Circuit info
Red Bull Ring
Interesting facts
Set in the Styrian mountains, the track opened in 1969 as the Österreichring, replacing the featureless Zeltweg airfield circuit; the fast, spectacular layout bridged a 65-metre elevation change. Its most notorious section was the steeply banked, blind Bosch Kurve, with almost no run-off; at the height of the turbo era in 1986, Derek Warwick was clocked at 344 km/h approaching it. American driver Mark Donohue was killed in a 1975 testing crash at the Hella-Licht Kurve; the corner was converted into a chicane by 1976-77. Niki Lauda remains the only Austrian driver to win his home Grand Prix, taking victory here in 1984, the same year he clinched his third world title by just half a point, still the narrowest championship margin in F1 history; Turn 1 was renamed in his honour in 2019. The 1995-96 safety-driven rebuild shortened the track from 5.9 km to 4.3 km; mobile operator sponsorship funded much of the work, giving the circuit its A1-Ring name. After the F1 contract ended in 2003, the track sat unusable for years, until Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz bought it and reopened it in 2011 after a roughly €70 million rebuild, with Formula 1 returning in 2014. The circuit is located in Spielberg, Austria. Formula 1 has raced here since 1970, with 40 races held so far, most recently in 2026. The first race here was won by Jacky Ickx, in 1970. The most recent winner here was George Russell, in 2026. Max Verstappen has won here more than anyone else, 5 times. Among constructors, Mercedes has been the most successful here, with 8 wins. The lap record here is held by Carlos Sainz, at 1:05.619 (McLaren, 2020). The recorded top speed at this circuit is 344 km/h.