ThefirstFormula1AustrianGrandPrixwasheldatZeltwegAirfieldin1964.Thetrackhadbeencompletedin1959,withtheideaofrepeatingthesuccessofthatotherairfieldcircuit,Silverstone.ButtheF1circusonlyvisiteditonce,becausethetracksurfacewastooabrasive.F1returnedtoAustriain1970onanewtrack,notfarfromtheoriginalone,inthebeautifulregionofStyria.ItwascalledtheOsterreichring,theonlyhometheracehashadfrom1970to2019,eventhoughthevenue’snamewaschangedfromOsterreichringtoA1-RingandnowtotheRedBullRing.
The race has been held in two periods at this venue, from 1970 to 1987 and from 1997 to 2003 and from 2014 to the present day. Over time, the layout has changed with the original one being deemed too dangerous, a danger McLaren’s Stefan Johansson experienced first hand during Friday free practice in 1987, when he collided with and killed a deer.
WeekendPreviewfromAlanPermane
"The Austrian GP is one that we look forward to at Racing Bulls, it's very much a 'home' race for us and we are always given a special welcome by the everyone from the area. We will of course aim to continue our run of strong form, with double points finishes in the previous two races, we are raring to go. The VCARB 03, with its latest updates, has proved to work well on a variety of circuit types and we head to Austria with confidence, knowing that if we put a strong weekend together, we can come away with more points. The Red Bull Ring sits in a natural bowl in the Styrian mountains and is just 4.3km long but packs a lot in. The lap starts with three straights separated by two, low speed, uphill right-hand corners. The middle and final sectors are a mix of medium and high-speed corners. A quick car here will have good braking and traction combined with good turn in stability and a strong front end for the final two right hand corners. Pirelli will bring their softest tyres in the 2026 range and with very high ambient temperatures forecast, with clear skies, we can expect high track temperatures, making the need for race preparation work on Friday a high priority."
