This week Formula 1 and its junior series, Formulas 2 and 3, return to European soil, kicking off the final sprint of races ahead of the summer break. First up is the high-speed, high-stakes challenge of the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, for the Austrian Grand Prix.
2024 Austrian Grand Prix
Last year, Austria was the 3rd race weekend to feature a sprint race, meaning double the fun in the Styrian hills. With non-stop action from start to finish, viewers witnessed collisions, illegal pit stops, and an aborted start.
Browning Led Formula 3
Luke Browning led the pack at the 2024 Formula 3 Austrian Grand Prix, taking pole position and the feature race win. Despite receiving a 3-place grid penalty in the Sprint race for impeding Dino Beganovic, he made up 4 positions to finish 11th – just shy of the points. In the feature race, Browning led start to finish and was joined on the podium by Gabriele Minì and Beganovic.
Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli endured a tough weekend. He qualified 24th and took home a mere 2 points, finishing P12 and P9 in the races. This cost him the lead of the championship, slipping to third behind Browning and Minì. In the Sprint race, Christian Mansell and Nikola Tsolov battled for victory before a late high-speed collision between Sebastián Montoya and Alexander Dunne brought out the safety car, handing the win to Tsolov.
Hauger Took Pole with Thousandths To Spare in Formula 2
Formula 2 continued to provide excitement at Austria, with Dennis Hauger taking pole position by 0.008 seconds over Joshua Dürksen.
Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini started the Sprint race on reverse grid pole but Oliver Bearman overtook him when the lights went green. A Lap 1 collision between Maini and Pepe Martí saw damage to the front wing for Martí’s car. This allowed Bearman to build a strong advantage in clear air. Despite late pressure from a recovering Martí, Bearman took the win. Paul Aron, who was leading the championship, joined the pair on the podium.
The feature race saw chaos before the lights when out when pole-sitter Hauger stalled on the formation lap. He had to start from the pit lane, promoting Dürksen to the front. Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto both overtook him on Laps 4 and 5. Zane Maloney’s engine failed on Lap 6, triggering a virtual safety car during which Martí made an illegal pit stop. Post-race, he received a 10-second stop-and-go – which was converted to a 30-second time penalty – dropping him from 4th to 15th. Bortoleto went on to win the race with 4.296-second lead over Colapinto in 2nd. Hadjar rounded out the podium finishers.
Verstappen and Norris Battled in Formula 1
Formula 1 followed in the footsteps of its’ junior series, providing action, penalties and talking points. Being a sprint race weekend, drivers had double the opportunity to win around the Red Bull Ring. But it was Max Verstappen and George Russell who saw victory.
With photographers out of position at Turn 1, the sprint race saw an aborted start. Red Bull’s Verstappen started on pole ahead of both McLaren drivers and he went on to win the race by 4.616-seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc suffered an anti-stall issue and was unable to set a qualifying time in SQ3. Despite this, he made up 3 positions, finishing 7th and scoring points.
Verstappen was looking unstoppable when he took pole for the main race. He got away well and was creating a lead over Lando Norris early in the race. Verstappen had a slow second stop, allowing Norris to close the gap and fight for the win. During the battle, Norris received a 5-second penalty for exceeding track limits. With 8 laps to go, they collided when Verstappen attempted to defend at Turn 3. Both drivers sustained punctures and Norris ultimately had to retire from the race. Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty but finished 5th. Russell was able to capitalise on the duo’s collision and won the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. He was joined on the podium by Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Returning to Austria
All eyes will be on Rafael Câmara as he attempts to win a fourth race of the Formula 3 season and further solidify his lead over Red Bull Junior Nikola Tsolov. The Brazilian driver currently has a 26-point lead advantage. However, with 5 rounds still to go, nothing is set in stone.
The championship is tight in Formula 2, with only 14 points separating the top 5. Watch out for Browning, who won here last year in Formula 3 and will be attempting to get his first victory in Formula 2. Fresh from his win in Barcelona and receiving an FP1 outing in Silverstone, Arvid Lindblad will also be hungry to be on the top step.
Formula 1 returns to Europe after jetting across to Canada for the last round. Watch out for Max Verstappen, as he looks to make amends for his 2024 outing and return to his dominating ways on the Austrian circuit. The McLaren drivers will be looking to further extend their lead, and with George Russell riding the high of his Canadian victory, the path to P1 won’t be a breeze for anyone.
What to Expect at the 2025 MSC Cruises Austrian Grand Prix
The Austrian Grand Prix is held at the Red Bull Ring and returned to the F1 calendar in 2014 under its current layout. With previous iterations such as the Österreichring (1970 – 1987) and A1-Ring (1997 – 2003), this is a permanent track with a photo-worthy backdrop of the Styrian hills. The track that tests speed and precision is characterised by elevation changes, heavy braking zones and long straights. The Red Bull Ring features 10 corners and 3 DRS zones – an ideal circuit for overtaking. At 4.318 km (2.683 miles), it is one of the shorter tracks the drivers will face and has 71 laps.
The drivers will be full throttle for 79% of the lap. It is crucial for them to stay precise, as breaching track limits haunts the drivers year on year, especially through Turns 9 and 10. Recent years have seen extra gravel traps be laid down at these corners to deter drivers from going over the white lines.
Verstappen has the most wins at the circuit with 4, and Mercedes have the most wins as a constructor with 7. Sainz currently holds the race lap record of 1:05.619, which he set in 2020.
No Change To The Tyres In 2025
Managing the tyre temperatures is the main challenge for drivers at the Red Bull Ring. Despite being an abrasive track, the lateral forces on the tyres aren’t too severe and don’t necessarily cause tyre wear. However, the hard braking and acceleration zones often lead to thermal degradation. With a lot of racing at the track, it is often rubbered-in from the start of the weekend.
Pirelli have opted for the C5, C4, and C3 tyres – the same as last year. With a predicted 2-stop race being the optimal strategy, expect to see the medium (C4) and hard (C3) tyres be the preferred race tyres.
Schedule
After three years being run with the Sprint format, 2025 sees the Austrian Grand Prix return to the standard race weekend format.
All times are in CEST.