F1 Austrian Grand Prix 2021

At 4.318km, it is one of the shorter layouts, but what it lacks in distance, it has made up for in drama since its re-introduction. The track originated in 1969 when it was known as the Osterreichring but in 1995 and ’96, Herman Tilke led a redesign, turning it into the picturesque circuit we know today.

Gone were the long, sweeping corners and in their place, a series of narrow, high-speed bends as the lap progresses. While overtakes are few and far between in this section, three straights to start the lap mean there is ample opportunity to make up places.

Jacques Villeneuve won the first race on the new A-1 Ring as it was known in 1997, before the event received scrutiny in 2002 when Ferrari ordered Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher past for victory. However, since 2014, the Austrian GP has served up some classics. In 2016, there was a final-lap collision between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, while Verstappen won back-to-back thrillers in 2017 and ’18.

The Austrian Grand Prix 2020

This was the venue for the opening two races of the 2020 season with the latter being named the Styrian Grand Prix. Both were dominated by Mercedes, with Valterri Bottas winning the first and Hamilton the second.

Behind Bottas, the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix was filled with late drama. A collision with Alex Albon earned Hamilton a five-second penalty so, despite crossing the line second, the Brit was demoted to fourth behind Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris who set the fastest time of the race on the last lap to secure his first F1 podium.

When is the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix on the F1 calendar?
The Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on the weekend of July 2-4 and is provisionally set to be the ninth race of the Formula 1 season. The first two free practice sessions will take place on July 2, with qualifying on Saturday, July 3 at 15:00 CET.

What time does the Austrian Grand Prix start?
The Austrian Grand Prix starts on Sunday, July 4 at 15:00 CET. The race can be followed live on RacingNews365’s blog and via television on ORF.