Formula 1 Confirms Austrian GP is Going Nowhere as Massive 16-year Contract Extension Agreed With The Red Bull Ring

Since its return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2010, the Austrian GP has been one of the more popular and consistent circuits on the calendar. In fact, in 2020 and 2021 the circuit hosted two separate races in the same season as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the calendar. 

And now the future of the race has been secured ahead of the main race of the Austrian GP 2025, as the Red Bull Ring circuit signed a contract extension that lasts until 2041, meaning the cherished F1 race is unlikely to go anywhere for a significant period of time. 

The fact that the race’s future has been secured is something that enthused not only the circuit promoters but also F1 as a whole. 

“Austria has long been an incredibly special race for Formula 1 so it’s fantastic we have secured the long-term future of a Grand Prix so deeply rooted in the sport’s history,” said F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The circuit has become a fan favourite for its unique challenges – it is one of the shortest circuits on the grid but is very high speed and the elevation challenges due to its presence in the heart of the Styrian mountain range offers drivers plenty of challengers to navigate. 

The country of Austria boasts of a massive F1 heritage that can be stretched back all the way to 1964 when the first race took place at the country. The current venue first hosted a race 6 years later in 1970. 

The circuit eventually dropped off the calendar in 2004 but investment from Red Bull, which had entered F1 in 2005, brought the circuit back on the calendar and it has stayed on there since. 

And should the circuit see out the remainder of the contract, it would have spent a further 3 decades on the F1 grid.