28/06/2018
NEWS STORY
Only a couple of minor changes have been made at the Red Bull Ring since the 2017 event.
Firstly, the verge on the left approaching turn 3 has been widened at the request of MotoGP, while the opening in the corner of the run-off area at turn 4 has been closed and a new one created further around the run-off.
There are three DRS zones. The first has a detection point 160m before Turn 1 with an activation point 102m after Turn 1, while the second will have a detection point 40m before Turn 3 with an activation point 100m after Turn 3. The detection point of the final zone is 151m before Turn 10 with its activation point 106m after Turn 10.
Tyre compounds this year are soft, supersoft and ultrasoft, the same as in 2017. Indeed, the same three compounds have been available for the last two seasons - though this year's compounds are all a step softer than in 2017.
Valtteri Bottas won last year's race on a one-stop strategy, starting on the ultrasofts and subsequently switching to supersofts, a strategy echoed by seven of the top eight finishers.
Of the current drivers on the grid, only Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have previously won this race, with the Briton winning for Mercedes in 2016 and the Finn scoring the second win of his career here last year, also for the Silver Arrows.
In the four races held so far at the Red Bull Ring the Safety Car has been deployed on two occasions, for six laps in 2015 when Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen collided on the first lap and for five laps in 2016 when Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel crashed out on lap 27.
David Coulthard holds the record for victory from furthest back on the grid on this layout. The Scot's 2001 win for McLaren was delivered from a starting postion of seventh.
Check out our Thursday gallery from Spielberg, here.