Austrian Grand Prix preview | Verstappen goes for fifth win in a row

Historic Austrian Grand Prix

The 41st edition of the Austrian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 30 June. With the exception of the very first race in 1964, the race has always been held at the Red Bull Ring, a circuit that was also known as Österreichring and A1-Ring. In 1970, Jacky Ickx was the first driver to win an official F1 race at this circuit.

Since the return of the Grand Prix in 2014, Austria has been the domain of Mercedes and, in more recent years, Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen took victory twice in 2021 (also in the Styrian Grand Prix), while last year, he won the sprint race, with victory on Sunday going to Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

Red Bull Ring

The Red Bull Ring has a length of 4.3 kilometres, and although it is not the shortest lap on the F1 calendar, it is normally known as the fastest circuit of the year. The circuit has a total of ten corners, with corners 1, 3 and 4 being important braking zones. These corners offer the best opportunities for overtaking, especially as drivers can use the DRS system on the straights before these corners.

Can Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes make the next move?

All year, Red Bull has been particularly dominant, especially on Sundays. In the race for now, the RB19 has proved to be untouchable, arriving at the finish line first with a big lead. However, in Canada, the margin was not as big. Verstappen was 'only' ten seconds faster than runner-up Fernando Alonso, and that means things might get a bit more exciting in the coming weeks.

After all, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes are developing their cars considerably. In Monaco and Spain, Mercedes came out with the necessary updates for what is now called the W14-B. Since then, there have already been three podium finishes for the German team, while in Montreal a fortnight ago, Ferrari was fastest on track in the race on hard tyres and mediums.

In particular, qualifying promises to be spectacular again. At the short circuit in Spielberg last season, Verstappen grabbed the pole position, but the margins were very small. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were only two and seven hundredths slower than the Dutchman in his RB18, respectively. If Ferrari qualifies better than in Canada, it could easily become a fierce battle between the two rivals on Sunday as well.

Weather forecast GP Austria

The Red Bull Ring is located in the middle of the Alps, which means huge thunderstorms could suddenly sweep across the circuit. Some rain is forecast for Friday for the latter part of the afternoon, with a maximum chance of around 50 per cent during qualifying. That chance of rain will remain the same until Saturday morning. As of 12:00, there is only about a 20 per cent chance of precipitation. The whole of Sunday looks set to remain dry, with temperatures potentially reaching 27 degrees Celsius.

Schedule of the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix (BST)

Friday 30 June
First free practice: 12:30 - 13:30
Qualifying: 16:00 - 17:00

Saturday 1 July
Sprint Shootout: 11:00 - 11:44
Sprint race: 15:30 - 16:00

Sunday 2 July
Grand Prix: 14:00 - 16:00