Preview | Will Verstappen extend his lead over Hamilton in Austria?

We've arrived at the final race of this triple header, and we'll be staying in Spielberg for another weekend. The Red Bull Ring hosts the Austrian Grand Prix, and after his dominant performance in the first race,  Max Verstappen goes into the event as the favourite. Read the complete preview of the Grand Prix here.

Red Bull Ring

The Österreichring was completed in 1969, and in 1970 the first official Formula 1 race was held at this circuit. The Austrian GP remained on the Formula 1 calendar until 1987. After that, the circuit returned under the name of the A1-Ring, and the circuit looked more like the current layout. In 2014, the circuit returned again, but this time as Red Bull's flagship event.

In its current layout, the circuit is the fastest track on the Formula 1 calendar, with times approaching the one-minute mark. The track has three long, overtaking straights and a technical second and third sector. Mercedes have won the most on the current layout.

Austrian Grand Prix

The Austrian Grand Prix has been on the Formula 1 calendar since 1970 and has been held successively at the Österreichring, A1-Ring and Red Bull Ring. In other words, always in Spielberg, but with a different name and sometimes a different track layout.

Alain Prost is the man has won the Austrian Grand Prix the most times. He's on three, just like Jo Siffert. The Swiss won two of his three races however, this was when the GP was not yet an official race on the F1 calendar. Max Verstappen meanwhile also has three wins on the Red Bull Ring, but his last victory was at the Styrian Grand Prix, so officially it doesn't count towards Austrian GP records.

Verstappen is very strong at the Red Bull Ring and has secured Red Bull Racing 's two wins in Austria. McLaren won six official races, Ferrari also won six, but one of those was in 1965 when the race didn't count towards the Championship. Mercedes won five, with Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg each picking up two wins each. 

Formula 1 in 2021

Whereas in recent years you often filled in Mercedes as the winner prior to a Grand Prix, that is not the case this year. Red Bull Racing is close, and on a number of circuits is even ahead of Mercedes. The first race in Spielberg showed that Red Bull are stronger, so a week later you wouldn't expect much different. But Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will be doing all they can in the midweek to find time on the circuit. 

Weather forecast

The predicted rain for the Styrian Grand Prix last week never fell. However,  Weather.com  say it will rain from Friday till Sunday in Spielberg. But on Friday and Saturday, the chance of rain is 43 per cent, on Sunday the chance is high at 90 percent.

Prediction for the Austrian GP

Judging by last weekend's Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is the favorite for the second race at Spielberg. The gap in qualifying is perhaps too big for Mercedes to close in one week, and according to Toto Wolff updates are not to be expected from the Germans. Pirelli's softer compounds for this weekend should also benefit Red Bull Racing.

There is one possible spoiler, and it has just been mentioned: The rain. When it rains, many of the advantages that fast teams have in the dry, such as straight-line speed, are lost. In terms of mechanical grip, however, the RB16B is doing pretty well this year, so you'd expect Verstappen to be able to excel in the rain as well. In the wet, you still have to take into account the rain king of F1: Lewis Hamilton .

Timetable Austrian Grand Prix 2021

Friday

First free practice: 10:30 - 11:30

Second free practice: 14:00 - 15:00

Saturday

Third free practice: 11:00 - 12:00

Qualification: 14:00 - 15:00

Sunday

Race: 14:00 - 16:00