Austrian Grand Prix

Österreichring layout used from 1977 to 1987.

The **Austrian Grand Prix** (German: *Großer Preis von Österreich*) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in 1964 and from 1970 to 1987.

## History

The Austrian Grand Prix has been staged in two different places in southeastern Austria, initially in Zeltweg, around 70 km (43 mi) west of Graz. Since 1969, the Austrian Grand Prix has been held in nearby Spielberg, with the two venues being around 4 km (2.5 mi) apart. The race was contested at the Zeltweg Air Base for six years before moving to a permanent track, known as the Österreichring.

### Zeltweg Airfield circuit

In 1963, a non-championship event was conducted at a race track on Zeltweg Airfield, and Australian Jack Brabham won it. The first championship event was held the following year, and Italian Lorenzo Bandini won his first Formula One championship race driving a Ferrari. The race was a success, but the circuit was regarded too risky; it was tiny and lumpy, and fans complained about limited viewing opportunities. The FIA pulled the race off the Formula One schedule until a suitable track was developed. The event was run in 1965 as a non-championship sports car race known as the Zeltweg 200 Miles, before being recognised by the World Sportscar Championship as the 1000 km Zeltweg.

### Österreichring

From 1970 until 1987, the event was contested at the Österreichring, often known as the "Austria circuit" near Zeltweg. It was built in the scenic Styrian mountains and featured a fast, flowing track with high-speed, long corners. The Austrian Grand Prix was only declared as the European Grand Prix once, in 1975, when it was an honorary title bestowed upon one Grand Prix race in Europe each year. The very fast circuit proved popular with drivers, and the events were reasonably successful. Ferrari dominated the first race on this course, thanks to their more powerful flat-twelve engines, which allowed them to accelerate by 10 mph - a significant difference in racing terms. Swiss driver Jo Siffert dominated the 1971 race in his BRM, while British driver Jackie Stewart won his second Drivers' Championship. The 1975 event was marred by the fatal accident of American Mark Donohue, and the race itself was rain-soaked, and it was won by Vittorio Brambilla, winning the only F1 race of his career, and, true to form, he crashed into the guardrail and broke the nose of his car shortly after crossing the finish line when the race was stopped early because the rain got worse. In 1976, home favourite Niki Lauda was forced to skip the race due to a horrific crash at the Nürburgring, which was won by Briton John Watson in the short-lived Penske F1 team, who won his maiden Formula One race.

The Voest-Hugel turn had been somewhat modified in 1976, becoming one corner rather than two; nevertheless, in 1977, a slow three-corner chicane was constructed at Voest-Hugel, where Donohue had wrecked two years previously. What was once the quickest corner on the course was suddenly the slowest, earning the nickname Hella-Licht Chicane. Australian Alan Jones won this race on a Shadow, and it was his maiden Grand Prix victory, as were Brambilla and Watson's. In 1978, the powerful Lotus 79s lined up on the front row, and American Mario Andretti wrecked at the Glatz Kurve on the first lap, leaving his teammate, Swede Ronnie Peterson, to win. In 1979, turbo-charged engines demonstrated their dominance on this fast and high-altitude track. Although Jones won again in a Williams, Jean-Pierre Jabouille and René Arnoux in their Renaults dominated both this event and the following year's race, which Jabouille won. Three turbo-charged cars dominated the front row in 1981, and into the race, Didier Pironi's Ferrari's immense power and dreadful handling helped him hold up four better handling cars and get into a five-way battle for third place, which lasted for a while before the four cars passed him, one of whom was Jacques Laffite, who went on to win the race.

In 1982, five turbocharged cars dominated the grid; all but one of these cars retired due to mechanical issues, including Italian Riccardo Patrese, who had a spectacular accident at the Texaco Bends, and Frenchman Alain Prost, whose engine failed with a few laps to go while leading. Following Prost's retirement, the race became a dead-heat sprint between Italian Elio de Angelis in a Lotus and Finn Keke Rosberg in a Williams. Rosberg had been steadily chipping away at de Angelis at first; however, after Prost retired, Rosberg began to make up 1.5 seconds per lap on de Angelis; and on the final lap, the two so-far winless drivers battled for victory, with de Angelis holding off Rosberg and winning by less than half a car's length; 0.05 seconds. In 1984, Lauda won his home Grand Prix in his McLaren, while Prost won the next two races. Andrea de Cesaris was sacked from the team after crashing his Ligier dramatically at the Panorama Curve during the 1985 race. 1986 saw Austrian driver Gerhard Berger dominate the early laps in his 1,400 bhp (1,044 kW; 1,419 PS) Benetton-BMW, but electrical difficulties saw his race ruined allowing Alain Prost to take the win by over a lap from the Ferraris of Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson. The 1987 race was restarted twice due to accidents on the narrow pit-straight grid; additionally, the track was deemed too dangerous by FIA standards due to the number of high-speed corners, lack of protection from trees and embankments, and accidents at the start of many races on the narrow and confined pit straight. Attempts to revive the race were futile, and the event vanished from the calendar.

## Official Names

 1970–1972
 1973
 1974–1975
 1976
 1977
 1978–1983
 1982–1985

## Venues

Zeltweg Airfield (1964)Österreichring (1970–1976)
## Winners

### Repeat winners (drivers)

*Drivers **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

 2
  Alan Jones

### Repeat winners (constructors)

*Teams **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

 3
  Renault | 1980, 1983

### Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

*Manufacturers **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

 3
 2

### By year

*A pink background indicates an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

## Notes

1. ↑ Zeltweg Air Base.
2. ↑ Zeltweg 200 Miles 1965 - Race Results - Racing Sports Cars.
3. ↑ Shared drive
4. ↑ Built by Cosworth, funded by Ford, except 1967.
5. ↑ Built by Porsche, funded by TAG.