If you love fresh air, wide-open spaces and spectacular alpine scenery, then the small town of Spielberg in the Styria region of Austria could be your ideal destination. Topographically the area is defined by craggy mountains, rolling hills and lush green meadows. As such, the region has long been considered a heaven for sportspeople, from skiers and snowboarders in the winter to hikers and mountain bikers in the summer. But it’s not just the potential to indulge in outdoor activities that attracts visitors to the area; it’s also the renowned hospitality of the locals.
As you might expect for a track situated at over 600m above sea level, the Spielberg circuit is particularly undulating and provides fans with the opportunity to see cars racing flat out against what is arguably the most breath-taking natural backdrop on the F1 calendar.

The story of the Austrian Grand Prix begins, as with most Grands Prix, with a local group of motor racing enthusiasts in the 1950s. They created an L-shaped circuit with cones and hay bales in the town of Zeltweg...
The first Formula One race was held there in 1970, but after numerous start-line accidents, arguments with local farmers over car parking and a general feeling that the circuit was unsafe, the Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring was finally pulled from the calendar in 1987. The track continued to hold other events but gradually fell into disrepair until Austrian telecoms company A1 provided the funds to redevelop the circuit. Renamed the A1-Ring, it brought Formula One racing back to Austria in 1997. It would continue to host Grands Prix for the next six years, before again being dropped from the F1 schedule after the 2003 event, infamous for Rubens Barrichello handing victory to Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher within sight of the finishing line.
Over subsequent years, numerous improvement plans for the circuit stalled until it was eventually redeveloped as the Red Bull Ring and reopened in 2011, since which time it has hosted series including DTM, World Series by Renault and European Le Mans.

F1 TIMETABLE

Fri 28 June 2019
Practice 1 11:00 - 12:30
Practice 2 15:00 - 16:30

Sat 29 June 2019
Practice 3 12:00 - 13:00
Qualifying 15:00 - 16:00

Sun 30 June 2019
Race 15:10 - 17:10