The new season of iRacing is once again upon us! With 2022 pretty much behind us, starting this month we can enjoy and look ahead to the new year. And 2023 promises a lot of good and beautiful things. So iRacing kicks it off with a new season, and that means a lot of new content and in-game optimizations and functionalities. In this article you can read everything that is new in iRacing season 1 2023! And that promises lots of cool cars, tracks and more! Ready. Set. Go!!!

New cars iRacing season 1 2023

iRacing packs a big punch this season with no less than three new cars: the long-awaited BMW M Hybrid V8, this year's Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance F1 car driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russel AND the new Toyota GR86. The first two cars are paid content, the latter is a free add-on for the base game.

BMW M Hybrid V8

It promises to be a big year in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the arrival of many new manufacturers competing within the new Hybrid class. Similarly, BMW is making its long-awaited entrance into long-distance racing with the new BMW M Hybrid V8. It is the first hybrid car from BMW to combine an electric motor with a twin-turbo V8.

In any case, the hype surrounding this car is huge and I won't be surprised if, next to the Dallara F3, this becomes the most popular race car in iRacing!

Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance

The arrival of the Mercedes-AMG W13 E Performance may come as a huge surprise. Whereas Mercedes is all too eager to forget about this car after a bad season, the sim racing community the Mercedes-AMG W13 for a long time to come. One can only hope that this is the more competitive W13 version from the end of the season and not the bouncy version they started the season with. If so then this car will be a headache file ?

Toyota GR86

It's good to see that in addition to paid content, iRacing is including the new Toyota GR86 in the game for free. It is a racing machine that you will start your iRacing career with. It is going to replace the (old) Pontiac Solstice in the Sim-Lab Production Car Challenge. Will this be a serious competitor to the Mazda MX5 cup or will the GR86 knock this popular cup car off its throne?

Two new circuits as well as an upgrade

Circuit Magne-Cours

It's not just new cars we can race, but also two new tracks as well as upgrades to an existing track. For example, one of my favorite circuits finally makes its debut: Magne Cours. The former French Grand Prix is an absolute gem and a very nice track to race on! Unfortunately, we see this circuit little to none in contemporary racing games. Very cool that they have added Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours to the road courses in iRacing!

Lincoln Speedway

I myself am not a fan of Dirt and oval races in iRacing, but this racing class is mega big and popular especially in America. If you are a dirt oval fan you can enjoy Lincoln Speedway starting this season!

Sebring International Raceway

Among fans, Sebring International Raceway is perhaps the most favorite venue. This track is finally getting the much-needed upgrade it deserves. While it is not a new laser scan of the track, there will mainly be a new look and graphics upgrade where fans can feast their eyes.

Active Reset

One of the key announcements for this update is the introduction of Active Reset. I think this is a very cool new game addition. With Active Reset, you take practicing to a whole new level. Select a checkpoint during your training session and immediately go back to it. Over and over again. As many times as you want. Ideal for practicing that one turn or turn combination over and over again until it is perfect.

Updates in the new damage model

iRacing may be a relatively old game and date back to 2008, but the game physics and damage model are of an unprecedented high level! In fact, iRacing's damage model is perhaps the best out there. Also in the iRacing season 1 2023 build, they have further extended this model to new cars and fine-tuned it

Other updates season 1 build

Finally, there are plenty of smaller updates in this iRacing season 1 2023 update. We highlight a few more. For example, the Ford Mustang FR500S has been taken in hand and given a new artistic update. Should you use custom liveries, this means that the old livery template will no longer work on the new one.

Another major update this season can be found in new physics and damage model for the GT3 and LMP2 car. This changes the handling and tire wear of these cars and improves their correlation to the real world, making these racing classes even closer to the real thing. Watch the video below to learn more about this update.

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