
F1 Confirms Future Of Austrian Grand Prix With Contract Announcement
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Formula One has announced a long-term contract extension with the promoter of the Austrian Grand Prix, Projekt Spielberg GmbH & Co KG. This seals the Red Bull Ring's spot on the F1 calendar until 2041.
The announcement comes hours before the Grand Prix in Austria, where Lando Norris is set to start from pole position. Located around the Styrian mountains, the Red Bull Ring first hosted a Grand Prix in 1970.
The circuit's turning point arrived when the late co-owner of Red Bull GmbH, Dietrich Mateschitz, took crucial steps to elevate it to Grand Prix standards in 2010, marking its return in 2014.
Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1...
Lance Stroll of Canada driving the (18) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR25 Mercedes on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 27, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. MoreAnnouncing the long-term contract extension, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said in a statement:
"Austria has long been an incredibly special race for Formula 1 so it's fantastic we have secured the long-term future of a Grand Prix so deeply rooted in the sport's history.
"The vision and passion of Dietrich Mateschitz gave the race the investment and attention that allowed it to return as an incredible event on the Formula 1 calendar.
"Each year, returning to the stunning Styrian mountains is a highlight – an experience that evokes incredible emotion among our drivers, teams, and fans alike, creating an atmosphere unlike any other.
"I want to extend my sincere thanks to Mark Mateschitz and Thomas Überall and his team for their unwavering dedication to excellence, and to our incredible Austrian fanbase, whose enthusiasm and loyalty continue to elevate this iconic race."
Mark Mateschitz, son of Dietrich Mateschitz, added:
"I am delighted that Formula 1 will remain at the Red Bull Ring for many years to come. I am proud to continue my father's legacy and to preserve the rich history of motor racing in Styria and at the Red Bull Ring – with and, above all, for the people of the region.
"Austria's close ties to Formula 1 are an excellent foundation for our long-term partnership. Working together, we intend to continue this success story for many years to come."
Thomas Überall, General Manager of the Red Bull Ring, said:
"This long-term commitment to us by Formula 1 is a great honour and a wonderful challenge that we are happy to undertake on behalf of the fans and the Murtal region.
"The new contract is of inestimable importance for the future. The long-term security of the Austrian Grand Prix will trigger further investment in infrastructure and means tremendous added value for the Murtal region, for Styria and for Austria."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Norris takes pole for F1's Belgian Grand Prix after Verstappen wins sprint
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Lando Norris took pole position Saturday for Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen won the sprint race earlier in the day. Norris set the fastest time early in the final session. His McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri couldn't quite beat it on his final run, taking second place, 0.085 of a second off Norris' pace. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, with Verstappen fourth. The likelihood of rain for Sunday's race could shake things up. Verstappen's sprint win Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri and drove '15 qualifying laps' to win the Formula 1 sprint race at the Belgian GP as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner. Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and catching up to Piastri. 'You're keeping faster cars behind, so you have to drive over the limit of what you think is possible,' Verstappen said. 'Tire management is out of the window, so that's what's making it really difficult. I'm just doing 15 qualifying laps to try and keep them behind on a track where tire management is important.' It was Verstappen's first race win of any sort since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, and his first in a sprint since the United States Grand Prix last October. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Verstappen is third, 68 points off the lead. Leclerc held on to fourth and it was an impressive result for Haas, with Esteban Ocon fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz, Jr. was sixth for Williams and Isack Hadjar took the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth. ___ AP auto racing: The Associated Press
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Norris takes Belgian GP pole position
Belgian Grand Prix Venue: Spa Dates: 25-27 July Race start: 14:00 BST on Sunday Coverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app Lando Norris pipped McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix. Norris beat Piastri, the championship leader, by just 0.085 seconds as Red Bull's Max Verstappen slipped down to fourth, beaten by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, after errors on his final lap. Leclerc's team-mate Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of the first session after having his final lap time deleted for exceeding track limits and will start 16th. Williams driver Alex Albon slipped ahead of his friend George Russell's Mercedes by 0.059secs to take fifth. Yuki Tsunoda had his best performance since joining Red Bull at the third race of the season by taking sixth, 0.381secs off Verstappen. Norris happy with 'decent' lap Norris secured his pole with his first lap in the final session, on which he was 0.189secs quicker than Piastri. The Briton was not able to improve on his second run, which Piastri was, but a mistake at Stavelot for the Australian cost him the chance to take pole for the second day running after his sprint pole on Friday. Norris had been nearly 0.5secs slower than Piastri in Friday's session but he said the margin was not reflective of his true pace. Norris said: "I was confident after yesterday - 0.3secs is just slipstream and not being first out of the pit lane. It was a decent lap, so I'm happy." Piastri said: "A bit disappointing. The second lap was coming together really well but just made a little mistake into 14 and lost a lot of time. The car was really good but it's fine margins out there. "We're a good team-mate pairing, we learn a lot from each other. Felt like I did OK but didn't quite execute when it matters." Norris now faces the same problem Piastri had in the sprint - giving the driver behind him the slipstream on the run up to the Les Combes chicane on the first lap. Losing out to Verstappen in that way in the sprint race cost Piastri that win. Now Norris will have to defend from his championship rival. But rain is expected for Sunday, which changes the picture because of the visibility issues of following another car in the wet. "Most likely some rain and drizzle," Norris said. "Could be in for a chaotic race. Going off the front and hopefully can take advantage of that and go from there." Verstappen had been third fastest after the first runs, but a wheelspin moment out of the La Source hairpin cost him time all the way along the straight through Eau Rouge and up to Les Combes. The four-time champion was able to claw some of the time lost back over the rest of the lap and did improve his time slightly. But he said the lap was "so bad" and it was enough to allow Leclerc, who felt he was able to maximise the Ferrari, to slip ahead. A disappointed Hamilton said to go out in Q1 was "not acceptable" but he would try to "have fun" in the race. Behind Tsunoda, the top 10 was completed by the Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, who made it into the top 10 for a grand prix qualifying session for the first time in his career, repeating the feat he managed in sprint qualifying the day before. Verstappen wins Belgian GP sprint race Full results Radio 1 DJs help preview Belgian Grand Prix

5 hours ago
Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Max Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri and drove '15 qualifying laps' to win the Formula 1 sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner. Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and catching up to Piastri. 'You're keeping faster cars behind, so you have to drive over the limit of what you think is possible,' Verstappen said. 'Tire management is out of the window, so that's what's making it really difficult. I'm just doing 15 qualifying laps to try and keep them behind on a track where tire management is important.' It was Verstappen's first race win of any sort since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, and his first in a sprint since the United States Grand Prix last October. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Verstappen is third, 68 points off the lead. Leclerc held on to fourth and it was an impressive result for Haas, with Esteban Ocon fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz, Jr. was sixth for Williams and Isack Hadjar took the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth. Qualifying takes place later Saturday for Sunday's Grand Prix race, and McLaren has a decision to make after losing out to Verstappen and Red Bull in the sprint. Verstappen couldn't match the McLarens for overall pace but he was fastest where it mattered. He opted for a lower-downforce rear wing to maximize top speed at the cost of grip. That helped Verstappen with his first-lap pass for the lead and then helped ensure Piastri was too far back on the straights to line up an overtake of his own into the following corners. 'I didn't have enough straight-line speed,' Piastri admitted, but said the risk of rain on Sunday would make it a gamble to follow Verstappen's example. 'The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow, which obviously means you probably don't want to take off too much wing, but I don't really want to repeat the sprint we've just had,' he said. 'We'll have a look, see what we can do.'