lineup.
German veteran Nico Hulkenberg is again for his first full season since 2019, now at Haas.
Six of the ten groups have modified driver lineups, though the highest three stay the identical, and three rookies enter the fray.
Verstappen’s Dutch compatriot Nyck de Vries joins AlphaTauri after racing at Monza final 12 months as a stand-in for Williams’ Alex Albon, however Australian Oscar Piastri at McLaren and Logan Sargeant at Williams shall be debuting.
Piastri replaces skilled compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, now Red Bull’s third driver.
Sargeant can grow to be the primary U.S. driver to finish a full season since Scott Speed at Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2006.
With U.S. curiosity surging due to the Netflix docu-series “Drive to Survive,” he may have three residence races – Miami in May, Austin in October and Las Vegas as a penultimate spherical on a Saturday evening in November.
Las Vegas is already hyped to the hilt, with costs to match, for racing on the Strip for the primary time.
There shall be six dash race weekends, double final 12 months, and consequently extra factors to be received.
Rule adjustments shall be exhausting to identify – raised ground edges to cease vehicles bouncing, stronger roll hoops after Guanyu Zhou’s large crash at Silverstone final 12 months and greater mirrors.
Four groups have new bosses – Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, McLaren and Williams with the latter bringing in Mercedes strategist James Vowles as principal.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
