NEED TO KNOW
MOST AUSTRIA WINS:
4
Max Verstappen
MOST AUSTRIA POLES:
4
Max Verstappen
FIRST GRAND PRIX:
1964
(Zeltweg)
TRACK LENGTH:
4.318km
LAP RECORD:
1:05.619
Carlos Sainz (2020)
Trivia
Austria’s Red Bull Ring has the fewest corners on the F1 calendar, with just 10 turns making up the layout
PIT STOP TIME LOSS
22.2 S
(Including 2.5s stationary)
OVERTAKES COMPLETED IN 2024:
86
POLE RUN TO TURN 1 BRAKING POINT:
The Driver's Verdict
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault F1 driver
Austria is a picturesque circuit, really undulating, which makes it nice to drive and characterful.
You’ve got to be careful with the kerbs as it’s very easy to get straddling or to get over some more abrasive kerbs, which can inflict a bit of damage to your car. But beyond that, it’s a short and relatively simple circuit with some hidden technicalities.
Turn 1 is always quicker than you think it’s going to be, but braking is the order of the day for the first sector. Turn 4, a downhill braking zone, is the easiest one to mess up – so many drivers end up in the gravel there on the exit..
There’s overtaking aplenty in Turns 3 and 4, and then the flow through the second half of the lap is really good as it just comes around so quickly. It’s one of the fastest on the calendar and it really feels it at the wheel. You barely get a breath through this Grand Prix.
SAFETY CAR
PROBABILITY:
VSC
PROBABILITY:
Previous winners
2024 George Russell (Mercedes)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Previous Pole Sitters
2024 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2020 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
Current Form
What can be expected going into the Grand Prix weekend?
On paper, the picture has not dramatically changed standings-wise in the aftermath of the Canadian Grand Prix; Oscar Piastri continues to head the Drivers’ standings, while McLaren have a significant lead in the Teams’ Championship.
But several talking points emerged following the race that affect the battle at the top, including how the papaya squad will handle things going forwards following the dramatic collision that occurred between Piastri and Lando Norris in Montreal.
Norris immediately took the blame for the incident, a reaction that was appreciated by Team Principal Andrea Stella. But the Briton will need to bounce back this weekend in Austria in order to avoid losing further ground to Piastri in the World Championship.
Mercedes, meanwhile, arrive at the Red Bull Ring off the back of their strongest outing of the year in Canada, with George Russell taking pole position and victory.
This has put the squad back into P2 of the Teams’ standings after previously losing the position to Ferrari – but can the Scuderia launch a fightback after a tough weekend in Montreal?
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen remains one penalty point away from an automatic race suspension – but, after a clean weekend at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the Red Bull driver showed that he is not feeling any extra pressure from this risk as he continues to hold P3 in the Drivers’ Championship.
In terms of the midfield battle, Williams still hold a clear edge in fifth place of the Teams’ leaderboard – but the margins are increasingly close behind them, with the gap from Haas in sixth through to in Sauber ninth standing at just eight points. Can any of these outfits claim a valuable position by further adding to their tally this weekend?
Iconic Moment
Strange times in Spielberg
It was an already unusual weekend in Austria back in 1999, which marked the first race since Michael Schumacher was sidelined by a broken leg, leaving it up to Eddie Irvine to lead Ferrari’s charge and take the fight to the McLaren drivers.
Having been comfortably outpaced by Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard in Qualifying, the Northern Irishman was handed a gift at Turn 3 when the leading pair dramatically collided – Coulthard nudging his team mate into a spin to the dismay of those watching on in the McLaren garage.
From there, it got worse for Coulthard, who was reeled in by Irvine and overhauled as the strategies unfolded, giving the Ferrari man a boost in his quest for the title and leaving Coulthard to apologise as Hakkinen (that year’s eventual champion) salvaged third.
