Austria Track Preview

therookiereporters
17 hours ago
2 min read

As F1 continues its European leg they head to Austria - Red Bull’s home race but what can we expect for our Grand Prix?

Track Facts

The Red Bull Ring is a hidden treasure, encapsulated by the Styrian mountains. Its iconic Bull Statue spanning turns 6,7 and 8 is certainly a tourist attraction for F1 fans. It has a track distance of 4.318 kilometres with a race distance of 306.452 kilometres. The sea of orange adorned Dutch, first greeted the calendar in 2017. It serves us 71 laps of racing action which has us all on the edge of our seats. With 3 DRS zones, the lap record is currently held by Oscar Piastri at a 1:07.924 set last year, while he was steering his McLaren around the track.

(Image credit to @skysportsf1 on Instagram)

2025 Recap

This time last year we were in the midst of a McLaren battle with Piastri and Norris squabbling for the championship lead. In 2025 Lando took home 25 points, closing the margin to Oscar in the championship, who finished second. Austria is Redbull’s home race and attracts thousands of Max Verstappen’s supporters but the Grand Prix saw Antonelli and him make contact leaving them both with a DNF (did not finish). Ferrari had a strong performance with both drivers as Charles rounded out the podium and Lewis was just behind him in 4th.

2026 Expectations

Mercedes are expected to stay at the front alongside Ferrari and McLaren - however there are major concerns and big questions over the reliability of the Mercedes Engine. This puts doubt over Mercedes to finish the race but also their customer teams like McLaren, who have previously succumbed to such issues in Canada and Monaco. Meanwhile our midfield teams in the likes of Alpine and Racing Bulls are aiming to stay consistent in points finishes this weekend.

Weekend Schedule (track time)

Free Practice One: