20 drivers. 10 teams. 2 World Championship titles. 1 motorsport.
The turn of the month brings to us another exciting season of Formula 1 with the first race of the season set to happen in Bahrain on the 5th of March. For the uninitiated, Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport racing where 20 drivers from 10 teams compete for the coveted World Drivers Championship and World Constructors Championship. The sport is the epitome of engineering with each team investing millions of dollars in engine technology, aerodynamic research, testing, simulations etc.
In layman terms, F1 is as simple as specially-engineered cars chasing each other in a high-speed race and first car across the line wins! Unlike other sports, you don’t have to be an expert in cars or know the rules to follow F1. There’s plenty to appreciate: the racing, drama, rivalries, and controversies.
Now that the boring part of the introduction is done, let’s understand how India stands in this whole picture. Ever heard of the Indian Grand Prix? Or Force India? Or Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhoke? Yes, India had its own Formula One race, an international track and a home-grown team. Exciting right?
What if I tell you that you can keep up with all that has happened in this sport during your Netflix and chill sessions in just 50 episodes?
Newfound Fanbase
Drive to Survive – Am sure everyone with a Netflix account has seen this tile pop-up at least once! For all those who are still wondering what Formula One is, stop reading this article, go to Netflix and watch the first season of Drive to Survive! This series has made a lot of audience into Formula One “converts”.
Despite the convoluted narratives and over-dramatization typical of Netflix, Drive to Survive has added a generation of fans, mainly from the US to the base. Leading to even FIA (The governing body of international motorsports) and Formula One add as many as 3 races in the US to the calendar in this season.
Whether it be the fall of Vijay Mallya in Formula One or the rise of Max Verstappen, you want drama - you watch Drive to Survive!
2023 Predictions
Now that you’re all caught up, welcome to the Formula One 2023 season. The reigning champions Red Bull Racing with the champion driver Max Verstappen look to retain their WDC and WCC titles, in close pursuit is Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. On the other hand, Mercedes, the team with the most championships in the hybrid era is looking to bounce back after a disastrous 2022 campaign, their star driver Lewis Hamilton is looking for the record-breaking 8th world championship that will see him swift past the legendary Michael Schumacher.
After 2022 and the silly season it has been, each and every team is turning every knob to fine tune their cars for the testing in Bahrain before the season with 23 races, the most ever starts on 3rd of march starts. The on-track battles are going to be exciting, and the off-track stories are sure to give every fiction writer a run for their money.
While that is the top 3 teams and 6 drivers, the midfield is sure to sport an exciting competition between Alpine Renault (Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon), Aston Martin (Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll), McLaren (Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris) and Red Bulls’ sister team Alpha Tauri (Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck De Vries).
Formula One 101
All in all, this is probably going to be the time for Ferrari to come back to glory; Mercedes to avenge their 2021 season debacle and Red Bull to prevail. 2023 is the season where a lot of records probably will get broken and new records get created. It is already proving to be one of the most exciting times for this sport.
If you want to watch Formula One races and pre-race sessions live – you can subscribe to F1 TV Pro (Finally, this comes to India) to watch the races from various camera angles, on board cameras, race replays, archives from previous seasons. Be sure to watch the latest season of Drive to Survive on Netflix that released just a week ago.
P.S.: If you want to watch the car racing across the streets of Mumbai live, then this is your chance. Racing legend and 13-time F1 grand prix champion David Coulthard will be driving the iconic Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 car, the RB7, on the scenic roads of Bandra Bandstand on Sunday, March 12, 2023, 10 am to 1 pm.
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