2017 Formula One World Championship
Round 10, Austrian Grand Prix
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
Sunday 9 July, 14h00 CAT
Round 10 of the 2017 Formula One World Championship rolls into Spielberg in Austria for a race at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, 9 July. It’s the home Grand Prix for the Red Bull Racing team, who come into this round high on confidence after Daniel Ricciardo claimed an upset win in Azerbaijan last month. The Australian driver kept his cool and rode his luck at an eventful race in Baku, while his teammate Max Verstappen was not so fortunate, retiring for the third time in the last four races with yet another reliability issue.
Red Bull will be desperate to sort out the mechanical issues on the young Dutchman’s car, especially as he was a strong performer in Austria last year, claiming second place behind race winner Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes come to Austria as the clear favourites, having won at the Red Bull Ring for the last three successive years. Hamilton will be keen on cutting the lead of Drivers’ Championship leader Sebastian Vettel, while teammate Valtteri Bottas has brought himself into title reckoning with second-place finishes in the last two races.
Ferrari will also be competitive, and you can expect a gloves-off battle between Vettel and Hamilton after the pair’s controversial low-speed contact while driving behind the safety car in Baku. Vettel will have no further punishment for deliberately driving into Hamilton, while the Brit has made clear his belief that the Ferrari man should have suffered harsher consequences than a 10-second stop-and-go penalty. The open hostility between the two gives the title race a real edge.
The Red Bull Ring is one of the most power-sensitive circuits on the schedule - not good news for Red Bull and the other Renault-powered teams, as well as McLaren. However, Honda will be bringing a ‘spec-three’ engine to Austria and it is hoped that Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will be far more competitive. Another key issue which could throw up a surprise result is the weather: Spielberg is located near the Austrian alps and rainy weather can blow in with surprising speed - and showers are predicted for Sunday afternoon.
Drivers’ Championship top five
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 153 points
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 139
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 111
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 92
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 73
Constructors’ Championship top five
- Mercedes - 250 points
- Ferrari- 226
- Red Bull - 137
- Force India - 79
- Toro Rosso - 37
Austrian Grand Prix stats, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
First held: 1963
Number of F1 races: 30
Most wins, driver: Alain Prost, 3
Most wins, constructor: McLaren, 6
Circuit length: 4.326 km
Race length: 307.146 km
Laps: 71
2016 stats
Podium:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 1:07.992
Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), 1:08.411