Red Bull is ready for a homecoming party as they celebrate 100 wins in Formula One with a sellout crowd at the first Austrian Grand Prix since the death of the team’s billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz in last October.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s runaway leader and winner of six of eight races so far this season as he heads for his third championship in a row, will be favourite to make it 101 at Spielberg on Sunday.
The Dutch 25-year-old can become the most successful driver in Austrian Grand Prix history if he wins for a fourth time, one more than the record he shares with French great Alain Prost.
Verstappen already has four wins at the scenic circuit, having also won the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.
“It’s great to be going back to Austria with this run of results,” said team boss Christian Horner after Verstappen’s landmark win in Canada.
“There’ll be a big home crowd, it’s a sellout and they always put on a big event. I think this year’s event will be maybe the biggest event they’ve ever put on.”
Security will be tighter and more visible after some spectators reported racist, sexist and homophobic abuse last year, with alcohol no longer allowed into the event. Rain is also forecast for Friday and Saturday.
Austria is the second sprint of the season, a chance for Verstappen to stretch his huge 69 point lead over team mate Sergio Perez who has not featured on the podium for the last three races.
Verstappen won the sprint in Austria last year but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc triumphed on Sunday with his Dutch rival second and Perez failing to finish after a first-lap collision with Mercedes’ George Russell.
Ferrari have had just one podium so far this season, on a sprint weekend in Baku when Leclerc finished third on Sunday, and have not won since Austria last July. Of the 19 races since then Red Bull have won 18 and Mercedes one.
Mercedes are aiming to build on momentum, with seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton third in Canada and the car expected to perform better in Austria.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will be chasing his seventh podium appearance in nine races while McLaren and Renault-owned Alpine are also hoping to be more competitive.
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Spielberg marks the start of what McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has signalled as a “major overhaul of the car” with further upgrades to come at Silverstone and in Hungary.
“At the start of the season, we realized the car needed a fundamental redesign,” he said in Montreal. “I would say, pretty much every single aerodynamic part.
“We had to redesign even some parts under the bodywork. That’s also why it took some time to be in condition to deliver these upgrades.”
Further back, Williams will have upgrades that only Alex Albon had in Canada on his way to seventh place.
“This track is another one that should suit our car more than some other circuits,” said the Thai.
“With this format being a sprint weekend, coupled with the rain, it’s all to play for.”
“800th Grand Prix is remarkable achievement,” says William F1 team principal
Williams Racing F1 team will be making their 800th Grand Prix appearance in the British Grand Prix which is scheduled on July 9. Williams F1 team principal, James Vowles said the 800th grand prix is a remarkable achievement for Williams.
In the Constructor’s championship table, William Racing is in the ninth position with seven points. Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant drive for William Racing in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Williams is one of the longest-serving and most successful teams in F1, having debuted as a team in 1977 and a constructor in 1978, before racking up more than 100 wins alongside seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors’ titles.
Williams has announced plans to mark their 800th Grand Prix at upcoming rounds in Britain and Hungary, setting out a series of events and activities to honour the team’s rich history.
As per the official website of Formula 1, “Williams’ current F1 car, the FW45, will run a “striking” livery exclusively designed for their home race in Britain, paying homage to the squad’s British heritage and late founder Sir Frank Williams, before showcasing a special emblem in Hungary.”
Further stating, “Silverstone had been set to mark the Grove team’s latest milestone of races completed but, with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend not going ahead, the moment will officially arrive at Budapest instead.”
According to the official website of Formula 1, Williams F1 team principal, James Vowles said, “Reaching the milestone of our 800th Grand Prix is a remarkable achievement for Williams Racing. We are incredibly proud of our history and the legacy built over the years.”
He further added, “Over our 46-year history, the team has achieved incredible results. With nine constructors’ championships and seven drivers’ titles to our name, we are the second most successful Formula 1 team of all time, only behind Ferrari.”
While concluding Vowles said, “We invite all our fans to join us in this celebration as we pay tribute to our iconic past and look towards a bright future.”
Latest F1 statistics leading up to the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix
Formula One statistics for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg, the ninth race of the 22-round championship and second sprint weekend of the season:
Lap distance: 4.318km. Total distance: 306.452km (71 laps)
2022 pole position: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull
2022 sprint winner: Verstappen
2022 race winner: Charles Leclerc (Monaco) Ferrari
Race lap record: Carlos Sainz (Spain) Ferrari 1:05.619, 2020
Main Race start time: 6.30 p.m.
Austria: The circuit in the Austrian Alps is owned by Red Bull. It has the shortest lap, in terms of time, on the calendar and just 10 corners. Most drivers made two stops last year.
This year’s Austrian GP is the 36th in the history of the championship, with the first held at Zeltweg airfield in 1964 and then moving to Spielberg’s Oesterreichring (a shortened version later named A1 Ring and now Red Bull Ring) in 1970.
During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 it also hosted the Styrian Grand Prix.
The track features aggressive kerbs and is hard on suspension. The weather can be unpredictable, with rain forecast this weekend.
There have been only nine winners from pole in 18 races on the current configuration. There are 330 metres from pole to turn one, with the lap having three DRS zones and most overtakes into turns three and four.
Verstappen (2018, 2019, 2021), Valtteri Bottas (2017, 2020), Leclerc (2022) and Lewis Hamilton (2016) are the only drivers on the current grid to have won the Austrian GP.
Hamilton won the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, and Verstappen won in 2021, at the same circuit.
WINS: Red Bull celebrated their 100th win in Formula One at the June 18 Canadian Grand Prix. Verstappen now has 41 wins from 171 starts, equalling the career haul of Brazil’s late triple-world champion Ayrton Senna. Red Bull have won all eight races so far this season (six for Verstappen) and four with a one-two finish.
Hamilton has a record 103 career victories from 318 starts but has not won since Saudi Arabia in December 2021.
Aston Martin’s Alonso has 32 wins, most recently in his home Spanish Grand Prix in 2013 with Ferrari, from a record 363 starts.
Ferrari have now gone almost a year since their last win, in Austria with Leclerc on July 10, 2022.
POLE POSITION: Hamilton has a record 103 career poles. Red Bull has been on the pole in seven of the season’s races, with Leclerc taking the top slot in Azerbaijan. Verstappen has five poles for 2023.
PODIUM: Five teams and seven drivers have made a podium appearance this season -- Red Bull, Alpine, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari. Verstappen has yet to finish outside the top two.
Ferrari are one podium away from their 800th top three finish in Formula One.
POINTS: First placed Max Verstappen leads Perez by 69 points.
FASTEST LAPS: Five different drivers have taken the fastest laps this season - Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou, Verstappen (3), Perez (2) and Mercedes’ George Russell and Hamilton.
MILESTONE: Red Bull is chasing their 10th win in a row, the team’s best run ever and one short of McLaren’s all-time record set in 1988.
