Formula One racing will get an extra whiff of excitement this weekend when it returns to Austria after a decade-long absence.
Home to champions like Niki Lauda and Jochen Rindt, as well as the dominant team in recent seasons – Red Bull – Austria will once again welcome the cream of F1 drivers at Spielberg on Sunday, on a circuit steeped in history but unfamiliar to many.
The last time the small alpine country hosted a Grand Prix was in 2003, when Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher grabbed his second consecutive win there, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Rubens Barrichello.
Raikkonen will be one of just four drivers with race day experience on this track Sunday – alongside Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa and Jenson Button.
For all others, the 4.3-kilometre Red Bull Ring circuit, nestled among green hills in southern Austria, will be a test.
“Although I’ve driven the circuit before, that was more than 10 years ago in F3… so it’s basically like starting from scratch for everyone on the grid,” current leader Nico Rosberg of Mercedes said last week.
“Personally, I love that kind of challenge.”
Teammate Lewis Hamilton, who has been preparing in the simulator, was similarly eager to try a new track: “It’s always exciting to go to a new venue, so it should be an interesting weekend.”
Spielberg hosted its first Grand Prix in 1964 on a bumpy course, but it would be years before the event returned in 1970, this time on a purpose-built track – the Oesterreichring (Austria Ring).
The venue’s sole home win came in 1984, when Lauda finished first, despite gearbox problems, on his way to nabbing his third and last championship title.
Dropped from the F1 circuit in 1987, Spielberg made yet another comeback in 1997 for seven editions. These included the infamous 2002 Grand Prix, when Ferrari ordered leader Barrichello to let his teammate Schumacher take the victory, helping him to the season title.
Keen to get a Grand Prix again, Red Bull took over the track in 2004 and redeveloped it, also promising to inject money into the region.
The result is “a short track, with only a few turns, but it’s very challenging”, said the team’s four-time champion Sebastian Vettel. “There are also a lot of elevation changes, which makes it interesting and fun. The fans will have a great time.”
Rival teams, however, will have to race in the shadow of the Austrian energy drinks company: the stands are in the team’s colours and the track loops around a massive steel bull sculpture.
A turn named after Lauda – now non-executive chairman at Red Bull’s rivals Mercedes – was also renamed, to his dismay.
Ahead of the race, Mercedes complained about Red Bull’s organisation, saying they had not been given accommodation close to the circuit.
But this could not distract from the significance of this 27th Austrian Grand Prix.
“Spielberg is a historic track, like Hockenheim, Nuerburgring, Spa, Monza or Silverstone. They belong to F1. They’re the DNA, the backbone of F1,” said Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff.
“I hope we will race here for a long time.”
