The Red Bull Ring Austria is a unique circuit, built on the side of a steep hill with elevation changes significant throughout the entire lap. It's one of the shortest circuits on the calendar, only 4.318km long, and it's usually the quickest lap time of the year.
Two of its only nine corners are flat out and this all means the grid can be very tight, with very small gaps between drivers.
At 680m above sea level, the cars operate at lower air density: this results in lower grip due to less downforce and it makes overall cooling harder. Pair that with the several big brake energy inputs and you get one of the hardest circuits for the brakes.
Compared to the last three events, the focus is more on higher speed, grip-limited corners, but drivers will still need good straight-line speed to make the best of the overtaking opportunities.
The weather is also an important variable: anything can happen, as we witnessed last year, and this can produce some unpredictable results.
For Force India driver Sergio Perez, the disappointment is still raw after his coming together with teammate Esteban Ocon in Baku, so he will be looking for redemption this coming weekend....
“I'm still feeling disappointed about the lost opportunity in Baku, but at the same time I'm feeling positive about the performance level we showed,” the Mexican driver explained. “We were fighting at the front and the car was working well. It's just a shame my race ended early because there was a great chance of finishing on the podium. I think we can be just as competitive in Austria and pick up some good points this weekend.”
“The circuit in Austria is in a really beautiful place. You feel like you are racing with nature. When you look at a map of the track it looks like a simple lap, but it's not as easy as you think. There are lots of elevation changes and some difficult sections. It's really important to carry the speed through the corners so you don't lose time down the long straights. The final corner is off-camber so it's easy to run wide and lose time there.”
