Stats for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, 11th round of the 24-race championship and third sprint race of the season(FORMULA ONE:)
Lap distance: 4.318km. Distance: 306.452km (71 laps)
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)2023 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull 1-04.
Verstappen (2023 sprint winner)
2023 race winner: Verstappen
Race lap record: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari 1:05.619, 2020
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Play begins: 1500 local time, 1300 GMT
AUSTRIA
There are only 10 corners on the circuit – the shortest, time-wise lap of all in F1 this year (one minute eight seconds) – but they have some aggressive kerbs and run-off areas too.
The track with the 2nd largest elevation change between its highest and lowest points (69m) after Spa-Francorchamps.
In that respect, the exit to turns nine and 10 has new limits as a line of telegraph poles have been moved back at least two meters by FIM inspectors over the approach (Allpicts. com).
The Austrian race is the 37th in championship history, with the first held at Zeltweg airfield back in 1964 before moving to Spielberg’s Oesterreichring (a shortened version later named A1 Ring and now Red Bull Ring) from ’70 onwards.
The pandemic also led to the circuit hosting an additional round, titled the Styrian Grand Prix, in 2020 and again in 2021.
History says: There have been 10 pole-winners in the last 19 races on this version of the circuit. It is 330m from pole to turn one, with the main overtaking spot expected at turns three and four. There are three corners — Turn 2, called “The Keyhole” (a long left-hander), and Turns 5 and 8 (two right-handers) that should be taken flat out.
The Austrian GP winners on the current grid are Verstappen (2018, 2019, 2021 and for a turn he actually manages to be quickest in all three!) Bottas (if we heard you correctly) Leclerc (?) *mumble mumble* Hamilton only once.
At the same circuit, Hamilton victorius in 2020 and Verstappen win last year.
