Showing posts with label Austrian GP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austrian GP. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 June 2026
Saturday, 27 June 2026
Friday, 26 June 2026
LEWIS HAMILTON SENDS WAR CRY AHEAD OF AUSTRIAN GP | CAN FERRARI BEAT MERCEDES?
Lewis Hamilton sends a war cry and a warning to Mercedes ahead of the Austrian GP as the Ferrari driver looks to beat the Silver Arrows once again to claim his second win of the 2026 F1 season on June 28.
Hamilton is now finally off the mark for the Scuderia after dominating the final part of the Barcelona GP, going on to beat George Russell by 19.5 seconds as the Brit and Maranello made a gutsy three-stop strategy work.
That win continues a strong run of form from the seven-time world champion, who has four podiums to his name and is yet to finish below sixth. He is just one of two driver to finish sixth or better in every race so far along with Antonelli and McLaren’s Lando Norris
He remains the only driver to complete every lap of the season and leads the head-to-head against teammate Charles Leclerc 5-2 in Grand Prix races and 4-3 in qualifying, as he rebounds to his finest form following a difficult spell in the Ground Effect Era.
Now 41 points behind in the Formula 1 standings, the 41-year-old aims to continue closing the gap to Kimi Antonelli as he looks to catch his replacement after his decision to leave Brackley in February 2024.
The Italian, who was Toto Wolff’s pick for the seat, suffered a late DNF at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to narrow the gap in the drivers’ championship, despite winning five of the opening seven races – highlighting the fine margins in the sport.
And the 106-time winner has no intention of stopping with that single taste of glory as Hamilton sends a war cry to Mercedes ahead of Austrian GP that he is looking to chase down back-to-back wins.
“I’m thinking about arriving and I want to win this weekend,” Hamilton told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “That’s my goal. That’s what I’ve been working for all week, last week and this week. I’ve not been having dinners.
“It’s head back down with the sacrifices you need to make to make sure that you arrive 100% so you can deliver for these people.
“Especially also knowing how far it reaches, the impact and decisions that I make in the car and what we do here. So those are the things I think about.”
Hamilton refused to enjoy final laps of Barcelona GP
After pitting under the virtual safety car to switch to hard tyres for his final stint to retain the lead of the Barcelona GP with younger tyres than the chasing pack behind him, Hamilton wasted no time breaking out of Overtake Mode range.
Within a lap he was clear of any danger from Russell and the gap only started to swell from there onwards, amassing to almost 20 seconds come the chequered flag on Lap 66 of the Barcelona GP on June 14.
But despite knowing he was comfortably clear of the field and capable of coasting to the finish, able to take as little risk as he wanted to, Hamilton admits he was not interested in enjoying the final laps and simply focused on bringing the car home.
“Honestly, I was almost praying that the car would make it to the finish,” Hamilton added. “I’ve experienced gearbox failures, engine failures, hydraulic issues, battery problems, and brake failures in the past, so you never take anything for granted.
“I was focused on not making mistakes and on bringing home the points for the team. During the final lap I actively stopped myself from thinking about the win because the job isn’t done until you’ve crossed the line.
“Even when I saw the crowd, I reminded myself there were still corners left. It wasn’t until I was well past the chequered flag and saw the team on the pit wall that I finally allowed myself to think, ‘OK, the job is done.’”
- Brandon Sutton
FREE PRACTICE 1 | AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2026
Mercedes lead the way at Red Bull Ring as Kimi Antonelli and George Russell take first and second position while McLaren's Oscar Piastri takes third position.
RED BULL REVEALS SEVEN-PART UPGRADE FOR CRUCIAL HOME F1 RACE AT AUSTRIAN GP
Red Bull has revealed an extensive upgrade package for the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
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| Red Bull has brought a major upgrade to Austria |
Red Bull has unveiled a substantial upgrade package for its home Formula 1 race, the Austrian Grand Prix.
After bringing its first upgrades of the season to Miami, Red Bull has now unleashed an extensive raft of updates in a bid to improve its RB22 following a difficult start to the 2026 campaign.
In total, Red Bull has made seven changes to its car for its home event at Spielberg. Red Bull has introduced a revised sidepod inlet and engine cover for reliability reasons to improve cooling.
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| Red Bull's upgrades for the Austrian Grand Prix |
In terms of performance-related updates, Red Bull has made changes to the surface of the RB22’s floor, floor board, as well as reprofiling the rear suspension layout and rear corner.
Red Bull has also introduced a new rear wing and exhaust tailpipe, which features a revised overlap between the tailpipe exit profile and the supporting tailpipe bracket.
Red Bull is aiming to find more aerodynamic performance and continue its weight-saving programme, having started the season with a car that was 12kg overweight. That figure was halved thanks to its Miami package.
All eyes will be on Red Bull at its home race, particularly regarding the future of Max Verstappen.
When asked how crucial the impact of the Austria upgrade and coming races will be for his future at Red Bull, Verstappen replied: “I think it's just crucial for us as a team, we want to improve from where we started this season to where we want to end it.
“We know that we are lacking performance, so it's more about just trying to improve the car. I think that's what everyone wants.”
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| Verstappen in the Austria paddock |
The four-time world champion added: “Those are, of course, also the easier steps to make when you're far behind. The hardest step is always the last one, to really fight for the win.
“So let's see how we can do that, to be in that fight again. I'm not sure [if that can happen this weekend]. But for sure, the team is always giving it 100% and pushing flat out to make the car faster.
“But we know that other teams are also constantly bringing upgrades. So we just need to always try and find a little bit more to try and close that gap. It was quite clear in Barcelona that there was still a gap, so hopefully it can be a bit better this weekend.”
Other front-running teams have joined Red Bull in bringing updates this weekend.
Mercedes has a new front suspension and engine cover to improve performance and cooling respectively. The German manufacturer has also brought a battery fix to Austria, following Andrea Kimi Antonelli's late retirement at Barcelona.
Ferrari has brought a total of four updates, including changes to the SF-26’s front wing endplate, RV tail, floor board and mirror stay, while McLaren has introduced an updated rear corner and an “experimental rear wing” that will be trialled by reigning world champion Lando Norris on Friday.
- Lewis Larkam
Thursday, 25 June 2026
Monday, 22 June 2026
FORMULA 1 RETURNS TO THE RED BULL RING FOR THE 12TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Round 8 is here at the heart of the Styrian hills! 🇦🇹
Formula 1 returns for the 12th consecutive year at the Red Bull Ring.
#FIA #F1 #AustrianGP
- FIA
Sunday, 29 June 2025
F1 ANNOUNCES AUSTRIAN GP EXTENSION UNTIL 2041
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| The Austrian Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar in 2014 |
Formula 1 has confirmed that the Austrian Grand Prix will remain on the calendar until at least 2041, following a new long-term agreement with race promoters.
The extension ensures the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will continue to host the popular race, strengthening its place in the F1 calendar for years to come.
A post via F1 Media’s X account confirmed the news: “Formula 1 has confirmed that the Austrian Grand Prix will remain a fixture on the calendar until at least 2030, following a new long-term agreement with race promoters.
“The extension ensures the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will continue to host the popular race, strengthening its place in the F1 calendar for years to come.”
Stefano Domenicali added via F1’s website: “Austria has long been an incredibly special race for Formula 1 so it’s fantastic we have secured the long-term future of a Grand Prix so deeply rooted in the sport’s history.
“The vision and passion of Dietrich Mateschitz gave the race the investment and attention that allowed it to return as an incredible event on the Formula 1 calendar.
“Each year, returning to the stunning Styrian mountains is a highlight – an experience that evokes incredible emotion among our drivers, teams, and fans alike, creating an atmosphere unlike any other.
“I want to extend my sincere thanks to Mark Mateschitz and Thomas Überall and his team for their unwavering dedication to excellence, and to our incredible Austrian fanbase, whose enthusiasm and loyalty continue to elevate this iconic race.”
- Harry Whitfield
Thursday, 24 October 2024
MARTIN BRUNDLE DEMANDS "SERIOUS TWEAK" TO F1'S RACING RULES AFTER LANDO NORRIS PENALTY
Legendary F1 commentator Martin Brundle feels that there needs to be a “serious tweak” to the sport’s driving guidelines following the drama surrounding Lando Norris’ battle with Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.
Norris was controversially handed a five-second time penalty for ‘leaving the track and gaining an advantage’ during his duel with Verstappen aThe McLaren driver had been perceived to overtake off the track after Verstappen pushed him wide.
In this instance, Verstappen went off the track as well, but as the defending driver, he escaped a penalty because he simply made the apex first.
The incident has led to lengthy debate over how the rules are policed and general stewarding.t Turn 12.
The McLaren driver had been perceived to overtake off the track after Verstappen pushed him wide.
In this instance, Verstappen went off the track as well, but as the defending driver, he escaped a penalty because he simply made the apex first.
The incident has led to lengthy debate over how the rules are policed and general stewarding.
Writing in his post-race column for Sky Sports F1, Brundle blamed the state of modern F1 circuits and called for changes to the rules to make them simpler.
“We witnessed back at the Austrian GP where a simple channel of gravel and other circuit furniture can dissuade driving off the defined racetrack, without having high kerbs which can dangerously launch cars into the air,” he said.
“It costs money to replace and return this for motorcycle racing where it simply doesn't work, but in the grand scale of F1 things that's not expensive.
“The circuit layouts and run-offs create the problems, and the ever more complex driving rules fail to manage all of the inevitable and varied issues. Don't simply blame the referees, that's not fair and won't solve the problem. The driving guidelines need a serious tweak, and much simplification.”
Norris’ penalty wasn’t the only one that was heavily scrutinised.
George Russell was hit with a five-second penalty at the same corner for a move on Valtteri Bottas.
Russell was handed a penalty even though he attempted to give Bottas room mid-corner - something Verstappen didn't do against Norris.
This inconsistency is something that irked Brundle.
“I don't know what happened to the 'let them race' approach from a while back which worked reasonably well,” he added.
“As far as I'm concerned, if you pass a car on the inside of a corner, while remaining under control and not locked up, and keeping within the track confines, then you have won the corner and can take the normal racing line through the exit, and it's up to the driver who has been passed to yield, not to hit the throttle and inevitably run wide.
“George Russell took an unreasonable penalty for this in Austin because the guidelines had to be applied. As have others. If Russell was penalised for running Valtteri Bottas wide, shouldn't Verstappen have been penalised for running Norris wide at the same corner?
And here's another question, given Norris had passed Verstappen down the outside before turn 12, when Verstappen sailed back up the inside, who was actually doing the overtaking at the corner apex, Verstappen or Norris? it's even more complicated than that.”
Thursday, 11 July 2024
POL ESPARAGARO WILL MAKE HIS SECOND 2024 WILDCARD APPEARANCE
BREAKING 🚨 Pol Espargaro will make his second 2024 wildcard appearance at the Austrian GP 🇦🇹
Saturday, 26 June 2021
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