23 June 2026 17:40 (UTC)
“Austria has historically been a strong track for us, and while we take nothing for granted in such a tight field, we are optimistic”
Camping season is in full swing, making June the perfect month for a trip to the Styrian Alps. Gently rolling hills and dense, leafy forests surround one of the most picturesque venues on the calendar.
Spend your mornings hiking through the ‘Green Heart of Austria’, your afternoons watching the MCL40 weave through the Red Bull Ring’s twists and turns from up in the mountains, and your evenings around a campfire, sharing stories of famous McLaren triumphs in Austria, like Niki Lauda's memorable home win in 1984.
To get ready for this weekend’s action, we’d first recommend a trip to your local outdoor store. After that, settle down and allow us to prepare you for the race, as we bring you insight from Technical Director, Applied Engineering, Neil Houldey, explore the key aspects of the Red Bull Ring, and pose another tricky quiz question to test your knowledge.
“Austria has historically been a strong track for us, and while we take nothing for granted in such a tight field, we are optimistic that the car and driver characteristics will again suit the circuit, putting us in the fight at the front.
“We’re always looking to make refinements that add performance and lap time to the car. For this event, we’ve focused on minor detail updates around the car’s rear corners, as well as an experimental rear wing that will run throughout Friday’s sessions.
“While the overall package is lighter than some of our recent updates, these developments are all part of our season-long development pathway, and we’re continuing to look for every lap time opportunity wherever we can.
“We are also preparing for the possibility of wet weather, which would be one of the first times running the car in those conditions this season. It presents a steep learning curve, especially with changes to energy management and power delivery in the wet, but it's an opportunity we will embrace to optimise every aspect of the car and maximise our performance, whatever the conditions.”
The Red Bull Ring is one of the circuits on the F1 calendar with the most significant elevation changes, posing an intriguing challenge for the new generation of cars.
The track rises and falls by roughly 63.3m between its lowest and highest points, with drivers climbing uphill through the first half of the lap before descending back down in the second. Situated around 700m above sea level, the circuit's altitude naturally reduces aerodynamic performance and grip. The characteristics of the new cars, which are narrower and generate less downforce, will increase these challenges and affect how drivers take corners.
The combination of elevation changes, altitude, and the Red Bull Ring's short lap also put greater strain on the power units, requiring them to work harder and increasing the importance of efficient energy management.
Drivers will need to be selective about where they attempt overtakes, with the circuit's three primary overtaking opportunities all coming in the uphill section. Cars can follow closely along the three straights before going wheel-to-wheel into Turns 2, 3 and 4.
We were back on the podium in the last round, as Lando claimed third in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, his second top-three finish of the season so far. The reigning World Champion remained in the tyre tracks of Kimi Antonelli throughout the race, before benefitting when the Mercedes was forced to retire.
On the other side of the garage, Oscar gained two places to finish fifth. Their results mean we head to Austria third in the standings, 49 points off second.
26 - 28 JUNE
Look at overhead shots of the Red Bull Ring, and you can still see the bones of the old Österreichring. The longer circuit that predates the modern track was fearsomely quick, and produced many memorable moments across its 18 F1 races – but the greatest of all is the 1984 Austrian Grand Prix.
At the 11th attempt, it was Niki Lauda’s first and only F1 victory on home soil. “Niki had never won his home Grand Prix,” says McLaren mechanic Gary Wheeler, who was in the garage for the team that day. Perhaps of greater significance, in Round 12 of 16, it gave Niki the lead in the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in 1984, which he never relinquished.
Niki dropped two places at the start and was running sixth, but made short work of Elio de Angelis and Derek Warwick, passed Patrick Tambay on Lap 9, and then gained second when Alain retired on Lap 28. Niki then chased down Piquet and, as the pair came up to lap Michele Alboreto’s Ferrari, took the lead with 11 laps remaining.
It nearly ended badly for Niki, however. He had built a comfortable lead and looked set to win his home race for the first time, but was then suddenly struck by a mechanical failure. “Everything was looking pretty good, but then he started to slow down,” recalls Gary. “A gear broke in the gearbox.”
Unable to select a gear, he coasted, held up his arm, and gave every appearance of being about to retire…Until he realised how far he’d have to walk back to the pit lane. While attempting to coast back and save his legs on the journey, he discovered that the third and fifth gears were still working.
“He managed to carry on and win the race,” says Gary. “When the car came back, we saw half the gearbox hanging outside the casing.”
“Nelson didn’t realise that I had a gear broken and didn’t attack me,” recalled Niki, many years later. “In the end, I won the Championship that year by half a point – I think this [race] is what saved me.”
Each race week, we’ll be putting the same question to Lando and Oscar to find out just how similar (or different) they really are. The question could be anything: from their favourite corner on the F1 calendar, to their ultimate pre-race anthem, or even the one food they absolutely refuse to eat on race week.
This week, we asked them to walk us through their pre-race routine.
Lando: I try to stay pretty calm, so I will avoid anything that would get me too hyped up. I don’t like to get sweaty before I get into the car, so I wouldn’t do anything too hard. I will normally have a nap on a Sunday, not long before the race, then I’ll listen to a little bit of music and chill out, and do a little bit of stretching. Anything that will keep me calm and lower my heart rate. That’s what I have found works best for me.
Oscar: I will do a physical warm-up before the race, which involves some skipping, some resistance band work, and some stretching, but that's pretty much it.
Follow all of the action this weekend via the McLaren Racing App, available to download on Android and iOS.
