Red Bull Ring is a modern circuit located just under the Austrian Alps near Spielberg city. Its beautiful scenery is well-known for racing fans and it is also a traditional venue of the ESET MMSR series. The Austrian track will host the second race of the season on a weekend from 12th to 14th May.
Racing has been part of this area since 1959, when a local airport turned into a racing circuit, just like Silverstone in Great Britain before. Zeltweg circuit even hosted two Austrian GPs for Formula 1 in 1963 and 1964 and also some sportscars endurance events. The very last race there was held in 1969, before a switch to a brand new circuit nearby – Österreichring.
The new and very fast circuit was almost 6 kilometres long and it quickly became popular amongst the drivers. Formula 1 made its first visit there in 1970 and the track stayed on the calendar for the next 17 years. The final race is still remembered for its accidents and the fact, that organisers had to restart the race three times.
A huge reconstruction followed in 1995 and 1996 under the leadership of Herman Tilke, who was responsible for a new and shorter layout. Under a new name as A1-Ring, it had returned to Formula 1 again, this time for another seven years. After this period, the circuit was abandoned for a few years before Red Bull came, rebuilt and renamed to Red Bull Ring. The circuit has been operational again since 2010 and it is hosting Formula 1 races once again. The ESET MMSR series made its debut there in 2013.
This 4,318 metres long track is known for its long straights and only nine corners. The main straight is 650 metres long and it leads drivers into a sharp right-hand turn before another long straight. After that follows another sharp right-hand turn called Remus. These are the best overtaking spots on the circuit and they suit for every type of car – from GT3 to single-seaters. Then another long straight follows before entering a highly technical part of the circuit which doesn’t end until the drivers appear on the main straight again.