Mercedes head to Austria looking to win a ninth successive grand prix but the Silver Arrows won’t need reminding what happened to them last year at the Red Bull Ring.
In 2018 Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were both forced to retire and it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who took the chequered flag ahead of Ferrari duo Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel.
With last year still fresh in the memory Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: “Our result in last year’s Austrian Grand Prix was the low point of the 2018 season. A double DNF after a promising front-row lockout meant that we left a lot of points on the table.
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“The race was a cruel reminder how quickly things can go wrong in our sport and that reliability and performance go hand in hand in Formula 1.
“This year, our race finishing record has been good, but it would be complacent to ignore the fact that for two weekends in a row now, our mechanics had to perform the equivalent of ‘open-heart surgery’ on our cars.”
Marko optimistic, Verstappen less so
Max Verstappen’s victory at the Austrian GP in 2018 was the first time Red Bull had won their home race.
This season Verstappen has only secured a couple of podiums but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is hopeful that the 21-year-old can win in Austria for a second successive year.
Marko said: “I really believe that we will be competitive in the coming races and participate in stage. Hopefully also for a win. It may be a bit optimistic, but we may succeed.”
Despite Marko’s optimism, Verstappen was less confident about the upcoming weekend. He said: “We’ll probably finish fourth or fifth, though that depends on Ferrari making mistakes. Maybe even third if both Ferraris make a mistake.
“We’re just lacking pace at the moment, you have to accept that. In the meantime we keep working hard on the car and mostly the power unit, too.”
What the drivers and teams are saying
Pierre Gasly, Red Bull
“I feel we are far from showing the potential we have and that’s not pleasant and no one is happy about it. At the moment it’s just trying to focus on putting everything together. Same on my side: I think there are things we can do better as well. We can all do better but we’re clearly not showing the potential so I think that’s the main thing to focus on at the moment.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
“Austria is one of my favourite circuits. I think for the car it shall maybe fit a bit better compared to Paul Ricard. So hopefully we can have a good weekend. It’s quite a different track, I’m pretty sure that we can have a positive weekend there.”
2019 F1 Austrian GP race guide
Circuit name: Red Bull Ring
First grand prix: 1970
Number of laps: 71
Circuit length: 4.318km
Race distance: 306.452km
Lap record: 1:06.957 by Kimi Räikkönen in 2018
Last year’s podium: 1st Max Verstappen (Red Bull); 2nd Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari); 3rd Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
When are the practice sessions?
There are three full practice (FP) sessions in Austria. On Friday 28 June FP1 takes place from 10am-11.30am and FP2 is from 2pm-3.30pm. FP3 will be from 11am-12pm on Saturday 29 June. All times BST.
When is qualifying?
Qualifying for the Austrian GP starts at 2pm on Saturday 29 June.
What time does the race start?
The 2019 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix starts at 2.10pm (BST) on Sunday 30 June.
(Image credit: Charles Coates/Getty Images)
Austrian GP predictions: who will win?
Matthew Atkinson, The Stats Zone: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
“After Lewis Hamilton’s masterclass demonstration in France where he comfortably cruised to victory, Mercedes and Hamilton are expected to dominate in Austria. Red Bull will be determined to win again in their home race, but realistically after France, they are worried about their lack of pace and the performance gains of both Renault and McLaren. Bottas needs to regain the form he showed at the beginning of the season, otherwise Hamilton will have no opposition in his quest to claim his sixth title. Racing fans will hope he will be closer this weekend. The prediction is for another Lewis Hamilton win, where the hills will be alive with the sound of Hamilton celebrating.”
Joseph Tyrrell, GPBlog: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
“Mercedes had won four in a row until last season’s disaster and the 2017 winner, Bottas, is normally strong in Austria. On pole in 2018 and winner a year earlier, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on top again.”
Sky Sports F1 will show live coverage of practice, qualifying and the race from Spielberg. Channel 4 will show highlights of both qualifying and the race. All times below are BST.
Watch on Now TV
F1 fans can also watch the action live on Now TV. Viewers can subscribe to a Sky Sports F1 pass via Now TV for all race weekends in 2019.
Sky Sports F1 coverage of the Austrian GP Thursday 27 June
2pm: drivers’ press conference
5pm: Welcome to the Weekend
Friday 28 June
9.45am: practice one build-up
10am: practice one live
1.45pm: practice two build-up (simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event)
2pm: practice two live (simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event)
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