Formula One Preview: Austrian Grand Prix
- Peter Johnson
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
Circuit Guide
Nestled in the beautiful Styrian mountains, the Red Bull Ring will be hosting its 40th Formula One Grand Prix this weekend.
The venue has had various aliases since its first race in 1970 as the Österreichring. Known during its stint on the calendar between 1997 and 2003 as the A1-Ring, the circuit then got taken over and redeveloped by Red Bull in 2011.
In its current layout, the circuit is the fourth-shortest on the current calendar and has the fewest corners with just ten, but really packs a punch.
With three long straights and only one heavy braking zone, the circuit in Spielberg is one of the most power-sensitive on the calendar, which will be music to the ears of Mercedes.
It is also renowned for throwing up track limits infringements, with drivers tempted all too often into the expansive run-off areas at several of the circuit’s fast but tight corners. This came to a head in 2023, when the stewards investigated more than 1800 track limits violations over the race weekend and awarded 12 penalties for such infringements during the Grand Prix.
Another notable feature of the track is its elevation change, perhaps unsurprising given its location within the Austrian Alps. The exit of Turn 2, the circuit’s highest point, is 63.5 metres above the start line, meaning only Spa-Francorchamps boasts more undulating terrain on the F1 calendar.
Weather Forecast
The forecast is for sunshine in the Styrian Hills this weekend, with a high of 29 degrees Celsius expected on Friday and around 31 across Saturday and Sunday.
Major Talking Points
Penalty appeal hokey-cokey: It is unsurprising that Alpine’s successful appeal against Pierre Gasly’s ten-second penalty in Monaco was far from the end of the story. Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull all appealed against the Frenchman’s reinstatement to the podium, although Mercedes have now withdrawn their claim.
The Silver Arrows’ right of review would have been heard by the FIA Court of Appeal last weekend, but the team decided against pursuing the case further after acknowledging there was no viable mechanism to revoke the penalty served by George Russell, which he incurred for the same speeding infringement as Gasly.
McLaren and Red Bull’s appeals are ongoing.
Hamilton back in title picture: Not since 2021 has Lewis Hamilton found himself anywhere near a title conversation; then again, he’s not been anywhere near the summit of the championship or had a car capable of fighting for regular wins.
However, in his SF-26, Hamilton took 43 points from the Monaco-Barcelona double-header, 18 points more than championship leader Kimi Antonelli. While the young Italian has been breaking many of his own age-related records this season, the veteran Hamilton became the oldest Grand Prix winner since 1970 last time out and is now a comfortable second in the standings.
While still 41 points adrift, the seven-time world champion is currently Antonelli’s closest challenger and is showing his best form for half a decade.
Could Ferrari “embarrass” the field? Following Lewis Hamilton’s dominant victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Lando Norris has claimed that the Scuderia could “embarrass” the rest of the field if the team nails its engine upgrades.
The FIA revealed following the Monaco Grand Prix that the Ferrari engine is considered to be around 4% less powerful than the benchmark Red Bull-Ford power unit, which will allow the manufacturer two extra engine upgrades in 2026.
Ferrari had lurked closely behind Mercedes for most of the season until Hamilton put 20 seconds on Russell over the final stint in Barcelona - not bad with the third most powerful engine on the grid.
Mercedes and their customers will enjoy just one engine upgrade this season, while Red Bull and Racing Bulls will not be allowed any.
Mercedes set rules of engagement: Very much linked to the above two points, Toto Wolff has confirmed that he will be laying out terms under which Antonelli and George Russell can battle each other on track.
The Mercedes pair squabbled over second place throughout the final stint of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, offering Hamilton a clear path to victory.
Russell and Antonelli had also bitterly fought for the lead in Montréal, although their battle was prematurely cut short by the Briton’s retirement.
Wolff has stated that Hamilton’s presence as a “third party” in the championship fight means his two drivers can now not afford to hold each other up and that his team must “recalibrate”.
Alpine vs Racing Bulls battle intensifies: It seems that no matter how much the regulations may change, F1’s big four teams will remain the big four teams. However, not far over Red Bull’s shoulder lie Alpine and Racing Bulls, who are both in rich veins of form.
Racing Bulls, thanks to a resurgent Liam Lawson and an impressive rookie season from Arvid Lindblad, are the only team on the grid to have enjoyed double points finishes in both Monaco and Barcelona, and are well on their way to smash last season’s points total.
Alpine, meanwhile, are currently 16 points better off and sit fifth in the constructors’ standings, which is a superb return for the team that finished rock bottom last year. The Enstone team scored double points finishes in Canada and Barcelona eventually had a podium finish in Monaco to celebrate, too.
Past Austrian Grands Prix
Between 1963 and 1968, the Austrian Grand Prix was held at Zeltweg Airfield, but only once - in 1964 - did it offer championship points.
The event moved to the Österreichring in 1969 for another non-championship event, before becoming a fully-fledged race in 1970. Jacky Ickx won the first world championship Grand Prix for Ferrari, the first of the team’s joint-record seven victories in the country.
After 18 consecutive years on the calendar, the circuit was deemed too dangerous to host F1 and went on hiatus until 1997 when it returned as the A1-Ring.
The most famous moment at the circuit during its second spell on the calendar was in 2002, when Ferrari implemented team orders just six rounds into the season and instructed Rubens Barrichello to allow Michael Schumacher through for victory. The Brazilian duly did so on the short run to the finish line, giving the German victory.
Ferrari were fined $1 million for the controversy, and as a direct result of the incident team orders were banned from 2003 until 2010.
The Austrian Grand Prix left the calendar again in 2003, before its return in 2014. The circuit has provided countless dramatic moments in the years since, including Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s last-lap collision in 2016 and Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc’s battle for victory in 2019.
In 2024, both Verstappen and Lando Norris collided eight laps from home while fighting for the win, paving the way for George Russell to steal first place. Norris finally took the top step with victory last year, while Verstappen was eliminated on Lap 1 after facing contact from Antonelli.
Drivers to Watch
Lando Norris: The world champion inherited a podium finish in Barcelona following Kimi Antonelli’s late retirement, meaning he has enjoyed two trips to the rostrum in his four Grand Prix finishes this year.
Norris has fond memories of podiums in Austria, too, claiming his first-ever top-three finish in F1 at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix. His success at the circuit has been mixed since then, but he did take the chequered flag 12 months ago.
Norris has looked competitive when his car has allowed him to do so this year; if McLaren prove to be strong this weekend, he will be in the mix.
Max Verstappen: The Dutchman has tasted victory on pretty much every circuit he has raced on in F1, but none more so than the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen has won the Austrian Grand Prix four times (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023) - an event record. He also won the Styrian Grand Prix in 2021, taking his total of victories in Spielberg to five and tying his personal record with Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico.
Charles Leclerc: It has been a disappointing season so far for Charles Leclerc, who has been comprehensively outperformed by teammate Lewis Hamilton and 40 points down on the Briton in the championship.
Leclerc has been particularly sloppy over the last two weekends with a string of costly crashes in Monaco and Barcelona, but now arrives at a circuit where he has previously scored five podiums, including a victory in 2022.
The Monégasque will hope that a visit to one of his most successful circuits will end his points drought and put right his recent form.
Session Times (BST)
The Austrian Grand Prix was selected as a sprint venue from 2022 to 2024, but for the last two years has returned to the traditional weekend format.
Practice 1: Fri 12:30-13:30
Practice 2: Fri 16:00-17:00
Practice 3: Sat 11:30-12:30
Qualifying: Sat 15:00-16:00
Race: Sun 14:00
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