F1's 2023 Season Will See A Record Number Of Races

Each year brings a new season of sports events to keep people on the edge of their seats. Formula 1 is no exception, and the announcement of next year's schedule on September 20, 2022, has seen plenty get hyped for what's to come. Why? F1's 2023 season will see a record number of races.

That's right; fans can sit back and enjoy a staggering 24 races next year, more than has ever been seen on the calendar. It seems the sport had big plans in recent years to bring the most races to life, but global events forced things to change. Now, F1 is hopeful that 2023 will be the year we've all been waiting for.

2021 was the last time there were a record number of races

For years, the biggest number of races contested in F1 was 21, a number that came in 2016, 2018, and 2019. 2020 looked set to blow that out of the water with 22 races initially scheduled until the global pandemic saw a significantly smaller schedule brought into play. Although 2021 had grand plans of hosting 23 races, similar situations meant it was reduced to a record-setting 22 races. Yet again, 2022 was meant to see a record number of races in F1, but the schedule was reduced to 22 races when the Russian Grand Prix was canceled.

Two of the races are returning favorites to F1

It turns out some favorites are on the way back for 2023's season, as the Qatar Grand Prix held at the Losail International Circuit and the Chinese Grand Prix held at Shanghai International Circuit are both back on the menu. The Qatar Grand Prix has only been raced once - in 2021 - and covers 3.343 miles throughout 16 turns. It wasn't on 2022's schedule as Qatar was focused on the World Cup, but it still holds the ten-year deal it signed with Formula 1. The Chinese Grand Prix ran for 16 seasons until its final run in 2019. It was then canceled due to the global pandemic and hasn't returned to F1 - until now. 

One of the upcoming races has never been contested before

Not all of F1's 2023 season will be reruns of races seen for years. Yes, it turns out there's a brand new race on the cards, as the Las Vegas Grand Prix is set to be the third race of the year in the US. Although Las Vegas has hosted F1 races before - the Caesars Palace Grand Prix held in 1981 and '82 - the 3.8-mile race over 17 turns set to hit the schedule in 2023 has never been raced before.

The last few years have been tough for sports everywhere, especially as Formula 1 has been trying to create a bigger schedule than ever before, only for things to continually get canceled. Now, F1's 2023 season will see a record number of races - and a new destination. Does it get better?