The FIA Formula 3 World Championship have confirmed the calendar for the 2023 season, as Monaco and Australia are added to the schedule, at the expense of Zandvoort.
The 2022 Formula 3 season saw teams and drivers head to nine different tracks over the course of the season, but the 2023 edition of the series will see an extra weekend added to the calendar to total ten race weekends.
The season will get underway in Bahrain on 3rd March, where the series will follow the same structure as last year.
A practice session will be carried out early on the first day of the race weekend, followed by qualifying later on in the day. The top twelve of Friday’s qualifying will then be reversed to set the grid for Saturday’s sprint race and then the centerpiece, the feature race, will commence on Sunday.
The second race of the season will see the series travel to Melbourne, Australia for the first time on 31st March.
The action will resume a month later in Europe with a triple-header that begins in Imola, Emilia Romagna on May 19th. The paddock will then head to a new venue, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco on May 25th, while Barcelona, Spain will round up a busy three weeks with Round 5 on June 2nd.
Formula 3 will then embark on two European double headers, Round 6 will take place in Austria on June 30th, followed by Round 7 in Silverstone, on July 7th. The second double-header will see the grid take on the Hungaroring in Budapest on 21st July, followed by the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps one week later, on July 28th. The final and tenth round of the 2023 season will take place in Monza on September 1st.
President and CEO of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali expressed his excitement ahead of the 2023 Formula 3 season as he said:
“It’s great news to be able to confirm the Formula 3 calendar for 2023 for hopefully another thrilling season. There is no doubt that in its fifth year we can expect drama, action and some of the most exciting battles on track to date.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the talent of the future take to the track at 10 rounds of the Championship, and visiting two exciting new venues in Melbourne, Australia and Monte Carlo, Monaco, for the first time.”
Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel also commented on the new calendar, saying:
“I am very pleased to present the 2023 calendar. It features two brand-new circuits, Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne and Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, which is really amazing. These two very prestigious tracks are the first street circuits to be added to the F3 calendar. They will offer the teams and the drivers an exciting new challenge, and I’m sure that the fans will love seeing the F3 cars race on both layouts.
“Formula 3 will be present at ten Formula One Grand Prix in 2023, one more than in 2022. The Championship will also visit three continents next year, more than any season previously. Despite the increase of the number of races, we keep specific attention to the teams’ budgets, and notably we will cover the freight costs to ensure that their budgets do not escalate.”
