F1 2023 season cars unveiled - in pictures

Opening race of new campaign takes place in Sakhir, Bahrain, from March 3-5

Red Bull's new RB19 car for the 2023 F1 season was unveiled in New York earlier this month. AP

Red Bull Racing unveiled the team's new Formula One car for the 2023 season in New York on February 3. AFP

Red Bull's new RB19 car for the new F1 season. AP

Red Bull Racing unveil the team's new car for 2023 season. AFP

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr, team principal Frederic Vasseur, and driver Charles Leclerc with the team's new SF-23 car for the 2023 season at Maranello. AFP

Ferrari's new SF-23 car for the 2023 season was unveiled in Maranello. AFP

Ferrari unveiled their new car for the 2023 season. AFP

Ferrari's SF-23 for the 2023 season. AFP

Mercedes' George Russell, team principal Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and reserve driver Mick Schumacher with the new W14 E car for the 2023 season in Silverstone. AFP

Mercedes' new W14 E car for the 2023 season. AFP

The new Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E car for 2023. AFP

Alfa Romeo F1's new C43 car at a launch event held jointly in Zurich and at the team headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland. PA

Alfa Romeo F1's new C43 car for the 2023 season. PA

Williams Racing unveil the new livery for their FW45 car for the 2023 season. AFP

Williams Racing unveil their new car for the 2023 season. AFP

McLaren drivers Lando Norris, left, and Oscar Piastri with the MCL60 car for the 2023 season in Woking. AFP

McLaren's new MCL60 car unveiled ahead of the 2023 season. PA

McLaren unveiled their new MCL60 car at the OKX Thought Leadership Centre in Woking ahead of the 2023 F1 season. PA

Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll next to the new AMR23 car for the 2023 season, during its unveiling at their headquarters in Silverstone. AFP

Aston Martin's new AMR23 after being unveiled at their Silverstone headquarters. PA

Aston Martin unveiled the new AMR23 at their Silverstone headquarters. PA

Aston Martin's AMR23 car for the new season. AFP

Preparations for the 2023 Formula One season are well under way with teams unveiling their new designs ahead of testing and the opening race in Bahrain next month.

Formula One champions Red Bull and Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo took their 2023 cars out on track last week.

Red Bull posted a video on Twitter of their RB19 at Silverstone while Alfa Romeo said their C43 completed a successful debut at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Red Bull held a livery launch in New York last week with double world champion Max Verstappen and Mexican Sergio Perez, while Alfa unveiled their new look in Switzerland.

Valtteri Bottas said he is relishing his position as Alfa Romeo leader, after taking a back-seat role at Mercedes.

The Finnish driver is in his second season with the team after being replaced by George Russell at Mercedes.

“In this team I feel like my role has been very different to what I’ve ever had in Formula One,” Bottas said. “A bit more involvement, a bit more information going through me in a way.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen denied a suggestion he was favourite for a third successive F1 championship and said the sport needed a closer battle.

Verstappen won 15 of 22 races last season in what was his team's best campaign yet, with Mexican teammate Sergio Perez adding two to the tally.

Rivals and runners-up Ferrari won four races and once-dominant Mercedes, third overall, just one.

"As a driver you always try to look at yourself, what can you do better and you try to come back stronger every single year even though sometimes that's a hard task," he said in New York.

"I think in the interests of the sport you always want the teams to be super-close. But I do think it was already quite close last year.

"I think as a team we also really executed a lot of things better than the other teams and that's why I guess the points gap was also so big. I never really felt, apart from two or three races, we absolutely dominated the whole weekend."

Later, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Williams also unveiled their cars for the new season.

When does the 2023 F1 season start?

The opening race of the new season will be the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir from March 3-5.

What's new?

F1 confirmed a 23-race season – instead of a planned 24 – for 2023 after the decision was taken not to replace the Chinese Grand Prix.

F1 cancelled the April 16 race in China due to "the ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 situation".