Max Verstappen was a distance winner in the first grand prix of the season, as he led from start to finish under the floodlights in Sakhir.

Red Bull completed a one-two, with Sergio Perez finishing in second with Fernando Alonso claiming only his second podium finish since 2014.

There was no such joy for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton taking the checkered flag in fifth while teammate George finished 51 seconds behind in seventh.

Ferrari’s mechanical woes have continued from last season, as Charles Leclerc retired due to an engine failure while Carlos Sainz managed to finish in fourth.

When is the next race?

The second race of the 2023 F1 season will be the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. It runs from Friday March 17 to Sunday March 19.

How many F1 races will there be in 2023?

There will be 23 races on the calendar this year, starting in Bahrain on March 5 and culminating with the season finale in Abu Dhabi on November 26.

What new races are there in 2023?

The brand new Las Vegas Grand Prix will be the penultimate race of the season, a week before Abu Dhabi.

Where and when will the six sprint races be this year?

Formula One has announced the six sprint venues for 2023 with Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Austin race in the United States and Qatar all joining Austria and Brazil in staging qualifying on Friday and a shortened ‘sprint’ race on Saturday.

Three sprint races were held in 2022 – at Imola, Austria and Brazil – with much discussion in the early part of the season about expanding that offering for next year.

The teams and F1 were keen to double the number, arguing that sprint races have been successful in engaging fans and increasing audience sizes. But the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, initially resisted, claiming that it would cost them more and asking for compensation.

Like last year, too, points will be given to the top eight drivers in the sprint race. Again, the sprint races will be approximately 100km – or roughly a third of a grand prix distance – and will run on Saturday, with the traditional three-part qualifying setting the grid for the sprint and taking place on Friday.

The driver who tops qualifying on Friday, when these sprint races take place, will be awarded the official pole position, not the winner of the sprint, as was the case in 2021.

What are the driver line-ups?

Red Bull

Max Verstappen (1) and Sergio Perez (11)

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (44) and George Russell (63)

Ferrari

Carlos Sainz (55) and Charles Leclerc (55)

Alpine

Esteban Ocon (31) and Pierre Gasly (10)

McLaren

Lando Norris (4) and Oscar Piastri (81)

alfa romeo

Valtteri Bottas (77) and Guanyu Zhou (24)

Aston Martin

Lance Stroll (18) and Fernando Alonso (14)

Haas

Kevin Magnussen (20) and Nico Hulkenberg (27)

AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda (22) and Nyck de Vries (21)

williams

Alexander Albon (23) and Logan Sargeant (2)

What is the full calendar?

March

5: Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir
19: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah

april

2: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne
30: Azerbaijani Grand Prix, Baku +

May

7: Miami Grand Prix, Miami
twenty-one: Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Imola
28: Monaco Grand Prix, Monte Carlo

June

4: Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona
18: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal

July

2: Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg +
9: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
23: Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest
30: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps +

August

27: Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort

september

3: Italian Grand Prix, Monza
17: Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore
24: Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka

October

8: Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail +
22: United States Grand Prix, Austin +
29: Mexico City Grand Prix, Mexico City

november

5: Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Sao Paulo +
18: Las Vegas Grand Prix, Las Vegas
26: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina

+ Denotes sprint event weekend

And what about the 2023 cars?

Alpine A523