F1 23 announcement should be around the corner

Charles Leclerc is warming up the engine

Charles Leclerc, a Formula 1 driver for Scuderia Ferrari, has posted what is likely a teaser for F1 23 on Instagram. The next iteration of this annually releasing racing series from Codemasters is due to come out in Summer 2023 and an announcement should not be far off anymore.

Posting pictures of himself wearing Ferrari merch in blue – an unusual color for the team fielding the iconic red race cards F1 is most famous for – Leclerc is seen at the wheels of a sports car decorated with the flag of his home country, Monaco. He’s wearing a microphone, so this might be a behind-the-scenes look at a promo shoot for the game.

“I like the sweater and I like the car. More to come @easportsf1,” Leclerc commented on his post.

F1 22, last year’s entry into the officially licensed series, was announced on April 21, 2022, and launched in July 2022. F1 2021, the first game since Codemasters was bought out by EA and brought under the EA Sports umbrella, was revealed on April 15, 2021, and released in July of that year as well. We’re clearly nearing that time of the year once again.

Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox list F1 23 already, with players able to put the game on their wishlist.

Last year’s iteration of the game contained a new mode allowing players to enjoy the life of a F1 driver outside the paddock, enabling them to collect and drive sports cars and customize some lifestyle aspects of their avatar. It’s possible that Leclerc has been filming a promo for that mode in F1 23, seeing as how the setting would perfectly fit the intention of that aspect of the game.

It’s likely that Leclerc will be on the F1 23 cover once again, as Codemasters prefers to put a few different drivers on the game’s box instead of just a single one like in most EA Sports games.

However, EA Sports has announced two-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen as an official partner of the brand earlier this year, with the Dutchman sporting the company’s logo on his race helmet, so it’s likely that the Red Bull driver will have the most prominent position when it comes to F1 23’s marketing.

Both Leclerc and Verstappen are known to be passionate gamers, though the World Champion seems to take the hobby a lot more seriously than the Ferrari driver.