Guide to the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix as F1 heads to the Red Bull Ring amidst an European heatwave gripping the continent.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli arrives in Austria with a 41-point lead over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton as both drivers look to boost their title prospects, whilst Antonelli’s teammate – George Russell is only six points behind Hamilton and looking to reignite his own title charge.
Paul Aron, Luke Browning, Jak Crawford and Ryo Hirakawa will participate in FP1 for Audi, Williams, Aston Martin and Haas respectively, whilst Ayumu Iwasa and Dino Beganovic will step in at Racing Bulls and Ferrari in the same session.
Now, here is a guide to everything that you need to know ahead of the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Laps: 71
Race Distance: 306.452km
Tyre Compounds: C3, C4 & C5
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 26 June | FP1 | 11:30am |
| Friday 26 June | FP2 | 4pm |
| Saturday 27 June | FP3 | 11:30am |
| Saturday 27 June | Qualifying | 3pm |
| Sunday 28 June | Race | 2pm |
Three Key Pointers
- Located at 677 metres above sea level, the Red Bull Ring will pose issues in terms of temperature management of brakes and power units which could mean reliability playing a part this weekend especially given the heatwave forecast.
- With plenty of overtaking opportunities available at the Red Bull Ring, there is opportunity for tyre strategies to potentially prove crucial to the eventual result.
- Several teams are planning to introduce upgrades in Austria which could well shake up the pecking order given the circuit’s high-speed nature.
Last Time Out
McLaren’s Lando Norris recovered from missing FP1 in 2025 to dominate the remainder of the weekend as he took pole then survived a race-long battle against teammate – Oscar Piastri to claim victory in an one-two finish for the team.
2026 Season Recaps
- Australia
- Chinese Sprint
- Chinese GP
- Japan
- Miami Sprint
- Miami GP
- Canadian Sprint
- Canadian GP
- Monaco
- Barcelona-Catalunya
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