In Pictures: Austria 2024
The second leg of the first triple-header of the season, the Austrian Grand Prix, took place at Spielberg. The Red Bull Ring, where the race is held, stands out on the championship calendar due to its unique features. Firstly, it has the fewest corners (10) and the shortest lap time, despite its 4.318-kilometer length making it the third shortest track after Monaco (3.337 km) and Interlagos (4.309 km). Additionally, the circuit, owned by Red Bull, boasts the second highest change in altitude, with a 63.5-meter difference between its highest and lowest points, only surpassed by Spa-Francorchamps, which has a 102.2-meter change.
The Spielberg track surface is quite old and highly abrasive, yet the lateral forces on the tires are lower than the seasonal average, resulting in minimal wear overall. Traction out of the slow corners and stability under braking are crucial for competitiveness here. Managing tire temperatures is key to avoiding overheating; drivers who fail to do so might struggle to fend off attacks, especially in the first and last sectors. Therefore, ambient temperature will be a significant factor at this venue, where the weather is often variable. In the past two editions, a two-stop strategy using Medium and Hard tires has proven to be the quickest, with no drivers opting for the Soft tires last year.
The Styrian hills have been the exclusive location for Formula 1 in Austria, with 37 races held at the Red Bull Ring and one in 1964 at Zeltweg’s military airfield, just a few hundred meters away as the crow flies. This Sunday’s race will mark the 37th Austrian Grand Prix, celebrated in three distinct periods. After the initial race at Zeltweg, the Grand Prix moved to the Österreichring from 1970 to 1987, then to the A1-Ring from 1997 to 2003, and finally to the Red Bull Ring from 2014 onwards. In addition, the track hosted the Styrian Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021.
Despite being under 27, Max Verstappen already holds the record for the most wins (4) at this event, plus an additional victory in the Styrian Grand Prix. A total of 25 drivers have won the Austrian Grand Prix, 11 of whom are world champions, including Max Verstappen, Alain Prost, Alan Jones, Mika Häkkinen, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve, and Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari and McLaren lead with six wins each at this venue, while Mercedes also claims six wins, including Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull Ring hosted the third Sprint format weekend of the season, featuring one free practice session on Friday followed by Sprint qualifying. The Sprint race took place on Saturday, and qualifying for Sunday afternoon’s Grand Prix was also held on Saturday. This format has been used here since 2022. To date, there have been 14 Sprint races, with Max Verstappen winning nine of them. Valtteri Bottas has won two, while Sergio Perez, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri have each won one.
FRIDAY
The Sprint weekend format means that the only free practice session is especially crucial for preparing the cars for the flying lap discipline and evaluating tire behavior over long runs. Friday was no exception. During Free Practice 1, temperatures rose significantly as clouds gradually gave way to sunshine, causing the track temperature to increase from 31°C (88°F) to 45°C (113°F).
ll drivers, except for Lewis Hamilton—who only used one set of Hards throughout—used two different tire compounds. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, and Alpine ran with Hard and Soft compounds. Red Bull, Williams, Racing Bulls, Sauber, and Haas used Medium and Soft compounds. Notably, Aston Martin also used one set of Mediums and one set of Hards just to bed them in.
In the end, it was another Sprint Qualifying pole position for Max Verstappen—his eighth out of the 15 times this format has been used. This marks his sixth consecutive success in a pole position shoot-out at the Red Bull Ring: the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix, the 2021 and 2023 Austrian Grands Prix, and Sprint Qualifying here for the past two years. The Red Bull Racing driver was quickest in all three sections of qualifying, with his best time in Q3 being 1:04.686. Joining him at the top of the timesheet were the two McLaren drivers: Lando Norris, who was second with a time of 1:04.779, and Oscar Piastri, who was third with a time of 1:04.987. These three drivers were the only ones to break the 1'05" barrier.
SATURDAY
Another pole position for Max Verstappen as he continued to put together the perfect weekend: fastest in free practice, fastest in Sprint Qualifying, first in the Sprint Race, and quickest in qualifying for the Grand Prix.
This marked the seventh time the Dutchman had topped the time sheets in grid-deciding sessions at this circuit. Before Saturday’s pole, he was fastest at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix, the 2021 and 2023 Austrian Grands Prix, as well as in Sprint Qualifying for the past two years.
The three-time world champion had now accumulated 40 pole positions, while Red Bull Racing had reached a total of 103.
Sunday’s front row mirrored that of Saturday’s Sprint. Verstappen, with a best lap of 1:04.314, had McLaren’s Lando Norris (1:04.718) alongside him. On the second row were the Mercedes of George Russell (1:04.840) and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz (1:04.851).
SUNDAY
The Austrian Grand Prix concluded with an unexpected twist as George Russell claimed victory, marking a significant comeback for both himself and Mercedes. The race was filled with drama, particularly a fierce battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, which ended in a collision that forced both drivers to pit due to tire damage. While Verstappen managed to return to the track and secure a fifth-place finish, Norris was less fortunate, leading to his early retirement from the race.
Russell’s triumph ended a 34-race drought for him and Mercedes, a stretch lasting 595 days since his previous win at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2022. This victory is not only Russell’s second in Formula 1 but also Mercedes’ 126th in the sport's history. Oscar Piastri from McLaren and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz joined Russell on the podium, highlighting a race filled with unexpected outcomes and significant milestones for the teams involved.
Excerpts of this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A.
