When and Where to Watch the FIA Prize-Giving Gala?

The FIA Prize Giving ceremony for the 2023 season is set to take place at 8:00 PM CET in Baku, Azerbaijan.

When and Where to Watch the FIA Prize-Giving Gala?

After an action-packed Formula 1 2023 season, it is finally time to honor those who came out victorious after twenty two rounds of gruelling racing. The FIA Prize Giving ceremony, the key event organized by the governing body of Formula 1, will take place on December 8, 2023, and will see the attendance of the who’s-who of the motorsports world. The gala is famous for being held at exotic locations all around the world, and this time, it will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Baku City Circuit also hosts one of the foremost Formula 1 Grands Prix and it is slated to play host till 2026.

The FIA’s annual Prize Giving gala is going to be held in order to crown Max Verstappen as a third-time World Champion and Red Bull will also get their coveted trophy for the Constructors’ Championship. Also receiving prizes will be Sergio Perez, who finished second in the Drivers’ Championship Standings and Lewis Hamilton, who finished third. Due to the strict regulations imposed by the FIA, the top 3 drivers must attend the ceremony or else a hefty penalty will be charged of them.

In 2021, after the controversial end to the Formula 1 Championship which saw Max Verstappen win over Lewis Hamilton at the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Lewis had skipped the Prize-Giving Gala. It was perhaps in protest of the FIA Race Director Michael Masi’s poor decisions that led to Max getting an advantage during the grand finale in Abu Dhabi and getting the better of Lewis who was on his way to win an eighth World title. This time, Mercedes have confirmed that Lewis will indeed attend the event, and it was be aired on the FIA YouTube channel for the world to see at 8:00 PM CET on Friday.

Who are the dignitaries to be present at the FIA Prize Giving Gala 2023?

As the FIA is organizing an evening to celebrate the best racers who proved dominant in 2023, it is expected that all the stars of the motorsports world will be in attendance. From Red Bull’s side, Max Verstappen will be present to collect his award for the World Champion and he will be accompanied by his RBR Boss Christian Horner and teammate Sergio Perez. Also present in Baku will be Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes, even though the team’s leader Toto Wolff has been in a dramatic squabble with the FIA in recent times.

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Sergio Perez, Christian Horner, and Max Verstappen at the FIA Gala 2022 (via Twitter)

The entire week starting from December 3 has been a busy time for the FIA personnel as they have been holding their General Assembly week. With the prize giving ceremony, the week will be coming to an end. Other than Horner, Max, Hamilton and Perez, the other attendees are not yet confirmed.

In other news, the Formula 1 circus will be reuniting against for the 2024 season in Bahrain for the first race of the year. Several teams are aiming to switch their car development procedures in order to close the speed gap between them and Red Bull as Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff commented they would be taking a conventional approach since bold did not work for them. It remains to be seen which team comes out victorious next year once the cars are revealed one by one over the next few months.

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