The 'Österreichring' is an unused
Austrian race circuit which hosted the
Formula One Austrian Grand Prix 18 consecutive years, from
1970 through
1987.
After being shortened, rebuilt and renamed 'A1-Ring', it again hosted races from
1997 through
2003.
The track is located in
Spielberg,
Styria. The old ''Österreichring'' was more often referred to as being located at
Zeltweg, which is bigger and better known. However, the circuit was never relocated, only modified.
In addition, the one-off
1964 Austrian Grand Prix was held at
Zeltweg Airfield, so this name was already known.
The old Österreichring
The track was known for having many fast corners, as well as noticeable changes in elevation during the course of a lap. Many considered the Österreichring to be dangerous, especially the "Boschkurve", a 180-degree right-hand corner with almost no run-off area. Tragically,
American Mark Donohue died after crashing at the "Hella-Licht" corner in
1975. It is also known that four-times World Champion Alain Prost often said that all tracks can be changed but that the Österreichring should remain unchanged, just adding run-off areas would be fine.
Formula One history
The new A1-Ring
Mainly due to safety concerns, the track was abandoned by Formula One for nearly a decade. The circuit was totally rebuilt, at the same site, by
Hermann Tilke in
1995 and
1996. The circuit was shortened from 5.942 km to 4.326 km (2.684
mi), the fast sweeping corners replaced by three tight righthanders, in order to create overtaking opportunities for F1. Its three long straights, as well as a twisty infield section, asked for a setup compromise.
Renamed
A1-Ring (after a sponsor, the
cellphone provider
A1), the
Formula One Austrian Grand Prix was held on it from
1997 to
2003.
Formula One history
Uncertain status and future
The grandstands and pit buildings were demolished in
2004, rendering the track unusable for any
motorsport category. In later 2004 and early
2005, there were intense discussions whether the owner,
Red Bull, would find another use for the site or actually bring back motor sports to it. However, as of January 2005, this seems more unlikely than ever, as
Dietrich Mateschitz publicly announced that he had no intention to waste money on a deficitary circuit. This failure of the project, which was of considerable importance for the surrounding municipalities, may even have serious political repercussions, as Styrian governor Waltraud Klasnic had strongly supported the project.
In
2006, racing driver
Alexander Wurz claimed he would buy the circuit and have it renovated, but little has come about this.
During the whole of 2005 there were speculations of Red Bull Racing renovating the track and using it as a personal testing track in Formula One. It remains to be seen if Mateschitz and his Red Bull Racing will do something about the abandoned track.
External Links
Satellite image from
Google Maps
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