This weekend F1 heads to the Red Bull Ring, set among the picturesque hills of Spielberg, Austria for the 31st Austrian Grand Prix. This circuit’s lack of long straights and short overall distance make it somewhat of a wildcard for teams who might struggle at power circuits such as Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Baku City Circuit. With the new, wider cars we could see the fastest lap times of any F1 circuit set here.
McLaren Honda enter the weekend perhaps more optimistic than any Grand Prix yet this season. Coming off of earning their first points of the season at Baku, Honda will bring a significant engine upgrade which they are calling “spec 3” (although some insiders insist this is not yet the full spec 3 package). Regardless, the team has been working to optimize it based on data collected from a trial run during a practice session in Baku. Points on merit are finally a possibility.
Elsewhere on the grid, coming off of a wild Azerbaijan Grand Prix the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari is more intense than ever; we should expect Hamilton and Vettel back at the top. Red Bull, with recent optimizations to their package could also do well and will be looking to play the role of spoilers. Force India will be a factor and could be nipping at Red Bull’s heels. Williams seems to be finding some success, but can they finally put it together for both cars? Same goes for Renault as Palmer’s dismal season continues. Haas will be looking for double points after a nice finish for Magnussen in Baku. Toro Rosso will be trying to spoil Haas’ party so we can expect them to have decent potential within the midfield as well. Barring some chaos further up the grid, Sauber will likely populate the last positions.
US TV Times
Practice 1, Friday July 7th, 4:00AM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Practice 2, Friday July 7th, 8:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Practice 3, Saturday July 8th,5:00AM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Qualifying, Saturday July 8th, 8:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Race, Sunday July 9th, 8:00AM
EST
,
CNBC
Track data
Lap data
Lap length: 4.326km (2.688 miles)
Race laps: 71
Race distance: 307.02km (190.773 miles)
Pole position: Left-hand side of the track
Lap record*: 1’08.337 (Michael Schumacher, 2003)
Fastest lap: 1’07.908 (Michael Schumacher, 2003, qualifying one)
Maximum speed: 301.5kph (187.343 mph)
DRS
zone/s (race: Pit straight and second straight
Distance from grid to turn one: 185m
Car performance
Full throttle: 63%
Longest flat-out section: 868m
Downforce level: Low/medium
Fuel use per lap: 1.34kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel: 0.056s
Strategy
2017 prime tyre: Soft & Super-soft
2017 option tyre: Ultrasoft
*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
Data sources:
FIA
, Williams, Mercedes
2016 V6 Turbo Era Results
Race:
Laps: 71
Pole: Lewis Hamilton, 1:07.992
Fast race lap: Lewis Hamilton, 1:08.411
Podium:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
Current Standings
Drivers
1. Sebastian Vettel, Scuderia Ferrari, 153
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
AMG
Petronas, 139
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
AMG
Petronas, 111
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 92
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Ferrari, 73
Constructors
1. Mercedes
AMG
Petronas, 250
2. Scuderia Ferrari, 226
3. Red Bull Racing, 137
4. Sahara Force India, 79
5. Williams Martini Racing, 40
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