With the 2023 F1 season just weeks away, all 10 teams have revealed their challengers for the upcoming season.
There are plenty of changes on the driver-side, with Fernando Alonso moving to Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly joining French team Alpine, to name a few. You can click here for a detailed deep dive into who is driving where.
But there are also some changes in the technical regulations this year. Ride height and diffusers have to be adjusted to avoid porpoising (where the driver feels a violent bouncing at high speeds), stronger roll hoops must be fitted to stop an overturned car from digging into the ground and minimum weight has been reduced from 798kg to 796kg, to name a few.
Here’s a closer look at all the new cars and liveries:
Red Bull Racing RB19
Drivers: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez
Reigning champions Red Bull launched the RB19 at a press event in New York. Due to be driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, it uses a hybrid powertrain developed by Honda and Red Bull itself. However, it is Red Bull’s future partnership with Ford that caught most of the headlines.
Red Bull is known to adopt a more secretive approach to the pre-season and the RB19 shown at the launch event was a show car. So expect a lot more changes by the time we see the cars race in Bahrain on March 5.
Ferrari SF-23
Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz
Scuderia Ferrari unveiled its SF-23 racer at its factory in Maranello. Unsurprisingly, it wears a red-dominated livery and is the first car to be delivered by Ferrari's new team boss Frederic Vasseur. The car, which is claimed to have more of a focus on aerodynamics than ever before, was put through an early shakedown at Fiorano before being stowed away for its next outing in Bahrain.
Other changes include redesigned suspension, as well as some tweaks to the front wing and nose.
Mercedes W14
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell
With the new W14, Mercedes returns to sporting a black livery, this time in a bid to shed as much weight as possible. The racer features a bold side pod design that is more aerodynamic than last year's W13. The rear end is also said to be less tapered to improve aero.
On the back of an underwhelming 2022 season, Mercedes says it has brought “bold solutions” after incorporating all of its learnings from last year.
Alpine A523
Drivers: Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon
Alpine was the final team to reveal its 2023 F1 car. A pink-themed version (thanks to title sponsor BWT) will run at a handful of races this year, while the more traditional blue livery will be used at the remaining races.
The team finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last year and will be aiming to take the fight to the ‘big three’ teams in 2023. Technical Director Matt Harman says the aim is to “be even more aggressive” with their upgrade plan this year.
McLaren MCL60
Drivers: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri
Named the MCL60 to commemorate 60 years since the team was founded by Bruce McLaren, the British outfit’s new racer aims to require less in-season development than its MCL36 predecessor, which suffered braking issues. It will be driven by Lando Norris and rookie Oscar Piastri.
Alfa Romeo C43
Drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu
The C43 will be the last Sauber-engineered car to carry an Alfa Romeo badge, with Audi set to take over from 2026. The car features a striking new red and black livery and has been described by the team as being “aggressive on and below the skin”.
Aston Martin AMR23
Drivers: Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll
Launched at Silverstone, the Aston Martin AMR23 features upgraded aerodynamics over the preceding AMR22 with a revised front wing, new side pods with a more gently sweeping inner ramp for improved airflow and a new engine cover. It's the third F1 car to be entered by the British marque since it took over Racing Point.
Haas VF-23
Drivers: Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg
American outfit Haas, which is newly partnered with Moneygram, launched its VF-23 at a shakedown session at Silverstone. Compared to last year’s model, it features a larger engine cover behind the cockpit, a slimmer front splitter and radiator inlets mounted further back on the body. This suggests Haas has tampered with the drivetrain layout to exploit greater cooling capacity.
AlphaTauri AT04
Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda, Nyck de Vries
Launched in New York City at an event to coincide with Fashion Week, the AT04 looks very similar to its predecessor. This year its livery carries the addition of red inserts to reflect Scuderia AlphaTauri’s new partnership with Polish oil company PKN Orlen.
Williams FW45
Drivers: Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant
The FW45 replaces last season’s slowest car, the FW44, and promises to be more dynamically efficient than its predecessor, both in terms of handling characteristics and aerodynamics.
Gulf comes onboard as the team’s new sponsor from this season, in a deal that also extends to the Williams Driver and ESports Academy. However, the FW45 doesn’t feature the iconic Gulf livery, instead opting to incorporate Gulf branding into its blue livery.
Also see:
2023 F1 grid: Here’s the confirmed driver line-up
from Autocar Indiahttps://cdni.autocarindia.com/ExtraImages/20230217025842_F1_2023_cars.jpg
