The Red Bull Ring has three long straight sections where engine power and aerodynamic efficiency are key to achieving good top speed and it is in this segment that Red Bull had a key advantage over Mercedes – we bring you an overview of top speeds from both weekends in Austria .
RED BULL RING
STYRIAN GP – QUALIFYING TOP SPEEDS
McLaren drivers Ricciardo and Norris set the two highest speeds when measuring 170 meters before the Turn 4 (speed trap) while on the starting finish line, which is preceded by fast right hande, the fastest were Williams drivers Russell and Latifi who were among the top six fastest in the speed trap too.
At the end of the first sector, 170 meters before the Turn 3, McLaren was again the fastest (320.8 km/h) and Williams drivers were among the top six with only 1 km/h lower speed than McLaren.
Verstappen was the fastest at the end of the second sector, between the turns 6 and 7 and Red Bull and Mercedes drivers took the first four places because the speed in that part depends on Turn 6 exit speed, not performance on straight sections.
In terms of speed difference between Verstappen and Hamilton, the Dutchman was 1.6 km/h faster 170 meters before the Turn 4, 0.8 km/h faster at the start and finish line, 1.3 km/h faster 170 meters before the Turn 3 and 0.6 km/h faster after the Turn 6.
STYRIAN GP – RACE TOP SPEEDS
In a race, speeds are usually higher at the end of the straights due to the slipstream that drivers have when they closely follow each other, but speeds on the start finish line and between the Turn 6 and 7 are not even close to qualifying speeds.
Hamilton jumps out with speed after theTurn 6 because he changed tyres late in the attack for the fastest lap so he passed the Turn 6 much faster than any other driver in the race.
AUSTRIAN GP – QUALIFYING TOP SPEEDS
On the second weekend in Austria we saw a slightly different picture in the top speed ranking in qualifying because some teams used more, some less, and some the same levels of downforce as on the first weekend.
Alfa Romeo and Ferrari opted for slightly less downforce than on the first weekend, and Mercedes was at the bottom of the standings when it comes to speeds ahead of the third and fourth corners where they were even slower than on the first weekend.
Verstappen remained the fastest on the exit from the Turn 6 while his closest companion in that segment was Norris, unlike the first weekend when it was Hamilton.
AUSTRIAN GP – RACE TOP SPEEDS
