2026 Austrian GP Preview | Can Ferrari do it again?
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What is the overall preview focus for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
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Hello and a very warm welcome to the Late Breaking F1 podcast presented by Harry Ede, Sam Sage and me, Ben Hocking, for our Austrian GP preview. I've got to be honest, guys, I was really worried about that intro because those words coming out of my mouth in that order have not been done for a while.
Three!
We're back!
There's so many new listeners who are like, what on earth have I walked into? Who the hell is this Harry guy? This guy's got an open shirt and glasses on, surprised his thighs aren't out on the camera. There's three of us, folks. Harry, you're back!
I'm back, back in camera. I've done this bit already, but back with all of us. Ignore the other one. Yeah, yeah. Ignore the other one. All right, this is lovely. We've already wasted half an hour talking absolute nonsense. You're a waffle.
a million degrees in the uk right now which is not helping things sorry sticking we are but three boys about to boil in the name of podcasting for you all oh gosh i hope the new prime minister of the uk says it's it's the law to have air conditioning in houses from now on we tackled the new prime minister in our patron episode yesterday mate it's fine today it's much more important it's the 10-year anniversary of brexit
Oh, good! I've got a great topic to start a podcast on.
Great stuff. Should we talk about the Austria GP instead? That's a bit of an idea. That would be better. Feels like it. Round eight of the 2026 season takes us to the fast and scenic Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The circuit has featured on the calendar periodically since 1970... and has been a mainstay in the mid-season since 2014. The Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest on the calendar and gives us the quickest lap times of the year. Last year's pole sitter, Lando Norris, completed a lap in under 1 minute and 4 seconds. Despite only featuring 10 corners, this circuit is usually a good one for overtaking. The run-up to Turn 3 is a popular spot, as is the run-down afterwards to Turn 4. The weather at the moment, much like here, looks very hot and dry.
about 33 degrees Celsius, that's 91 Fahrenheit, a little bit warmer than what we had in Barcelona last time out. We're going to kick off the preview with Ferrari because they are looking for a second win in a row. And the good news is the last time they had the opportunity to do that, they succeeded, albeit towards the end of the 2024 season. So, Harry, the Red Bull ring may be a bit of a test of power, maybe an area that Ferrari haven't been particularly strong in as of yet. Can they go back to back?
It's always tough to count on Ferrari to be good. I mean, be good. But... It took him seven seconds. Mongo's back. Quote Mongo. The last episode, I got a Gary Barlow reference in about 70 seconds.
I need to listen. I'm very excited.
Yeah, look, Ferrari... They're making progress, aren't they? Certainly in the hands of Lewis Hamilton, they've been making steady progress throughout this season, especially in the last two races. Obviously, Hamilton won the last one, but Monaco, who's very strong as well, as he was in Canada. So... I still have my doubts about this one. If they can be competitive here, then maybe we've got a championship challenge on our hands, boys. Sorry, whisper it. Championship challenge. But yeah, this one's going to be a real test for them because like I said, the engine power has been their Achilles heel so far. That small turbo that has been electric off the line is probably one of the things that's letting them down when they get to the end of the straight versus their competitors.
So yeah, we'll see. Austria is a win one because obviously you need good straight line speed here, but we often get a bit of a... I wouldn't say mixed up, but sometimes you can get an odd race. Something odd seems to happen in Austria. And maybe Ferrari can capitalize on that. So, yeah, I think they'll be in the mix. I suspect that the Mercedes-powered cars here, McLaren and Mercedes, may have a bit more of an edge.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the overall preview focus for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix?
0:00–7:48
2
Can Ferrari secure back‑to‑back wins at the Red Bull Ring?
7:48–18:58
3
Will Antonelli be able to bounce back after his Barcelona retirement?
18:58–37:25
4
How might Red Bull’s latest upgrade affect their podium chances in Austria?
37:25–58:40
5
Which midfield teams could challenge for points at the Austrian GP?
58:40–1:06:29