The Red Bull Ring, home to this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, is a track where McLaren's rookie driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, is hoping to score his first points of the season.
The Austrian track has the shortest lap time on the Formula One calendar and has only nine corners. However, contrary to appearances, it is a demanding track for the drivers with high speed corners and they have to be very careful not to make a single mistake for 71 laps.
One of the biggest challenges for Honda will be the high altitude. The circuit is around 700m (2,297 ft) above sea level, and the turbo will therefore have to spin at a much higher rate to produce the same amount of power. The efficiency of deployment will also be affected. Their strategy for the energy management will be key for the race.
“I'm looking forward to Austria – it's a great little circuit that usually produces good overtaking, close racing and unexpected results. It should also suit our package a little better than Canada and Baku, where the long straights really don't play to our strength,” Stoffel said.
At the previous round in Azerbaijan, the Woking based squad was finally able to bank their first points of the year and it brought a degree of brightness into the team.
“Scoring points in the last race was very good for the whole team's motivation and morale, and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to make further progress in Austria. We've been bringing upgrades to every race, so a problem-free weekend, at a circuit that doesn't disadvantage us, would really allow us to gain some momentum.”
“Of course, we're still some way off where we want to be, but a respectable result in Austria would really give the team an added boost.”
