F1 2014 / Parade Lap / Austria

Last time we were in Austria for a Grand Prix it was the scene of the infamous moment that Rubens Barrichello handed victory to Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher within sight of the finishing line. This year however, there will be none of that with Lewis Hamilton desperate to get back on top of the podium and start chipping away at his team mate Nico Rosberg’s lead in the championship.

Meanwhile Mercedes have looked a little less dominate in qualifying after Hamilton’s spin landed him in 9th on the grid and ironically cost Nico Rosberg a chance at pole as the yellows were brought out. Williams now lock out the front row in a shock showing of performance from both drivers and cars for the first time an years.
In all Spielburg is looking to be a cracker of a race and may just shake up the championship further.

1. Felipe Massa Brazil Williams-Mercedes 1m 08.759s
2. Valtteri Bottas Finland Williams-Mercedes 1m 08.846s
3. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 08.944s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 09.285s
5. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault 1m 09.466s
6. Kevin Magnussen Denmark McLaren-Mercedes 1m 09.515s
7. Daniil Kvyat Russia Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 09.619s
8. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 10.795s
9. Lewis Hamilton Britain Mercedes-Mercedes No time
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Force India-Mercedes No time

11. Sergio Perez Mexico Force India-Mercedes 1m 09.754s*
12. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes 1m 09.780s
13. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 1m 09.801s
14. Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Lotus-Renault 1m 09.939s
15. Jean-Eric Vergne France Toro Rosso-Renault 1m 10.073s
16. Romain Grosjean France Lotus-Renault 1m 10.642s

17. Adrian Sutil Germany Sauber-Ferrari 1m 10.825s
18. Esteban Gutierrez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 1m 11.349s
19. Jules Bianchi France Marussia-Ferrari 1m 11.412s
20. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Caterham-Renault 1m 11.673s
21. Max Chilton Briton Marussia-Ferrari 1m 11.775s**
22. Marcus Ericsson Sweden Caterham-Renault 1m 12.673s

107% time: 1min 14.379secs

all times unofficial

*five-place grid penalty for incident with Felipe Massa at end of Canadian Grand Prix
**three-place grid penalty for accident with Jules Bianchi at start of Canadian Grand Prix

So who do you think will come out on top? Will Hamilton make up his poor qualifying lap to take victory from his team mate or will Williams hold strong at the front? And what has happened to Red Bull on home turf with Daniel Ricciardo only managing 5th and Sebastian Vettel back in 13th?

The story of the Austrian Grand Prix begins, as with most Grands Prix, with a local group of motor racing enthusiasts in the 1950s. They created an L-shaped circuit with cones and hay bales in the town of Zeltweg. The first race held there in 1958, for international sportscars, was won by Wolfgang von Trips in a Porsche. Although a simple track it was remarkably bumpy. Nevertheless the circuit went on to hold two rounds of the Formula Two Championship in 1959 and 1960. The organisers, however, dreamed of hosting a Formula One race, and in 1961 and 1963, Zeltweg staged non-championship events, won by Innes Ireland and Jack Brabham respectively.
After numerous start-line accidents, arguments with local farmers over car parking and a general feeling that the circuit was unsafe, the Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring was finally pulled from the calendar in 1987. The track continued to hold other events but gradually fell into disrepair until Austrian telecoms company A1 provided the funds to redevelop the circuit. Renamed the A1-Ring, it brought Formula One racing back to Austria in 1997. It would continue to host Grands Prix for the next six years, before again being dropped from the F1 schedule after the 2002 event, infamous for Rubens Barrichello handing victory to Ferrari team mate Michael Schumacher within sight of the finishing line.

Over subsequent years, numerous improvement plans for the circuit stalled until it was eventually redeveloped as the Red Bull Ring and reopened in 2011, since which time it has hosted series including DTM, World Series by Renault and European Le Mans.

Spielberg

Images and track info: Formula1.com, Crash.net

Roger Baillie (Rojn8r)