Styrian Gp: Austria's Twin Racing Event

The Styrian Grand Prix (Styrian GP) and the Austrian Grand Prix (Austrian GP) are two different races held at the same track in Austria, the Red Bull Ring. The Red Bull Ring is located in Styria, a state in southeast Austria, and Graz is the capital city of Styria. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Formula 1 schedule had to be revised, and the Styrian GP was added as a one-off race to fill in for postponed races. The Styrian GP was brought back for the 2021 season due to the postponement of the Turkish Grand Prix because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The Styrian GP is named after the region where the race takes place

The Styrian Grand Prix (or Styrian GP) is named after the region where the race takes place. The Red Bull Ring, which hosts the race, is located in Styria, a state in southeast Austria. Graz is the capital city of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Formula 1 had to revise its schedule as several races were postponed or cancelled. As a result, Austria hosted two back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring in 2020 and 2021: the Austrian Grand Prix and the Styrian Grand Prix.

Each F1 Grand Prix requires a distinct name during the season, so both races at the Red Bull Ring could not be called the Austrian Grand Prix. Hence, the second race was named after the region where the circuit is located, Styria.

This is not the first time that F1 has used different names for races hosted by the same country in a single season. For example, between 2008 and 2012, Valencia hosted the European Grand Prix, while the race in Barcelona was run under the Spanish Grand Prix banner.

The Styrian Grand Prix was first added to the F1 calendar in 2020 as a one-off race to fill in for one of the earlier rounds cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The race was brought back in 2021 due to the postponement of the Turkish Grand Prix because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The Red Bull Ring hosted the Styrian GP and Austrian GP in 2020 and 2021

The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, hosted the Styrian Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix in 2020 and 2021. The races were held on consecutive weekends, with the Styrian Grand Prix taking place first, followed by the Austrian Grand Prix the next weekend. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation or postponement of several Grand Prix events.

In 2020, the Styrian Grand Prix was added as a one-off race to fill in for other cancelled races. However, it was brought back in 2021 due to the postponement of the Turkish Grand Prix because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Each F1 Grand Prix requires a distinct name, so the second race at the Red Bull Ring was named after the region in which the circuit is located, Styria. The Styrian Grand Prix was the first race of the double-header in both 2020 and 2021.

The Red Bull Ring is a compact circuit with a short track of 2.688 miles and only 10 corners. The high altitude of the circuit, at approximately 2,100 feet, can lead to cooler temperatures, and the mountain location can make the weather unpredictable.

The Styrian GP was added to the F1 schedule due to COVID-19 postponements

The Styrian Grand Prix was added to the F1 schedule in 2020 due to COVID-19 postponements and cancellations. The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, hosted the opening two races of the 2020 F1 campaign, with the traditional Austrian Grand Prix acting as the season opener, followed by the Styrian GP, named after the region the circuit is located in. This was the first time in F1 history that the same circuit hosted the opening two races.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent travel restrictions forced F1 bosses to rip up the original calendar and create a new schedule for the 2020 season. While the exact calendar was still being worked out, F1 announced that the first eight rounds would take place in Europe, with no fans in attendance. To ensure F1 hosted a minimum of 15 races that year, the decision was made to hold multiple races at the same venue where possible.

Austria was one of the first countries to express interest in holding F1 races, and Red Bull secured permission from the government to allow the races to go ahead. The Red Bull Ring is located in Styria, a state in southeast Austria, and Graz, the capital city of Styria, is the country's second-largest city. As each F1 Grand Prix requires a distinct name, both races at the Red Bull Ring could not have been called the Austrian Grand Prix, so the second race was named after the region in which the circuit is located.

The Styrian Grand Prix was brought back for a second time in 2021, as a stand-in for the Turkish Grand Prix, which was postponed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. This was the third race of the 2021 season to be postponed, following the Australian and Turkish Grands Prix. The Styrian GP was once again run as the eighth round of the F1 championship, and there was speculation that it could make a third appearance on the schedule in 2022.

The Styrian GP replaced the Turkish GP in 2021 due to travel restrictions

The Styrian Grand Prix (GP) replaced the Turkish GP in 2021 due to travel restrictions. The Turkish GP was initially drafted onto the Formula One calendar as a replacement for the cancelled Canada GP. However, less than a month after it was added, it was withdrawn due to the imposition of new travel restrictions by several countries, including the United Kingdom, which placed Turkey on its "red list" of high-risk destinations. This would have required British residents returning from Turkey to quarantine for 10 days in a designated hotel at their own expense. As seven out of ten F1 teams are based in the UK, this presented a significant challenge and the decision was made to replace the Turkish GP with a second event in Austria, the Styrian GP.

The Styrian GP is named after the region of Austria, Styria, in which the Red Bull Ring circuit is located. This is in keeping with Formula One's requirement to have a different name for each race on the calendar. This was not the first time that different names have been used for races hosted in the same country in a single season. For example, between 2008 and 2012, Valencia hosted the European Grand Prix, while the Barcelona race was run under the Spanish Grand Prix banner.

The cancellation of the Turkish GP and the subsequent addition of the Styrian GP resulted in a reshuffling of the F1 schedule. The French Grand Prix, originally scheduled for June 27, was moved forward a week to June 20, creating three back-to-back race weekends at the start of the summer season. This situation was not ideal as the 2020 triple headers had received backlash for putting too much stress on the teams. Nevertheless, Formula One organisers demonstrated their ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, ensuring that the season remained at 23 races.

The Styrian GP took place on June 25-27, 2021, with the Austrian GP following on its original dates of July 2-4. This double-header in Austria was a unique opportunity for the Red Bull Ring circuit to host two back-to-back races for the second year in a row. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions, Formula One was able to find solutions and ensure that the 2021 season proceeded with minimal disruptions.

The Styrian GP and Austrian GP have different tyre combinations despite being held on the same track

The Styrian Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix are two different Formula 1 races held at the same venue, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The Red Bull Ring has hosted two races in one season before, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing race cancellations and postponements.

Despite being held on the same track, the Styrian GP and Austrian GP have different tyre combinations. This is because each F1 grand prix requires different names and unique characteristics across a season.

In the 2023 Austrian GP, Pirelli, F1's Official tyre supplier, brought the softest compounds in their range, the C3 (hard tyre), the C4 (medium tyre), and the C5 (soft tyre). Due to the revised Sprint format, Pirelli provided two sets of hard tyres, four sets of medium tyres, and six sets of soft tyres.

For the 2024 Styrian GP, Pirelli provided each driver with two sets of white-walled hard tyres, three sets of yellow medium tyres, and eight sets of red soft tyres. Pirelli's Head of F1 and Car Racing, Mario Isola, explained that the compounds were chosen to best match the characteristics of the individual circuit and provide interesting opportunities for race strategy.

The different tyre combinations for the Styrian GP and Austrian GP, despite being held on the same track, showcase the unique characteristics and requirements of each race, even when held at the same venue.

Frequently asked questions