Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix from 1963 to the present: the history of the Red Bull Ring

From England to Austria, this is the moment for Formula 1 to break into the Red Bull Ring: GP history from 1963 to today

With a one-way ticket from the UK, Formula 1 lands in Austria for the eleventh round of the season. Putting on a show at Silverstone amid sensational crashes and deadly battles, the single-seat cars are ready to race at high speeds around the Red Bull Ring, a circuit that has had the honor of hosting the most important motorsports world championship 34 times. So, with the readiness of a rider, let's get into first gear and analyze how the various teams arrive at the Grand Prix, the history and the most important podiums on the Austrian circuit. The history of the Red Bull Ring: the evolution and impact of this monster is told in this post: https://f1chronicle.com/history-of-the-red-bull-ring-evolution-and-impact/

From England to Austria: The exploits of the British Grand Prix

However, taking a step back, let's look at the cases that follow from the last stage. In fact, on Sunday 3 July, Formula One brought its suitcases to England for the British Grand Prix. Since Carlos Sainz climbed to the top step of the podium for the first time in his career, we have witnessed several turns that were destined to mark the course of the championship. Charles Leclerc, in fact, after leading the race thanks to a certain victory and a useful closeness to Max Verstappen, was deceived by the safety car and his team. Ferrari had just confirmed the yellow flag with safety, choosing to assist the Spanish driver rather than the Monegasque, allowing him to take his first victory. With Charles by now too slow and doomed to fourth place, Sergio "Checo" Pérez and Lewis Hamilton also earned race merit, finishing second and third respectively.

Austrian Grand Prix: the history of the Red Bull Ring from 1963 to the present day

Starting at the Osterreichring and going through the A1 - Styria ring, the Austrian Grand Prix has gone through many changes over the years. First laid in 1963, it was originally a runway for a military airport located near Zeltweg. The aim was to replicate what had been achieved at Silverstone, but the plan proved unsuccessful due to the impromptu race track's bumpy surface, which caused the single-seaters to break at suspension level. Forced to accept only sports cars and Grand Touring cars, the Osterreichring was born, the circuit that hosted Formula One racing for 17 years. from 1970 to 1987. Outdated by the standards of that time, the track was modernized in the 90s, as a result of which it was called Ring A1. However, the return to F1 did not last long. In fact, commissioned in 1997, the track fell into disuse in 2003 due to legal disputes between the owners. Why Red Bull is accused of sports, see this resource.

A resurgence occurred on 23 July 2013 when Red Bull Racing finalized the purchase of the track. Just a year later, he would once again return to Formula One, renamed the Red Bull Ring. The road goes downhill from that point on and Spielberg has even hosted two Grands Prix during COVID: the Austrian Grand Prix and the Styrian Grand Prix. To date, the track has a length of 4313 meters and consists of 10 turns. And it is considered one of the most important in the world, also capable of hosting MotoGP in 2016.

Austrian GP: curiosity about a particular track

Why can't many riders give their all at the Austrian Grand Prix? What features of the Red Bull Ring make this circuit one of the most special in Formula 1? The most important factor is the height of the track, 660 meters above sea level. This can be a serious problem for single-seat vehicles, at altitude it greatly affects the cooling of tires and asphalt, and also puts a lot of stress on the powertrain. Finally, at Spielberg, pilots are tested on their knowledge of how to operate the braking system, which becomes heavier due to the lower vertical load.

But, moving on to the characteristics of the track, the Red Bull Ring has the shortest fastest lap of the World Championship. The record, in fact, dates from 2020 and was set by Valtteri Bottas, who stopped the clock in 1:02.939. It is also the fifth shortest circuit in Formula 1 with only 10 corners, of which 2, 5 and 8 are straight. Due to the fact that the lap times are very short, qualifying sessions are very intense with minimal interruptions. While riders have the opportunity to complete more laps in both free practice and qualifying, they may not be able to recharge batteries well or cool down the powertrain on slow laps.