The 2023 F1 season is coming live on Sky Sports

Friday 24 February 2023 by James Pickard News

It all starts again with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 2023 F1 season is coming live on Sky Sports

Image: Sky Sports

He’s 25 and he’s won the Championship twice. It’s almost obscene, but Max Verstappen is simply an incredible talent, and fans of the sport will know it’s in his blood.

The 2022 season was something of a cruise for Max. The season before that had seen an unbelievable rivalry unfold between the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton, but the 7-time British World Champion didn’t win a single race last year.

Such was the ferocity of the match-up, some might argue that a relatively serene stroll to the title was quite pleasant on the old palate. Or that might just be nonsense.

Max’s closest rival came in the form of Charles LeClerc, driving a much-improved Ferrari that saw him finish 1st in last year’s curtain-raiser. Max, on the other hand, did not finish the race but was classified as 19th having completed most of it.

Not a great start, but it’s a long season and he went on to win 14 races. He also only had 7 poles, but when it came to sheer skill, stamina and race management, he and his car were simply too good.

The Hungarian Grand Prix victory stands out as one of his most impressive, and not just in that season. Qualifying in 10th on a track where overtaking prospects are a dry old slice of pie, he somehow worked through the pack and emerged an elated winner. The speed of the car and excellent work with the tyres played a crucial role, and he found himself with an 80-point lead in the Championship.

And so we go again. At the time of writing, Verstappen looks the man to beat again. His RB19 was the quickest in the first testing session, with a fastest time of 1m32.959s.

As most F1 fans are aware, the whole season is shown live, including practice and qualifying, on Sky Sports F1. The Bahrain Grand Prix will start at 3pm UK time on 5th March, with build-up starting at 2pm. You can catch qualifying from 11:30am on the 4th.

Those interested in getting Sky TV with Sky Sports F1 can call 0330 1656 733, or you can visit our Sky Sports F1 page and select ‘See deals’.