Wet start expected for Styrian Grand Prix weekend

2021 Styrian Grand Prix weather

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Weather conditions for the first of Formula 1’s two consecutive races at the Red Bull Ring are likely to be on the cool side, with a high chance of thunderstorms and rain early in the weekend.

The two races carry the same titles as last year but the order has flipped, and this weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix is the first of the two. It is expected to see similar temperatures to last year’s race weekend.

The beginning of track action on Friday will see temperatures drop dramatically compared to the previous day, from the high 20s to 21C. There is a chance of regular thunder showers in the afternoon and an 80% chance of rain during the second practice session.

Spielberg is in the foothills of the Alps, where summer thunderstorms are common but usually come late afternoon. The first W Series qualifying session of its new season could also be disrupted – the chance of rain then is nearly 90%.

Saturday looks like it could go either way at the moment. Similar temperatures are expected but the risk of rain is in ‘hedge your bets’ territory – 40% for final practice and qualifying.

There will be an improvement in the conditions for race day, however. The threat of rain is much lower, and it will be a warmer day too, with temperatures nudging around 25C. A significant amount of cloud cover is expected to remain, nonetheless track temperatures in the mid-to-high 40s could be quite a bit higher than teams encounter earlier in the weekend.

Last weekend’s French Grand Prix saw the field mixed up by unexpectedly low track temperatures on race day. Teams have the exact same tyre compounds for the first round of Austria’s double (softer rubber is planned for next week) and may find they once again have to cope with very different race day conditions compared to what they practised on.

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Author information

Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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7 comments on “Wet start expected for Styrian Grand Prix weekend”

  1. Hopefully it’s only gonna rain on Friday. Because I don’t want to spend the whole weekend trackside in a soaked tent :(

    If you are looking for a reliable weather forecast, this one is among the best (regarding Austria):
    https://www.bergfex.at/sommer/spielberg/wetter/

    1. @srga91 My site choice for weather forecast is Accuweather.com. Not that one site is necessarily more reliable than another, but this just randomly became my regular resort a little while back.

    2. I feel what you are saying there @srga91! Enjoy the experience, I found the track really great to be able to see almost all of it from the upper GA area (I guess the “Verstappen” grandstand would offer a lot too?).

      Even if “only” friday is wet, it will still mean we get another race where teams and drivers will be somewhat in the dark about the tyre performances and durability for the race. Could be a really nice race.

      1. Thank you very much, @bascb :D
        I sure hope it’s gonna be a nice experience and even if the weather wasn’t to be great, I’d still have a fun time with my best friends :)
        Is the “Verstappen grandstand” the RB Grandstand? If so, I’ll be right in the middle of it!
        It’s good I instinctively already put an orange shirt in my bag =D

        1. Right, it is indeed called the RB grandstand. But since Verstappen came to F1 it is the orange grandstand.

          Don’t be surprised to be one of the few left watching in case we have an early out for Verstappen in any session (those Dutch fans were amongst the first to leave whenever that was the case. Also immediately after the race)!

          That one hase a great view of the track, although I think it is also fun to go around and have a look from different angles on that friday or even on saturday during the support races.

          1. Given how little competition mercedes has in that case seems like the right move to leave.

  2. Joe Pineapples
    24th June 2021, 10:45

    Could do with at least one of the races there rain affected (but not too heavy).

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