Austrian Grand Prix
As Grand Prix of Austria, a Formula 1 race in Austria a race in the community Zeltweg and later in the neighboring village two kilometers away Spielberg has been 26 times first played in the district Mur in Styria. Between 1965 and 1969 the race was held as a sports car race.
The first Grand Prix in Austria in 1964 found on the site of the air base in Zeltweg instead. The track had a length of 3.2 km. It 105 rounds and thus a total of 336 km were driven. The fastest lap of Dan Gurney drove in 1:10,56 minutes for the Brabham team.
From 1970 to 1987 Formula 1 races were held on the 1969 finished Austria ring on the grounds of the communities Spielberg and Flatschach regularly. The route initially had a length of 5.911 km and 1977 was extended by the installation of a chicane in response to the fatal accident of Mark Donohue 1975 to 5.942 km. After the first season 60 laps were complete, the number of rounds varied later 52-54 laps. The track was an absolute Hochgeschwindigskeitskurs on which next to Silverstone for a few years always new records were set for the average speed of a round. The race lap record on this course holds Nigel Mansell with 1:28,318 minutes, he went out in 1987 to Williams. In this race there were at the start of two major accidents involving millions of damage, then the formula 1 of Austria adopted for ten years, since the track was no longer appropriate.
Mid-1990s, the track was completely rebuilt. It was modernized, the safety devices (especially run-off areas that are completely missing on the old route, were created by a narrowing of the curves, also the new route considerably wider war) were renewed, they got a new section and was reduced to 4.319 km. In addition, the track was renamed the A1-Ring and was now completely Spielberg. From 1997 to 2003 found at the A1- Ring again instead of formula 1 race. In 2002, the length of the route was changed in the small conversion work again slightly to 4.326 km.
After the last race so far in 2003, the site was sold to Dietrich Mateschitz. He began in 2004 with the conversion of the site into a motor sports center. However, immediately after the commencement of demolition work, the project was halted in the wake of a negative environmental impact and so was sometimes not clear how the site should be used in the future as Red Bull was not ready to implement limited the project. In the course of the election campaign before the 2005 parliamentary elections, the policy was again trying to "save the project Spielberg ". On May 15, 2011, the line was reopened as the Red Bull Ring under the new owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
A re- hosting of Formula 1 is planned in 2014, the race will be held on 22 June 2014.
Record winner is until today Alain Prost with three wins in the seasons 1983, 1985 and 1986.