The eighth round of the 2014 Formula 1 season takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria.
It is the first Austrian Grand Prix to take place in 11 years, with the last F1 race in the country taking place back in 2003.
This year’s event will be the 27th time that it has appeared on the F1 calendar and the 28th Austrian Grand Prix overall, after a non-championship round was held in 1963 on the Zeltweg Airfield circuit.
Following one championship race in 1964 at the track, it relocated to Österreichring for the 1970 season. The incredibly fast track remained on the schedule until 1987, before returning with a different name – the A1-Ring – and a new layout designed by Hermann Tilke in 1997.
However, it was not retained for the 2004 season and fell into disrepair, failing to host any motorsport events for several years. Red Bull was the track’s saviour after it was purchased by Dietrich Mateschitz. It was rebuilt, at the cost of around €70 million, and was then reopened in 2011. Despite hosting several high-profile racing series, F1’s return came as quite a surprise.
The sport has moved away from Europe in recent years, welcoming new races in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Korea and India. In fact, the addition of the European Grand Prix at the Valencia street circuit in 2008 was the last race from the continent to join the calendar.
The current circuit may not be as fast or exciting as the previous layout, but it is certainly challenging. The first half features straights and heavy braking zones, while the second part of the track is more technical with medium-speed corners and short bursts of speed.
A lap of the 2.688 mile circuit starts on the long pit straight, which climbs uphill to the first corner. It is a sharp right-hander that will be taken in second gear. It is a strong overtaking opportunity, as the heavy braking zone follows the first DRS zone.
Getting a good exit is crucial for the long run to the second corner, with an even steeper climb. In fact, the undulating nature of the track means the difference between the lowest point and the highest (turn two) is 60 metres. It is arguably the best overtaking place on the relatively short track and features the trickiest braking zone.
The second sector kicks off just prior to the right-hand hairpin, which is the slowest of the nine corners, and is then followed by another long straight. This is where the second DRS zone will be positioned, making it another strong opportunity to move up the order. The track heads downhill on the run to the third corner, which is named Rauch. It will be taken in first gear at around 103kph (64mph), according to Red Bull Racing’s video guide featuring Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.
Turn four is a sweeping right-hander and is followed by the tricky left-hander of the fifth corner, which was previously named after three-time champion Niki Lauda but is now called Pirelli. The run to turn six is where the third sector begins.
The sixth corner used to be called the Gerhard Berger Kurve but it has been renamed Wurth for Austria’s return to the F1 calendar, after the German tool company. Turn seven is a fast right-hander that leads onto another flat-out section of the circuit, which briefly heads uphill.
The track then dips downhill once again for the fastest corner on the circuit, the tricky fourth-gear right-hander of the eighth corner. It is named after Jochen Rindt, who won the 1970 F1 title posthumously after tragically losing his life in a crash in a crash during practice for the Italian Grand Prix.
A short straight follows before the final turn, which is a medium-speed right-hander. The pit lane entry cuts inside the last corner, with cars re-joining to the right at the exit of the first turn. At 2.688 miles, the circuit is the third shortest on the calendar behind Interlagos and Monaco, which means the race will last 71 laps (307km race distance).
Alain Prost has won the Austrian Grand Prix three times, more than any other driver in the sport’s history. Ronnie Peterson, Alan Jones, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher have all taken victory at the Red Bull Ring twice. McLaren is the most successful constructor with six wins in Austria.
Schumacher stood on the top step of the podium at the country’s last F1 race, which was the sixth round of the 2003 season. He briefly lost the top spot following a brief fire at his first pit stop but managed to reclaim the lead and control the race, finishing three seconds clear of the battling Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello.
The track has produced two of the closest finishes in Formula 1. In 1982, Elio de Angelis managed to emerge victorious after edging out Keke Rosberg by 0.050 seconds.
The A1-Ring (as it was then called) was the scene of Schumacher’s controversial 2002 win, after his team-mate Barrichello was instructed to slow down and give the German driver the victory on the run to the flag.
As the track features several long straights and heavy braking zones, the engines and brakes are certainly worked hard around the short lap. The teams running the Mercedes power-unit should be more competitive once again, but the high-speed turns in the second half of the layout will be better suited to the likes of Red Bull Ring.
Can the team make it two wins in a row, following the dramatic Canadian Grand Prix? Anything can happen this season in F1, but the Mercedes drivers should dominate once again. The battle to be best of the rest will definitely be close once again, with Red Bull, Ferrari, Williams, Force India and McLaren all in the mix.
It looks set to be a very exciting race weekend. I will actually be attending the Austrian Grand Prix for Richland F1, so be sure to add the website to your favourites to keep up with all the latest from the paddock. It will be my first F1 race in general, let alone as part of the media, so I can’t wait!
Austrian Grand Prix Fact File
Location: Spielberg, Austria
Track length: 2.688 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 9
Laps: 71
First race: 1964 (Red Bull Ring 1970)
Lap record: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2003, 1m08.337
Tyre compounds: Super-soft and soft
Last race (2003) winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
Last race (2003) pole position: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1m09.150
Last race (2003) fastest lap: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1m08.337
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (Highlights BBC)
 |
| © Ferrari |
This year’s event will be the 27th time that it has appeared on the F1 calendar and the 28th Austrian Grand Prix overall, after a non-championship round was held in 1963 on the Zeltweg Airfield circuit.
Following one championship race in 1964 at the track, it relocated to Österreichring for the 1970 season. The incredibly fast track remained on the schedule until 1987, before returning with a different name – the A1-Ring – and a new layout designed by Hermann Tilke in 1997.
However, it was not retained for the 2004 season and fell into disrepair, failing to host any motorsport events for several years. Red Bull was the track’s saviour after it was purchased by Dietrich Mateschitz. It was rebuilt, at the cost of around €70 million, and was then reopened in 2011. Despite hosting several high-profile racing series, F1’s return came as quite a surprise.
 |
| © Ferrari |
The sport has moved away from Europe in recent years, welcoming new races in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Korea and India. In fact, the addition of the European Grand Prix at the Valencia street circuit in 2008 was the last race from the continent to join the calendar.
The current circuit may not be as fast or exciting as the previous layout, but it is certainly challenging. The first half features straights and heavy braking zones, while the second part of the track is more technical with medium-speed corners and short bursts of speed.
A lap of the 2.688 mile circuit starts on the long pit straight, which climbs uphill to the first corner. It is a sharp right-hander that will be taken in second gear. It is a strong overtaking opportunity, as the heavy braking zone follows the first DRS zone.
Getting a good exit is crucial for the long run to the second corner, with an even steeper climb. In fact, the undulating nature of the track means the difference between the lowest point and the highest (turn two) is 60 metres. It is arguably the best overtaking place on the relatively short track and features the trickiest braking zone.
The second sector kicks off just prior to the right-hand hairpin, which is the slowest of the nine corners, and is then followed by another long straight. This is where the second DRS zone will be positioned, making it another strong opportunity to move up the order. The track heads downhill on the run to the third corner, which is named Rauch. It will be taken in first gear at around 103kph (64mph), according to Red Bull Racing’s video guide featuring Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.
 |
| © Red Bull/ Samo Vidic |
Turn four is a sweeping right-hander and is followed by the tricky left-hander of the fifth corner, which was previously named after three-time champion Niki Lauda but is now called Pirelli. The run to turn six is where the third sector begins.
The sixth corner used to be called the Gerhard Berger Kurve but it has been renamed Wurth for Austria’s return to the F1 calendar, after the German tool company. Turn seven is a fast right-hander that leads onto another flat-out section of the circuit, which briefly heads uphill.
The track then dips downhill once again for the fastest corner on the circuit, the tricky fourth-gear right-hander of the eighth corner. It is named after Jochen Rindt, who won the 1970 F1 title posthumously after tragically losing his life in a crash in a crash during practice for the Italian Grand Prix.
A short straight follows before the final turn, which is a medium-speed right-hander. The pit lane entry cuts inside the last corner, with cars re-joining to the right at the exit of the first turn. At 2.688 miles, the circuit is the third shortest on the calendar behind Interlagos and Monaco, which means the race will last 71 laps (307km race distance).
Alain Prost has won the Austrian Grand Prix three times, more than any other driver in the sport’s history. Ronnie Peterson, Alan Jones, Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher have all taken victory at the Red Bull Ring twice. McLaren is the most successful constructor with six wins in Austria.
 |
| © Ferrari |
Schumacher stood on the top step of the podium at the country’s last F1 race, which was the sixth round of the 2003 season. He briefly lost the top spot following a brief fire at his first pit stop but managed to reclaim the lead and control the race, finishing three seconds clear of the battling Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello.
The track has produced two of the closest finishes in Formula 1. In 1982, Elio de Angelis managed to emerge victorious after edging out Keke Rosberg by 0.050 seconds.
The A1-Ring (as it was then called) was the scene of Schumacher’s controversial 2002 win, after his team-mate Barrichello was instructed to slow down and give the German driver the victory on the run to the flag.
As the track features several long straights and heavy braking zones, the engines and brakes are certainly worked hard around the short lap. The teams running the Mercedes power-unit should be more competitive once again, but the high-speed turns in the second half of the layout will be better suited to the likes of Red Bull Ring.
Can the team make it two wins in a row, following the dramatic Canadian Grand Prix? Anything can happen this season in F1, but the Mercedes drivers should dominate once again. The battle to be best of the rest will definitely be close once again, with Red Bull, Ferrari, Williams, Force India and McLaren all in the mix.
It looks set to be a very exciting race weekend. I will actually be attending the Austrian Grand Prix for Richland F1, so be sure to add the website to your favourites to keep up with all the latest from the paddock. It will be my first F1 race in general, let alone as part of the media, so I can’t wait!
Austrian Grand Prix Fact File
 |
| © AllF1 |
Location: Spielberg, Austria
Track length: 2.688 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 9
Laps: 71
First race: 1964 (Red Bull Ring 1970)
Lap record: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2003, 1m08.337
Tyre compounds: Super-soft and soft
Last race (2003) winner: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
Last race (2003) pole position: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1m09.150
Last race (2003) fastest lap: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 1m08.337
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (Highlights BBC)
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