F1 heads back to Austria - 2014

[BtccLee]

Has anyone noticed the small issue of Austria getting the date marked for Silverstone next year?

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by BtccLee

Has anyone noticed the small issue of Austria getting the date marked for Silverstone next year?

At least Silverstone has a cotract for about 15 years or so unless the bottom falls out of F1 it should be there. Silverstone traditionally has been 2nd or 3rd weekend in July.

We have not seen any provisional calenders for next year yet. They usually apppear at this time of year with a bunch of question marks.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Purist

Yes, I also prefer the Osterreichring to the A1-Ring/Red Bull Ring.

Goes without saying.

(The Safety Brigade ought to just shut up, or quit approving any street circuits for F1, period.)

Partly agree on the first point. There is a balance though, although i'll take the argument it as gone too far. There are differences between the old Osterreichring and a modern street circuit. Differences that mean a modern street circuit can be safer.

[Purist]

I wasn't specifically comparing the Osterreichring with modern street circuits, but rather, the standard that is allowed for street circuits, and the comparative standard for newer, permanent circuits.

Frankly, if they had simply added to and upgraded the barriers at the Osterreichring, it would still be safer than most street circuits.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Purist

I wasn't specifically comparing the Osterreichring with modern street circuits, but rather, the standard that is allowed for street circuits, and the comparative standard for newer, permanent circuits.

Frankly, if they had simply added to and upgraded the barriers at the Osterreichring, it would still be safer than most street circuits.

Except for the speeds.
American circuits have a different set of standards applied for local events.
I like the original and I like the A1 ring (now Red Bull). I am glad there is the possibility of a race back in Austria at this track. I tend to agree with the New Jersey prediction (it won't happen) which is a disappointment, because I believe Montreal and an American race should be back to back and it is to everyone's benefit for it to happen.

[Trev Campbell]

I thought tha the circuit was going to be upgraded and re-use some of the old circuit again when Red Bull purchased it. Did this all fall in a hole or was I misinformed ????

[ottostreet]

I don't really see any difference between the A1 Ring & the Red Bull Ring, layout wise. Whats the difference?

[Speed Merchant 91]

Great news...although the old circuit was a million times better (although the Red Bull Ring is a million times better than Bahrain, China, Abu Dhabi, or any of the new(er) circuits
For those who don't know what the old Osterreichring was like, here is Satoru Nakajima onboard in his Lotus-Honda circa 1987, the last year the old circuit was used for F1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUXpnGI648

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

That is fine but there will only be one week between New Jersey and Austria. T

I think it will be like ths:

May 25 - Monaco
June 1 - free
June 8 - Canada
June 15 - free (Le Mans 24h)
June 22 - New Jersey
June 29 - free
July 6 - Austria

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Good Guy Bernie.

So glad to have the Austrian GP back, when I went there in 03 (what an incredible circuit to spectate as you can see so much of the track) I assumed it would be the last race ever there.

[Armco Bender]

When tracks were tracks.....and men were men....and cars were twitchy.....and tyres lasted the whole race....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlJD6jW-jMY

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by Trev Campbell

I thought tha the circuit was going to be upgraded and re-use some of the old circuit again when Red Bull purchased it. Did this all fall in a hole or was I misinformed ????

Yep, that was the plan, however I guess it was just too expensive to bother with. They planned on creating a new loop just before the current turn 2 to loop back onto the old section.

[Mike E]

Originally Posted by Speed Merchant 91

Great news...although the old circuit was a million times better (although the Red Bull Ring is a million times better than Bahrain, China, Abu Dhabi, or any of the new(er) circuits
For those who don't know what the old Osterreichring was like, here is Satoru Nakajima onboard in his Lotus-Honda circa 1987, the last year the old circuit was used for F1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxUXpnGI648

Not slow! Thanks for the clip.

[JimW]

If the new track is a good as its website (http://www.projekt-spielberg.at/aktuelles/?L=0), it will be worth watching!

Jim

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by ottostreet

I don't really see any difference between the A1 Ring & the Red Bull Ring, layout wise. Whats the difference?

There's a page on Wikipedia about the evolution of the Österreichring to Red Bull Ring, with the different circuit layouts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bul...original_track

[bella]

Originally Posted by JimW

If the new track is a good as its website (http://www.projekt-spielberg.at/aktuelles/?L=0), it will be worth watching!

Jim

the "nomen est omen" tagline and branding has to be one of my favourite bits of marketing EVER. clever and simple.

[ottostreet]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

There's a page on Wikipedia about the evolution of the Österreichring to Red Bull Ring, with the different circuit layouts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bul...original_track

Thanks, from what I can see, and looking at onboards on Youtube...the circuit layout remains unchanged!

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I think it will be like ths:

May 25 - Monaco
June 1 - free
June 8 - Canada
June 15 - free (Le Mans 24h)
June 22 - New Jersey
June 29 - free
July 6 - Austria

Sorry I thought LeMans was 21/22nd June.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Sorry I thought LeMans was 21/22nd June.

It's June 14/15 next year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/108361

[BSchneiderFan]

Austria may be a small market but it has a great motorsport heritage, Red Bull is registered as an Austrian team, and fans can get to Spielberg relatively easily from a lot of other countries.

[JeremySmith]

Love this race track....

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

Love this race track....

+1! First time I experienced the track was through an F1 video game on my old PlayStation 2... I fell in love with that track back when I was six or seven and still love it, though I was distraught to here of its 'demise". Turns out, they'll be coming back! Great news!!!

So we've got New Jersey, Sochi, AND Austria coming on board next year... that's 21 tracks, a few have to go...

For one, I don't think Sochi will be on the 2014 calendar. The skeptic in me says that the potentially disastrous Olympics next year will be bad enough to keep F1 away from more controversy (although, as you once said, Jeremy, we LOVE drama over here in the F1 side of the racing world... ).

Essentially, my guess is that Bernie will stick to 20 races, and Sochi will be removed at the last second. Apart form the rather, <ahem>, scandalousness going on regarding Sochi right now, last time I checked, the funding for the 2014 Russian Grand Prix is null.

But back onto Austria: it's still a great track, but to be quite honest, I'm surprised Bernie approves. He had that street circuit in Argentina idea going, as well as Paul Ricard HTTT (which is a wonderful track I can vouch for!) and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (another great "old guard" track), and yet he throws the bone to... Austria?

It seems odd to me, but no complaints, because the setting is absolutely paradisal, and the track, although it was pruned and scrubbed, yes, it still retained its charm, thank God.

[bella]

ricard is a nice facility, but would need upgrades left right and centre to house the f1 lot. i don't know if you went inside the pit building but it's decent enough for a smaller meeting, but for things like wsr upwards the media centre is too small, the building doesn't have enough space for the paddock club fluff and the roads are a big issue. it's also about 2-3 hours from the monaco gp, and within 6 is the barcelona and monza races. the catchment area is pretty saturated.

basically he would have to invest a lot of his money to make it happen - the french aren't keen on paying for it. the austrian race is presumably being bankrolled to an appropriate degree by red bull themselves, including more bogs, more grandstands, the odd improvement to the permanent stuff here and there.

like i said before, the heritage might be there but the local interest really isn't. but like someone else points out elsewhere, it's pretty easy for other europeans to get to, petrol is well priced and the tolls aren't too bad as long as you don't use the tunnel to graz. don't expect to be able to fly there though, airports are expensive and infrequent.

and sochi will happen. i know you like to trumpet social and political injustice, but the funds disappearing and all that stuff really isn't going to stop it. it's not even going to be noticed at the olympics. much of it is built and being used for test events already. there will be funding, especially if they deem sirotkin to be ready in time.