Red Bull Ring

Red Bull Ring
1997–2003 A1-Ring
1969–1996 Österreichring

Address: Red Bull Ring Str. 1 8724 Spielberg
Spielberg , Styria , Austria
Route type:	permanent race track
Opening:	July 26, 1969 Reopening May 15, 2011
Formula 1 venue :	1970–1987, 1997–2003, since 2014
Decommissioned:	2004-2010
Demolition:	2005
Time zone:	UTC + 1 ( CET )
Track layout
Route data
Important events:	Formula 1 , motorcycle world championship , DTM , ADAC GT Masters , Red Bull Air Race
Route length:	4,318  km (2.68  mi )
Curves:	10
Records
Track record: (Formula 1)	1: 05.619 min. ( Carlos Sainz Jr. , McLaren - Renault , 2020 )
Track record: (motorcycle)	1: 23.827 min. ( Andrea Dovizioso , Ducati Desmosedici , 2019 )
Track record: ( DTM )	1: 23.474 min. ( Jamie Green , Team Rosberg , 2017 )
https://www.projekt-spielberg.com/de

Coordinates: 47 ° 13 ′ 11.4 "  N , 14 ° 45 ′ 53"  E

The Red Bull Ring is a racing track in the municipality of Spielberg in Styria , Austria . It was opened as the Österreichring in 1969 and was known in the 1970s as the Austrian GP in Zeltweg. Only from 1997 to 2003 did the course become the A1-Ring . After lengthy renovations, it was reopened on May 15, 2011.

The Zeltweg , which is only two kilometers away, is often given as the location of the course, even though the race track is in the municipality of Spielberg. The first Austrian Grand Prix took place at the Zeltweg-Hinterstoisser Air Base in 1963 , but it did not have world championship status. It was not until 1964 that the race in Zeltweg was part of the automobile world championship .

history

The racetrack was built in 1969 with a length of almost six kilometers and was used until 1987, among other things, for the Formula 1 races at the Austrian Grand Prix . The facility was inaugurated on July 26, 1969 with training competitions and a touring car race .

On August 17, 1975, Mark Donohue had an accident during the warm-up for the Austrian Grand Prix . In the accident, which was probably caused by a defective tire, his car overturned several times and crashed against an advertising board. Donohue didn't seem seriously injured at first, but one day later he fell into a coma and died of a blood clot in his brain. As a reaction to the fatal accident, the route was defused in 1977 by installing a chicane. The Österreichring was a high-speed circuit and was meanwhile the fastest track in Formula 1. After two races were canceled due to mass collisions at the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix , the race was not part of the Formula 1 calendar for ten years.

• 

  1977–1995 route before the conversion, the Hella curve gray - route 1969–1977

• 

  Routes from 1995 and 1996 in comparison

• 

  1996–2004 route as A1 ring

• 

  Planning draft from 2005

• 

  since 2010 rebuilt route as Red Bull Ring

In 1995/96 the line was rebuilt after long political discussions. This was accompanied by a shortening to 4.318 km. In addition, it has been brought up to the latest safety standards. Seven Formula 1 races took place from 1997 to 2003. Compared to the original route, the converted A1-Ring no longer had the numerous fast "courageous curves". Therefore it was not as popular with some drivers as the old Österreichring. But the characteristics established very exciting races. Several stop-and-go sections allowed many overtaking maneuvers. Therefore, the A1-Ring was ultimately trend-setting because it served as a model for many of the racetracks that were subsequently converted, for example the new Hockenheimring , where the hairpin after the Parabolika also makes overtaking easier.

In the years 1996 and 1997 also the place here Grand Prix of Austria the motorcycle world championship instead.

In 2003, Formula 1 said goodbye to Styria for a second time, this time mainly for financial reasons - officially because of the upcoming tobacco advertising ban in the EU .

Dietrich Mateschitz then acquired the site with his Red Bull GmbH and wanted to develop it into a motorsport and flight academy. Investments of up to 750 million euros were allegedly planned. Due to objections from the population and a negative decision by the Austrian Environment Senate, Mateschitz abandoned the plans again. In the meantime, however, demolition work had already begun, so that the racetrack could not be used and the partial demolition also meant that the existing operating license was no longer valid.

After intensive efforts by Styrian politics, however, it was initially possible to initiate a follow-up project with the aim of reactivating the racetrack and making it interesting as a test track for industry. Red Bull were again involved as partners, as well as the KTM , VW and Magna groups . The planned start of construction for the new racetrack was in 2007. After the Volkswagen Group withdrew from the project, the reconstruction was initially not carried out.

July 4, 2010 Construction progress in Spielberg.

In April 2008 it was announced that Red Bull wanted to rebuild the already demolished racetrack. In addition, the old Westschleife should be renovated and connected to the "new" race track. The circuit was named Red Bull Ring .

At the end of September 2010, the DTM announced its start on June 5, 2011 at the Red Bull Ring. The route was officially opened on May 15, 2011 with an open house .

There has been another landmark on the site since 2012. A 14.6 m high steel bull with gold-plated horns by Martin Kölldorfer, Clemens Neugebauer and the Sachan locksmith's shop was installed and inaugurated on the site.

On June 22, 2014, after a break of more than ten years, there was another Formula 1 race.

After a break of nineteen years, the motorcycle world championship hosted the races of the three classes ( Moto3 , Moto2 and MotoGP ) here on August 14, 2016 .

In 2020 there was a special case when the start of the season had to be postponed to July due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Austria formed the opening race for the first time in the history of Formula 1 . Another first came when another Formula 1 race took place at the Red Bull Ring a week later. To distinguish it, it was called the Grand Prix of Styria , which is also a novelty.

route

2003: The DTM on the A1-Ring

The Red Bull Ring has seven right and three left turns: a lap begins with an uphill, sharp right bend after the start, after the long uphill straight comes the hairpin, the best overtaking opportunity. The cars have to brake from over 320 km / h to 70 km / h. Downhill there is a right-hand bend, the two fast left-hand bends in the infield then merge into the two target bends.

The route is located in Aichfeld in Upper Styria and is surrounded on three sides by slopes, some of which are used as natural grandstands. These arena characteristics provide a good overview of the entire route, a scenic atmosphere during the races and a certain level of noise protection from the outside.

The second comparable race track in Austria is the Salzburgring .

statistics

All winners of Formula 1 races in Spielberg

No.	year	driver	constructor	engine	tires	time	Route length	Round	Ø pace	date	GP from / the
1	1970	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	Ferrari	F.	1: 42: 17.320 h	5.911 km	60	208.035 km / h	16 Aug	Austria
2	1971	Joseph Siffert	BRM	BRM	F.	1:30: 23.910 h	5.911 km	54	211.858 km / h	15 Aug
3	1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	lotus	ford	F.	1: 29: 16.660 h	5.911 km	54	214.518 km / h	13 Aug
4th	1973	Ronnie Peterson	lotus	ford	G	1: 28: 48.780 h	5.911 km	54	215.640 km / h	19 Aug
5	1974	Carlos Reutemann	Brabham	ford	G	1: 28: 44.720 h	5.911 km	54	215.804 km / h	Aug 18
6th	1975	Vittorio Brambilla	March	ford	G	0: 57: 56.690 h	5.911 km	29	177.499 km / h	17th Aug
7th	1976	John Watson	Penske	ford	G	1: 30: 07.860 h	5.910 km	54	212.451 km / h	15 Aug
8th	1977	Alan Jones	Shadow	ford	G	1: 37: 16.490 h	5.942 km	54	197.914 km / h	14 Aug
9	1978	Ronnie Peterson	lotus	ford	G	1: 41: 21.570 h	5.942 km	54	189.939 km / h	13 Aug
10	1979	Alan Jones	Williams	ford	G	1: 27: 38.010 h	5.942 km	54	219.689 km / h	Aug 12
11	1980	Jean-Pierre Jabouille	Renault	Renault	M.	1: 26: 15.730 h	5.942 km	54	223.181 km / h	17th Aug
12	1981	Jacques Laffite	Ligier	Matra	M.	1: 27: 36.470 h	5.942 km	53	215.683 km / h	16 Aug
13	1982	Elio de Angelis	lotus	ford	G	1: 25: 02.212 h	5.942 km	53	222.204 km / h	15 Aug
14th	1983	Alain Prost	Renault	Renault	M.	1: 24: 32.745 h	5.942 km	53	223.495 km / h	14 Aug
15th	1984	Niki Lauda	McLaren	Porsche ( TAG )	M.	1: 21: 12.851 h	5.942 km	51	223.884 km / h	19 Aug
16	1985	Alain Prost	McLaren	Porsche ( TAG )	G	1: 20: 12.583 h	5.942 km	52	231.132 km / h	Aug 18
17th	1986	Alain Prost	McLaren	Porsche ( TAG )	G	1: 21: 22.531 h	5.942 km	52	227.821 km / h	17th Aug
18th	1987	Nigel Mansell	Williams	Honda	G	1: 18: 44.898 h	5.942 km	52	235.421 km / h	16 Aug
19th	1997	Jacques Villeneuve	Williams	Renault	G	1: 27: 35.999 h	4,323 km	71	210.228 km / h	21 Sep
20th	1998	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	Mercedes	B.	1: 30: 44.086 h	4,319 km	71	202.777 km / h	July 26th
21st	1999	Eddie Irvine	Ferrari	Ferrari	B.	1: 28: 12.438 h	4,319 km	71	208.587 km / h	July 25th
22nd	2000	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren	Mercedes	B.	1: 28: 15.818 h	4,326 km	71	208.792 km / h	16th of July
23	2001	David Coulthard	McLaren	Mercedes	B.	1: 27: 45.927 h	4,326 km	71	209.977 km / h	May 13th
24	2002	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	Ferrari	B.	1: 33: 51.562 h	4,326 km	71	196.344 km / h	12th of May
25th	2003	Michael sSchumacher	Ferrari	Ferrari	B.	1: 24: 04.888 h	4,326 km	69	213.003 km / h	May 18
26th	2014	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1: 27: 54.976 h	4,326 km	71	214.518 km / h	June 22
27	2015	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1:30: 16.930 h	4,326 km	71	204.160 km / h	June 21st
28	2016	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1: 27: 38.107 h	4,326 km	71	210.203 km / h	03rd of July
29	2017	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1: 21: 48.523 h	4,326 km	71	224.757 km / h	0July 9
30th	2018	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	Renault ( TAG Heuer )	P	1: 21: 56.024 h	4,326 km	71	224.233 km / h	0July 1
31	2019	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	Honda	P	1: 22: 01.822 h	4,326 km	71	224.150 km / h	June 30th
32	2020	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1: 30: 55.739 h	4,326 km	71	202.214 km / h	05th July
33	2020	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Mercedes	P	1: 22: 50.683 h	4,326 km	71	221.947 km / h	July 12	Styria

Record winner
Driver: Alain Prost (3) • Driver nations: Great Britain (6) • Designers: McLaren / Mercedes (6 each) • Engine manufacturer: Ford / Mercedes (9 each) • Tire manufacturer: Goodyear (12)

All top class winners of the motorcycle world championship in Spielberg

No.	year	winner	motorcycle	tires	time	Route length	Round	Ø pace	date	GP of
1	1996	Àlex Crivillé	Honda		42: 37.024 min	4,323 km	29	170.3 km / h	04th Aug	Austria
2	1997	Mick Doohan	Honda		41: 48.665 min	4,323 km	29	173.5 km / h	0June 1st
3	2016	Andrea Iannone	Ducati	M.	39: 46.255 min	4,318 km	28	182.401 km / h	14 Aug
4th	2017	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	M.	39: 43.323 min	4,318 km	28	182.625 km / h	13 Aug
5	2018	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati	M.	39: 40.688 min	4,318 km	28	182.800 km / h	Aug 12
6th	2019	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	M.	39: 34.771 min	4,318 km	28	183.200 km / h	11 Aug

Record winner
driver: Andrea Dovizioso (2) • Driver nations: Italy (3) • Constructors: Ducati (4)

Web links

Commons : Red Bull Ring  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The Spielberg project with the Red Bull Ring
• tilke.de: A1-Ring, Austria

Individual evidence

1. ^ A place of myths and legends , Spielberg project homepage, accessed on February 8, 2011.
2. ^ Two urgent questions in the Landtag Ring. Kleine Zeitung , March 22, 2011, accessed on May 24, 2020 .  .
3. ↑ The story of Zeltweg ( memento of April 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), homepage of the municipality of Zeltweg, accessed on March 31, 2011.
4. ↑ International car and motorcycle race at Zeltweg airfield in 1963. Vienna Technical Museum, accessed on June 8, 2015 . 
5. ↑ apa report of July 26, 1969 ( memento of February 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), queried on July 25, 2009.
6. ↑ "Spielberg neu" failed. In: oesterreich.orf.at. February 4, 2008, accessed November 11, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Little chance of new Spielberg partners. In: oesterreich.orf.at. July 11, 2007, accessed November 11, 2018 . 
8. ↑ Official DTM calendar 2011 ( memento of July 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on November 4, 2010.
9. ^ The racing calendar of the DTM 2011 , Sport1.de report from September 29, 2010, accessed on November 4, 2010.
10. ↑ Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is ready to go. In : wirtschaftsblatt.at. April 1, 2011, archived from the original on April 5, 2011 ; accessed on January 24, 2014 . 
11. ^ Austrian GP: The Bull from Spielberg / Formula 1 SPEEDWEEK . In: SPEEDWEEK . ( speedweek.com [accessed October 27, 2018]).
12. ^ Offense to the bull-builder . In: mein district.at . ( mein district.at [accessed October 27, 2018]).
13. ↑ Austrian Grand Prix 2019 - F1 Race. Accessed August 11, 2019 .