After a brief Canadian interlude, Formula 1 is back in Europe for four races in the space of six weeks leading up to the summer break. It kicks off this weekend with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, the facility owned by the eponymous Austrian energy drink company.

For the past three years, this event has been run to the Sprint format, but now it returns to the standard one, with three free practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday, followed by qualifying on Saturday evening and the race on Sunday.

The choice of compounds the teams can use is the same as last year's, namely C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium, and C5 as Soft. The track surface at the Red Bull Ring is rather old and is highly abrasive, but wear is not a key factor. With very few corners, the track is not very severe in terms of the lateral forces exerted on the tyres, while degradation is mainly thermal in origin, which is down to the track layout with several hard braking and acceleration points. Managing tyre overheating, particularly on the rear axle, is a significant challenge. Furthermore, air and track temperatures can be quite high at this time of year.

Last year's race was very linear, at least over the first two thirds of the race. As expected, the most effective strategy was a two-stop: those who did three or more - Verstappen, Leclerc, Alonso and Sargeant - did so for unforeseen circumstances, not by choice. All the drivers lined up on the grid on Medium tyres while, starting from pit lane, Zhou went with the Hard. The C4 and the C3 were the undoubted protagonists of this race, with the C5 only putting in an appearance at the end, used by Verstappen for the last seven laps after his enforced stop and by Alonso, who was trying for the race fastest lap, which he did indeed set. Daniel Ricciardo drove the longest stint of the race, completing a 34 lap third and final stint on the Hard tyre. The prize on Mediums went to Pierre Gasly who did 29 laps and, in this case too, the French Alpine driver did it in his final stint.

Of those tracks on the current calendar, the Red Bull Ring has the fewest corners (ten) with the shortest lap time (1'02"939, set by Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes in 2020). It ranks second overall after Spa-Francorchamps in terms of elevation change, with a 63.5 metre difference between the highest and lowest points on the track. The three sectors are very different from one another: the first is all uphill, with two straights, while the second begins with heavy braking for turn 3, before running downhill to the entry for turn 7. From there the track again climbs slightly, followed by another descent to the longest straight and the final two high-speed corners. There are three DRS zones, which makes this race one of the most action-packed on the calendar.

The venue gets plenty of use, with racing on both four and two wheels, therefore the track is pretty well rubbered-in right from the start of the weekend. Early summer can bring high temperatures, but the Styrian mountain location and surrounding forests often cause rapid changes in the weather with rain clouds building up quickly.

Keyword: Porosity

Formula 1 tyres develop surface porosity as a result of the intense mechanical and thermal stress to which they are subjected. The tyre deforms, especially under acceleration and braking, more so on rough surfaces and this causes energy and heat to build up in the compound. If temperatures exceed the optimal operating window, microcavities and surface irregularities can form and this surface porosity can lead to premature degradation. Microcavities can also lead to the formation and expansion of gas or vapour bubbles, known as blisters, between the carcass and the tread. Excessive hear can partially separate the rubber layers and these bubbles can evolve into craters or holes on the tread surface. This is known as blistering, visible usually as dark streaks or damaged areas on the tread. This phenomenon is more common on a track that is not rubbered-in much, with high surface temperatures and with a very aggressive driving style.

Statistics Corner

This year's race is the 38th edition of the Austrian Grand Prix, while Formula 1 celebrates its 40th appearance in Styria. The first was in 1964 on a track that made use of the Zeltweg military airfield, a stone's throw from the current venue. The race moved to Spielberg in 1970 when the track was known as the Österreichring, its home until 1987. After a ten year break, the event was run for a further six years on a shortened track, known as the A1-Ring. In 2014, it was renamed Red Bull Ring. In 2020 and 2021, the track also hosted the Styrian Grand Prix, back-to-back with the Austrian race, as part of the special calendars in the Covid years.

Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Austria, with four wins in the eponymous Grand Prix and one in the 2021 Styrian GP. The Dutchman also heads the standings for pole positions (5) and podium finishes (8). 26 drivers have won at least once in Austria, eleven of them world champions - the aforementioned Verstappen, Alain Prost, Alan Jones, Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton. Last year's winner was George Russell.

The most successful team in Austria is Mercedes, with a total of seven wins, although in the actual Austrian Grand Prix, the marque with the three-pointed star shares the top slot with Ferrari and McLaren. Making the difference is Lewis Hamilton's victory in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix. Ferrari leads the way for poles with eight and also has the most podium finishes on 29.