After a one-week breather following Canada, F1 charges into a run of races in July before the summer break, starting at the Red Bull Ring before trips to Silverstone, the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps.
Fresh from celebrating its 100th F1 grand prix victory, Red Bull goes into the first of its two home races as strong favourites given the defending champions have won every race so far in 2023.
Max Verstappen holds a 69-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez at the top of the drivers’ standings, with the Mexican slipping off the pace having been absent from the podium in the last three rounds.
But can Aston Martin, Mercedes or Ferrari take the fight to Red Bull in Austria? Last year’s race in Spielberg was the scene of Ferrari’s last F1 win, but the circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull in recent years with Verstappen winning in three of the past five seasons.
Austria marks the second sprint race weekend of the 2023 F1 season, which means F1 teams have just one practice session before qualifying on Friday for Sunday’s grand prix, which precedes Saturday’s sprint qualifying and sprint race.
Friday 30 June 2023
Free Practice 1: 12:30pm-13:30pm BST (1:30pm-2:30pm local)
Qualifying: 4:00pm-5:00pm BST (5:00pm-6:00pm local)
Saturday 1 July 2023
Sprint Qualifying: 11:00am-11:44am BST (12:00pm-12:44pm local)
Sprint Race: 3:30pm-4:00pm BST (4:30pm-5:00pm local)
Sunday 2 July 2023
Race: 2:00pm BST (3:00pm local)
Source: Autosport