Formula One is officially back! We look ahead to the opening round of the 2020 F1 Season – with some interesting facts and figures about Spielberg

Fact File: Austrian Grand Prix

• In terms of lap time, Spielberg currently features the shortest lap in Formula One – the existing lap record being Charles Leclerc’s 1m03.003s from Qualifying in 2019.
• However, while it has the quickest lap time, the track’s length of 4.318 km is only the fifth shortest. Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands and Monaco are all shorter.
• The quick lap times and short track length lead to one of the closest Qualifying sessions of the season, with less opportunity for drivers to gain time. It also makes it possible for drivers to complete more Qualifying runs in a session, if they have tyres available.
• Spielberg holds the record for the fewest corners of any F1 track, with just 10 – one less than the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
• Only seven of these are what we class as “proper corners”, defined as points where the driver is grip-limited and needs to reduce throttle input. The three corners taken flat out and not classified as “proper corners” are Turns 2, 5 and 8.
• The track is one of the most aggressive on the calendar when it comes to the shake and spacing of the kerbs, as well as the location of the higher sausage kerbs on corner exits. This makes it one of the harshest on the car’s suspension and can increases the risk of bodywork damage.
• The track has a high amount of track warp, where the car has a tendency to pick up a wheel either into or out of a corner. This makes braking and traction particularly difficult, as the virtual load on one wheel drops low and therefore loses grip potential.
• Higher brake wear can be expected in Austria due to the heavy braking zones of Turns 1, 3 and 4 coming in close succession, leading to very hot brakes as a result.
• Austria has the joint-second highest percentage of lap time spent at full throttle, with 72.3% (equal with Australia). Only Italy has more time spent at full throttle with 77.2%.
• The temperatures in Austria can be very variable, making the weekend far from straightforward. Over the last five years, the race day temperatures have fluctuated from between 16°C to 32°C.
• Spielberg’s high altitude and lower ambient air pressure impact the cooling of the engine and the brakes, as the mass flow through the radiators and brake ducts is lower.

Stat Attack: Austria and Beyond

2020 Austrian Grand Prix Timetable

Race Records – Mercedes F1 at the Austrian Grand Prix

Technical Stats – Season to Date (Barcelona Pre-Season Test 1 to Present)

Mercedes-Benz in Formula One