The fastest cars. The best drivers in the world. Adrenaline in the red, on every straight line, on every dangerous turn. The piercing noise of engines, the smell of tires leaving indelible marks on the tracks.

Her magical and shining world Formula 1returns from these three days to the action with its holding 74th World Cup. It will start at Bahrain with the race on March 5, and the checkered flag will fall for the last time on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.

OUR Max Verstappen and Red Bull are called upon to defend their drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles, respectively. But the Dutch rider arrived in comfort, which proved his second championship in a row, also breaking the winning record with 15 wins in 22 races. The big loser in 2022 was Mercedes, which fell far behind, while ferrari Although he started the season impressively, he was eventually let down by internal errors.

Compared to previous years, changes in the regulations are limited, while the division of team budgets (Budget Cap) has been established.

Nicholas Topazis will be the one to “launch” the World Championship this year. The director of the FIA’s single-seater division has also taken over daily contact with the teams following the harsh criticism received last year by Federation President Mohammed bin Sulayem. The Greek aerodynamicist, a graduate of the University of Cambridge, was chief designer for Benetton, Ferrari and McLaren from 1992 to 2018 before taking up a position with the FIA.

In 2022, the Formula 1 championship was in its strongest position ever, generating $2.5 billion in revenue despite fewer races than in 2021, according to data released a few days ago. . In practice, the ten participating teams shared $1.5 billion. At the same time, the number of people on the circuits also increased significantly, with 5.7 million spectators watching the Grand Prix, a 36% increase from 2019, which was the last year before Formula 1 was affected. to the pandemic. In fact, according to FIA CEO Stefano Domenicali, F1 is the fastest growing major sport on social media, adding that the product will gain even more value in the coming years as manufacturers like Audi enter the market in 2026. in racing and Ford.