F1: History of the Austrian Grand Prix

Round 11 of the 2025 F1 season takes us to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Everything You Need to Know About the Austrian Grand Prix

Today, the Austrian Grand Prix continues to attract fans and drivers from across the globe. With various circuit revamps and names, it boasts a wide history.

Origins at Zeltweg

The Austrian Grand Prix began at the Zeltweg Airfield. In 1963, the race track hosted a non-championship race, which Australian Jack Brabham won. A year later, the venue held its first official F1 championship race. Italian driver Lorenzo Bandini secured victory in his Ferrari.

Although the event initially proved successful, the circuit’s narrow layout and poor spectator facilities soon drew criticism. As a result, the FIA removed the race from the calendar until organisers could provide a more suitable venue.

Despite this setback, motorsport activity continued. In 1965, Zeltweg hosted the Zeltweg 200 Miles sports car race. From 1966 to 1969, it became part of the World Sportscar Championship under the name 1000 km Zeltweg.

The Österreichring Era

In 1970, the newly built Österreichring took over as the home of the Austrian Grand Prix. Located in the Styrian mountains, the high-speed circuit earned a reputation among drivers for its flowing layout and sweeping corners.

Ferrari dominated the inaugural race at the new venue thanks to their Flat-12 engines. Jo Siffert claimed victory in his BRM the following year, while Jackie Stewart secured his second world title.

In 1975, the race earned the honorary title of European Grand Prix. However, tragedy overshadowed the event when American driver Mark Donohue died following a crash. That year’s winner, Vittorio Brambillia, famously crashed into the guardrail just after crossing the finish line in wet conditions.

A year later, local hero Niki Lauda missed the race due to his near-fatal accident at the Nürburgring. John Watson won for the Penske team, both his and the team’s only F1 victory.

Changes and Challenges

In response to Donohue’s accident, organisers reprofiled the Voest-Hugel corner into a chicane in 1977, which became the Hella-Licht Chicane. Alan Jones claimed his first F1 win that year in a Shadow.

The following seasons saw a mix of drama and technological evolution. In 1979 and 1980, Renault’s turbocharged engines began to dominate, although Jones remained competitive.

In 1981, Jacques Laffite won after a fierce five-car battle caused by Didier Pironi’s slow but powerful Ferrari. The 1982 race ended thrillingly. After a series of retirements, Elio deAngelis held off Keke Rosberg by just 0.05 seconds. This is one of the closest finishes in F1 history.

1984 saw Lauda finally triumph at the Austrian Grand Prix, his home race. Alain Prost followed with back-to-back wins in 1985 and 1986, while Andrea de Cesaris’s crash at the Panorama Curve in 1985 led to his dismissal from Ligier.

Decline and Departure

By 1987, safety concerns had reached a peak. Two race restarts due to first-lap crashes highlighted the limitations of the narrow start and finish straight. Increasing speeds and limited run-off areas added further risk.

Nelson Piquet claimed pole with an average speed of over 255 km/h (159 mph), but Nigel Mansell won the race. However, the dangers proved too great. The FIA dropped the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring from the calendar. Austria vanished from F1 for the next ten years.

Return to the A1-Ring

After a major redesign by Hermann Tilke, the Österreichring reopened in 1997 under the new name, A1-Ring. The revised layout featured tighter corners and improved safety, although it lost much of the original circuit’s character.

With Spielberg now listed as the event’s official location, the Austrian Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar. Ferrari’s dominance in the early 2000s reached a controversial peak in 2002, when team orders forced Rubens Barrichello to let Michael Schumacher win. This drew heavy criticism from fans and media alike.

Despite continuing until 2003, the Austrian Grand Prix at the A1-Ring lost momentum and eventually dropped off the calendar again.

Revival at the Red Bull Ring

In 2013, Red Bull GmbH, the circuit’s new owner, revived interest in the Austrian Grand Prix. After reaching an agreement with F1’s commercial rights holder, the Red Bull Ring returned to the calendar in 2014.

Once again based in Spielberg, the Austrian Grand Prix regained its place in the F1 World Championship. From 2014 to 2016, the circuit welcomed the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, adding aerial motorsport to its portfolio. Elsewhere, in a significant move for two-wheel racing, MotoGP returned to the venue in 2016 after a 19-year absence.

In 2019, officials honoured the late Niki Lauda by renaming the first corner of the Red Bull Ring, the Niki Lauda Turn.

The COVID Years

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted motorsport schedules. In June that year, F1 confirmed that the Red Bull Ring would host the first two races of the delayed season. The second event, the Styrian Grand Prix, marked a one-off addition to the calendar.

These back-to-back races on 5 and 12 July also began the F2 and F3 Championships, making the Red Bull Ring the first European venue since Monaco in 1966 to host the opening round of an F1 season.

Due to ongoing disruptions in 2021, the Red Bull Ring again hosted two F1 Grands Prix: the Styrian and Austrian rounds. Max Verstappen dominated both, taking pole position and victory in each.

Red Bull Ring