Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix & sprint race: Start time, TV, streaming, grid for 2023 race
The hills are alive with the sound of hybrid V6 engines.
That's right, the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix has arrived.
The series returns to Europe after a champions podium at the Canadian Grand Prix featured Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
The Red Bull Ring serves as home to Red Bull Racing, which captured its 100th win when Verstappen crossed the checkered flag first in Montreal. The Dutchman can make his bosses even more happy in Spielberg by getting his 42nd career win, passing F1 great Ayrton Senna for fifth most all-time.
The grid's lone American driver, Logan Sargeant, inherited an F2 victory last year at Red Bull Ring when the three drivers who finished ahead of him were knocked down the standings due to penalties.
The Austrian Grand Prix's weekend activities feature the second of six sprint races on the 2023 Formula 1 calendar.
Here is everything you need to know for the 2023 F1 Austrian Grand Prix:
When is the Austrian Grand Prix?
The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix gets underway at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
Qualifying starts at 11 a.m. ET on Friday with the sprint shootout and sprint starting at 6 a.m. ET and 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
What TV channel will the Austrian Grand Prix be on?
The Austrian Grand Prix will be shown on television on ESPN as will the sprint race.
Qualifying and the sprint shootout will air on ESPN2.
Where will the Austrian Grand Prix be live streamed?
All of the events for the Austrian Grand Prix weekend can be live streamed on ESPN3 and ESPN+ and on the ESPN app.
What is the format of the sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix?
The second of six sprint races in the 2023 F1 season will be at the Austrian Grand Prix. The first one was held at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and was won by Sergio Pérez.
The past two seasons, the sprint has been used as qualifying for Sunday's race. In Spielberg, the sprint will be a completely separate competition. Traditional qualifying will be held Friday instead of Saturday with only one practice session instead of three.
Saturday will only feature sprint action, including the sprint shootout to qualify for the sprint and then the sprint race itself. The sprint will consist of 24 laps around Red Bull Ring.
The winner of the sprint gets eight points toward the drivers and constructors championship. Each subsequent driver gets one less point, leading down to one point for the eighth place finisher.
Who holds the lap record at the Austrian Grand Prix?
Carlos Sainz holds the lap record at the Red Bull Ring. In 2020, he completed a lap around the circuit with a time of 1:05.619.
Who won the F1 race in Austria last year?
Charles Leclerc won the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix to give Ferrari back-to-back wins and three straight podiums. The Monegasque driver battled with Max Verstappen through much of the race and pulled away victorious. Verstappen finished second for his return to the podium as part of a dominant season after finishing seventh at Silverstone the week before. Lewis Hamilton rounded out the winners circle with a third-place finish for his third straight trip to the podium.
Who is the favorite to win this week's F1 race?
Max Verstappen (-300) is the favorite to win the 2023 F1 Austrian Grand Prix, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. He is followed by Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez (+750) and world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso (+1000 each).
What is the starting grid for the 2023 F1 Austrian Grand Prix?
The starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix was decided after qualifying on Friday.
The drivers struggled with track limits at the Red Bull Ring, but Max Verstappen endured having his times deleted and scored his fourth consecutive pole in his team's home race. His teammate, Sergio Pérez, was not so successful and will start P15, missing out on Q3 for the fourth straight competition.
"It's always very tricky around here every year. The car's a bit heavy, but to judge it on a line this wide," Verstappen said holding up a pinch, "with these speeds, is incredibly hard."
Last year's winner, Charles Leclerc, will start alongside Verstappen in P2, finishing only 0.048 seconds behind the Red Bull driver. The Ferrari star will battle to get only his second podium finish of the season against a team who has won every race so far.
"I don't think we expected to be so close to Red Bull," he said after qualifying, "so it's a good step forward."
Leclerc's teammate, Carlos Sainz, rounds out the top three with Lando Norris at P4. The McLaren driver hopes to continue his success at the Austrian Grand Prix where he got his maiden podium in 2020 and followed it up with another third-place finish a year later.
Here is the starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix:
- (1) Max Verstappen
- (16) Charles Leclerc
- (55) Carlos Sainz
- (4) Lando Norris
- (44) Lewis Hamilton
- (18) Lance Stroll
- (14) Fernando Alonso
- (27) Nico Hulkenberg
- (10) Pierre Gasly
- (23) Alex Albon
- (63) George Russell
- (31) Esteban Ocon
- (81) Oscar Piastri
- (77) Valtteri Bottas
- (11) Sergio Pérez
- (22) Yuki Tsunoda
- (24) Zhou Guanyu
- (2) Logan Sargeant
- (20) Kevin Magnussen
- (21) Nyck DeVries