The 2023 Formula 1 season is less than two months away, which means the new cars are coming soon.
Red Bull and Mercedes are the latest teams to confirm the launch dates of their new cars, which will be held next month.
Meanwhile, Mercedes have bid farewell to their strategy chief James Vowles, who has become the new team boss of Williams.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up all the biggest pieces of news and updates from around the Formula 1 world.
Red Bull, Mercedes car launch
A Red Bull car, usually double world champion Max Verstappen’s, finished first in most races last year. And this year, it is Red Bull who will be first in unveiling their new 2023 car.
The team have announced they will be launching their RB19 in New York City on February 3.
“The 3rd February is set to be our biggest launch yet, in the city that never sleeps, New York,” Red Bull said in a statement.
“Not only is this going to be the first Formula 1 season launch to take place in the US, we’re also planning to make it the greatest in F1 history.”
Red Bull’s RB18 car was comfortably ahead of the pack last season as Verstappen strolled to his second straight drivers’ title while the team won the constructors’ crown for the first time in nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, Mercedes will be launching their car on February 15, one day after rivals Ferrari unveil their new car on Valentine’s Day.
After winning each of the last eight constructors’ titles, the Silver Arrows took a step back last season with their W13 car. They finished third behind Red Bull and Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton failing to win a single race for the first time in his storied career.
Hopefully, their new car will significantly improve their Formula 1 2023 odds of competing with Red Bull.
As of this writing, Alfa Romeo and Haas are the only remaining teams who have not yet revealed the launch dates for their 2023 cars.
Mercedes strategy chief James Vowles Williams’ new team boss
Williams have a new team boss: James Vowles. Vowles, most recently Mercedes’ chief strategist, will take over from Jost Capito, who left Williams after a disappointing 2022 season that saw them finish bottom of the constructors’ standings with just eight points.
This offseason has seen a number of new team bosses, most notably Frederic Vasseur, who replaces Mattia Binotto at Ferrari. Andreas Seidl left McLaren to replace Vasseur at Alfa Romeo, while Andrea Stella replaced Seidl.
Vowles has over 20 years of experience in F1. He has been a member of the Mercedes team since 2010, serving as their Motorsport Strategy Director for the last four years.
“I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage. The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge,” said Vowles.
“Williams Racing have placed their faith and trust in me, and I will do the same in return. The team has tremendous potential, and our journey together starts in a matter of weeks.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff spoke in glowing terms about Vowles, who had been a valuable member of the Silver Arrows.
“[Vowles’] been having a massive contribution, not only to what’s happening during the races, but also in terms of the global strategy of the team, and Mercedes Motorsport in general,” said Wolff.
“James has been around for a long time, he’s seen it all – the intelligent things and the less intelligent things. I have no doubt that Williams choosing James is a fantastic move for them.”
Williams will hold their ‘season launch’ on February 6, where they will show off their 2023 livery in their bid to improve their Formula 1 2023 results.
Logan Sargeant not feeling added pressure as American F1 driver
Williams’ season launch will also see them unveil their new driver Logan Sargeant, who will partner Alex Albon for the 2023 season.
Sargeant is set to become the first American to drive in F1 for almost a decade, but the 22-year-old claims he is not too concerned with the added expectations and pressures that come with being an American F1 driver.
“I feel like, at the end of the day, I’ve put in as much hard work as anyone else to reach this point. I just have to look at it as, ‘prepare the best I possibly can to be the best driver I can possibly be’ next year,” said Sargeant, when asked about the responsibility of being an American driver.
“Hopefully I can represent [the country] well and make them proud. I don’t think it’s any extra pressure, to be honest. I have high expectations for myself as it is.” Sargeant will make the step up to F1 after starring in F2 last year. He won two races and finished fourth in the drivers’ standings.
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