Max Verstappen has disclosed that he has encouraged Red Bull to restore more of the Osterreichring, formerly the fastest circuit in Formula 1.
The Austrian track was shortened in 1996 to create what is now known as the Red Bull Ring. The original track’s famous fast corners, such as Tiroch, Bosch, and Rindt, were either bypassed or reprofiled for the modern layout that F1 started using in 1997. The western part of the old circuit remains, with a chicane built by Red Bull connecting it to the current pit straight, though there are no plans to use this section currently.
“I’ve asked to try and get it back to how it was back in the day,” said Verstappen. “A bit faster first sector would be quite cool, but I don’t think that is possible at the moment.
“I’ve seen some really cool onboards from back in the day. The track is still very nice now, but I think if you had that first sector with the fast corners, it would be even better because then it’s basically only like one slow-speed corner or whatever on the track. But it’s a cool layout.”
F1 raced at the Osterreichring from 1970 to 1987, known for its speed due to the lack of slow corners. Nelson Piquet Jr. took pole position for the last race there with an average speed of 256.621 kph (159.456 mph). The modern layout is 1.5 kilometers shorter than the original, but Verstappen noted it provides excellent views for spectators.
“What I like the most is that the fans can actually see a lot of the track when you’re sitting on any grandstand. And I think that makes it quite a special atmosphere because it feels like you’re a bit more in an arena kind of feeling. For racing and watching the race, it’s definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar.”