Race

Preview
2014 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
20-22 JUNE 2014

For the eighth round of the 2014 FIA
Formula One World Championship, the
sports teams return to a country last visited
by F1 11 years ago Austria. The last
incarnation of the Austrian Grand Prix was
held from 1997 to 2003 at the circuit known
as the A1 Ring and it is to that venue that F1
heads once again, though the rechristened
Red Bull Ring has seen major trackside
updates since.

The track, however, remains much as it was
in 2003. One of the shortest on the calendar
at 4.326km, the Red Bull Ring features just
nine corners. It is a circuit of fast straights
and slow- and medium-speed corners with,
historically, just the first three taken in low
gear. As such, lap times were low with
sub-1m10s laps the norm. Average speeds
were high, with the 2003 event seeing
Michael Schumacher win with an average
speed of 213km/h.

Historic data will matter little this weekend,
however, as F1s teams brings their cutting-
edge 1.6-litre, hybrid, turbocharged 2014
cars to the circuit. The best teams can hope
for is that their simulations prove accurate.
What cant be modelled, however, is how
the circuit will stack up in terms of surface
characteristics and how it will evolve as
sessions unfold. All this will have to factored


CIRCUIT DATA

RED BULL RING

Length of lap:
4.326km
Lap record
1:08.337
(Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2003)
Start line/finish line offset
0.126km
Total number of race laps
71
Total race distance
307.020km
Pitlane speed limits
80km/h in practice, qualifying and the
race

CIRCUIT NOTES

There was no corresponding
event in 2013. This is Formula Ones
first visit to the circuit since 2003 and
there have been many upgrades
made in the intervening years.

DRS ZONES

There will be two DRS zones in
into team preparations on Friday and
Saturday morning.

Last time out, in Canada, Red Bull Racings
Daniel Ricciardo scored a memorable
maiden win. Capitalising on a troubled race
for previously dominant Mercedes, the result
was a major step forward for the Austrian-
licensed team and it will be looking to
continue that good form at its home track.

In the Drivers Championship, second place
in Montreal allowed Mercedes Nico
Rosberg to extend his title lead over team-
mate Lewis Hamilton to 22 points. The
Briton will be keen to redress the balance in
Spielberg, but on a circuit unfamiliar to the
bulk of the current field, this latest iteration
of the Austrian GP could turn out to be one
of the most unpredictable of the season so
far.
Austria. The detection point of the
first zone is 360m before Turn Two,
with the activation point 85m after
Turn Two. The second detection
point is 10m after Turn Eight with the
activation point 110m after Turn
Nine.


















Austrian GP
Fast Facts
Even though the last Austrian
Grand Prix was 11 years ago,
there are four drivers on the grid
who have F1 racing experience at
this circuit in its A1 Ring guise.
Jenson Button has made four
appearances here from 2000-
2003. His best result here came
at the most recent race in 2003
when he qualified seventh and
finished fourth for BAR/Honda.
Kimi Rikknen has three
Austrian GPs on his CV. In 2001
he started in ninth place for
Sauber and finished fourth to
claim the second of four points
finishes in his debut season. In
2002, having moved to McLaren,
his race was stopped after seven
laps with engine failure, but the
following year, again with
McLaren, he qualified and
finished in second place.
Fernando Alonso has raced
here twice, with Minardi in 2001
and with Renault in 2003. On
both occasions he failed to finish.
His first attempt was ended by
gearbox trouble after 38 laps and
an engine problem saw him exit
the 03 race after 44 laps.
Felipe Massa, meanwhile,
raced at the A1 Ring for Sauber
in his debut season, 2002. He
qualified seventh but retired from
the grand prix with a suspension
problem after seven laps.
Two other current drivers have
racing experience here:
McLarens Kevin Magnussen
raced at the circuit last year in
Formula Renault 3.5 Series with
DAMS. The Dane finished both
weekend races in third place.
Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat raced
at the Red Bull Ring in 2012 in
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps. The
Russian won both races of the
fifth-round weekend.
Kvyats Toro Rosso team-mate
Jean-Eric Vergne has driven the
Red Bull Ring but only in a show
car run for sister team Red Bull
Racing in 2013. Red Bull Racing
drivers Daniel Ricciardo and
Sebastian Vettel have also visited
the track, Ricciardo for a filming
day, while Vettel drove the track
last month, piloting a 2012 Red
Bull Racing RB8 for a promotional
film about the grand prixs return
to Austria.
McLaren is the most successful
team at the Austrian GP with six
wins. The victories came in 1984
with Niki Lauda, in 1985-86 with
Alain Prost, in 1998 and 2000 with
Mika Hkkinen and in 2001
courtesy of David Coulthard. The
next most successful are Ferrari
with five wins (1964, 70, 99,
2002 and 2003) and Lotus with
four (1972, 73, 78 and 82).
Alain Prost has the most
victories of any driver at the
Austrian Grand Prix. The
Frenchman won in 1983 with
Renault and then took back-to-
back wins for McLaren in 1985-
86.
The current circuit
configuration largely mirrors that
of the A1 Ring, where the race
was won from pole position three
times in seven events. Jacques
Villeneuve won from the front of
the grid in 1997, as did Hkkinen
in 2000 and Michael Schumacher
in 2003. The A1 Ring race was
only won from further back than
third on the grid once, in 2001,
when David Coulthard started in
seventh position.

Austrian GP
Race Stewards
Biographies
GARRY CONNELLY
DEPUTY PRESIDENT, FIA INSTITUTE; DIRECTOR,
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MOTOR SPORT SAFETY; F1 AND
WTCC STEWARD; FIA WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL
MEMBER

Garry Connelly has been involved in motor sport since the late 1960s.
A long-time rally competitor, Connelly was instrumental in bringing the
World Rally Championship to Australia in 1988 and served as
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Board member and Clerk of
Course of Rally Australia until December 2002. He has been an FIA
Steward and FIA Observer since 1989, covering the FIAs World Rally
Championship, World Touring Car Championship and Formula One
Championship. He is a director of the Australian Institute of Motor
Sport Safety and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

NISH SHETTY
FIA STEWARD AND MEMBER OF THE FIA INTERNATIONAL
COURT OF APPEAL

Nish Shetty sits on the FIA International Court of Appeal as a judge
and is a permanent member of the National Court of Appeal
(Singapore). He is also Chairman of the Disciplinary Commission of
the Singapore Motor Sports Association and a national steward of the
Singapore Grand Prix. Shetty has assisted the Singapore Motor Sports
Association for many years as a legal advisor and committee member.
In addition to being involved in the Singapore Grand Prix, Shetty has
acted as a steward in the Singapore Karting Championship. Away from
motor sport, he is a Partner and Head of International Arbitration and
Dispute Resolution, South East Asia at global law firm Clifford Chance.

TOM KRISTENSEN
NINE TIMES LE MANS WINNER, GERMAN F3 CHAMPION
(1991), JAPANESE F3 CHAMPION (1993) ALMS CHAMPION
(2001)

Denmarks Tom Kristensen is the most successful driver in the history
of the Le Mans 24-Hour race. He has won the classic endurance event
nine times, racing for Porsche, Audi and Bentley. Kristensen, 46, has a
broad racing CV, having competed in single-seaters, touring cars and
a range of sportscars. He has also tested in F1. Having won his ninth
24 Hours of Le Mans and claimed the FIA World Endurance
Championship title last year, Kristensen is back for more WEC action
this year, again racing for Audi Sport Team Joest. However, following
the retirement of Allan McNish, Kristensen is this season partnered by
Loc Duval and Lucas Di Grassi, though Duval was replaced at the
recent Le Mans 24 Hours by Marc Gene following an accident in
practice.

Austrian GP
Championship Standings
(Drivers)


Austrian GP
Championship Standings
(Constructors)


Austrian GP
Formula One Timetable
& FIA Media Schedule

THURSDAY
Press Conference

FRIDAY
Practice Session 1
Practice Session 2
Press Conference

SATURDAY
Practice Session 3
Qualifying
Followed by unilateral and
press conference

SUNDAY
Drivers' Parade
Race
Followed by podium interviews and
press conference

15.00


10.00-11.30
14.00-15.30
16.00


11.00-12.00
14.00-15.00




12.30
14.00-16.00




ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

QUALIFYING
All drivers eliminated in Q1 or Q2 are
available for media interviews
immediately after the end of each
session, as are drivers who
participated in Q3, but who are not
required for the post-qualifying press
conference. The TV pen interview
area will be located inside the
paddock next to the FIA hospitality
unit.



RACE
Any driver retiring before the end of
the race will be made available at his
teams garage/hospitality.
In addition, during the race every
team will make available at least one
senior spokesperson for interview by
officially accredited TV crews. A list
of those nominated will be made
available in the media centre.

FIA COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
[email protected]
T +33 1 43 12 58 15