By Andrew Benson.
The Austrian Grand Prix will be on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2027 after circuit owners Red Bull signed a new four-year contract with the sport.
Austria is one of a core of historic European circuits that have become fixtures on the calendar as F1 seeks to expand globally.
This year, it will be one of an expanded roster of six events to host the ‘sprint’ format.
These use a shorter race on Saturday to set the grid for the main grand prix.
F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: “The race brings together the perfect mix of a challenging track, high-speed racing, and a beautiful venue.”
In recent years it has become one of a group of tracks popular with large numbers of travelling Dutch fans supporting Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
In 2022, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured a commanding victory, with Verstappen second and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton third.
Meanwhile Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will receive a grid penalty at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
He will have at least a 10-place drop as a result of his retirement from the season-opening race in Bahrain.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur said on Wednesday that Leclerc’s car had two problems with the electronics control unit (ECU) on race day in Bahrain.
As drivers are restricted to two ECUs for a season, Leclerc will be penalised for going over his allocation.
Vasseur said that the ECU had a problem when the car was started on race morning in Bahrain, and that Leclerc, 25, retired with a problem in the replacement part.
“It is something we have never experienced in the past and I hope now it is under control,” Vasseur said.
“But unfortunately we will have to take the penalty in Jeddah because we only have a pool of two ECUs for the season.”
Vasseur said the issue would not restrict the performance of the engine for the remaining races.
Leclerc was running third at the time of his retirement, behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Ferrari will have upgrades for this weekend’s race in Jeddah in the hope of closing the performance gap to Red Bull seen in Bahrain.