Austrian Grand Prix 2026

The Red Bull Ring opened in 1969 as the Österreichring, replacing the outdated and unsafe circuit at Zeltweg Airfield. Just a year later, on 15 August 1970, Formula 1 held its first race there. In front of more than 100,000 spectators, home favourite Jochen Rindt took pole position, but retired from the race with engine failure.

The track’s history is marked by deep setbacks. In 1975, Mark Donohue was fatally injured during a practice session, prompting the addition of the Hella-Licht chicane in 1977 to tame what was considered an extremely fast circuit. After two races were red-flagged due to multi-car pile-ups in 1987, the Österreichring disappeared from the calendar for a decade. In the late 1990s, Hermann Tilke rebuilt the venue into the shorter A1-Ring, which hosted the race again from 1997 to 2003, before that chapter too closed with Michael Schumacher’s win in 2003. Dietrich Mateschitz acquired the site in 2004, though a multi-year construction freeze delayed his plans until the project finally got the green light in October 2008.

On 15 May 2011, the track reopened as the Red Bull Ring, and it has been back on the Formula 1 calendar since 2014, with a contract now running until 2041. Today’s 4.326-kilometre layout with ten corners winds through the Styrian hills, featuring around 65 metres of elevation change and gradients of up to twelve percent. Surrounded by slopes that double as natural grandstands, the circuit has an arena-like atmosphere that gives spectators a clear view of much of the track. Turn 1 has long carried the name Niki Lauda Corner, honouring the Austrian who celebrated a home win here in 1984.

2020 remains especially memorable: the coronavirus pandemic saw the Red Bull Ring open the Formula 1 season for the first time in the sport’s history, followed a week later by a second race at the same venue, the Styrian Grand Prix. That year also produced the lap record that still stands today, set by Carlos Sainz at 1:05.619. With four victories, Max Verstappen is the most successful driver at this circuit to date.