Talking points of the 2023 Formula One season

Red Bull's Max Verstappen is targeting a third successive Formula One title, rivals Ferrari have a new boss and Las Vegas brings a third U.S. race to the party this season.

Can Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton add to his record tally of 103 victories?

There are plenty of storylines to the season that starts in Bahrain on March 5. The following looks at some of them.

TRIPLE MAX

Verstappen will start as favourite for a third title in a row. The Dutch driver won 15 races last year. How many can he bag this time? And can team mate Sergio Perez get closer to him?

NEW BOSSES

Four of the 10 teams have new principals since 2022.

Fred Vasseur has replaced Mattia Binotto at Ferrari, joining from Sauber/Alfa Romeo in January.

McLaren's Andreas Seidl has joined Sauber, appointing Alessandro Alunni Bravo to what is effectively a principal role, with Andrea Stella stepping up at McLaren while James Vowles moved from a strategy role at Mercedes to boss of Williams.

FERRARI

Can Vasseur bring a title to Maranello for the first time since the 2008 constructors' championship?

The Frenchman's arrival has drawn comparisons with compatriot Jean Todt, who led the team through a golden era with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s.

NEW FACES

There are three rookies on the grid.

Australian Oscar Piastri joined McLaren in controversial circumstances after a contract dispute with Alpine while Nyck de Vries has replaced Pierre Gasly (now with Alpine) at Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri.

Logan Sargeant will meanwhile be making his debut at Williams as the first grand prix racer from the United States since Alexander Rossi in 2015.

OLD FACES

Nico Hulkenberg starts his comeback at Haas, his first full season drive since 2019, with the German still