The Austrian Grand Prix marks the 11th round of the 2025 Formula 1 world championship and the final stretch before the summer shutdown.
Only four races remain before the summer break, with Silverstone, the Hungaroring and Spa following this weekend's Austrian round, and with such a slew of European rounds, many teams will be expected to bring tweaks or upgrades to their cars before the inevitable switch in focus to the new 2026 regulations.
Here are some stats and form to recall ahead of Sunday's race.
McLaren look to return to the top step
For championship leaders McLaren, nearly two weeks have passed since their drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, clashed during the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix, which enabled the Australian to extend his points lead to 22. But this is as good a track as any for Norris to bounce back, given his impressive record around the Styrian circuit.
Although the British driver has never won a Formula 1 race at this track (though nine years ago, he won a Formula Renault race), he has claimed a pair of podiums which includes his first in the sport back in 2020.
Waltzing to his first podium in F1 🎶
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2023
A moment @LandoNorris will never forget in Austria 👏#AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/tigUCjyw8c
Also, he has only been outqualified by a teammate at the Red Bull Ring on one occasion. That was for the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, where then-teammate Carlos Sainz had the measure of him in extremely wet conditions.
Though Norris' personal Red Bull Ring record is an impressive one, McLaren have not won here since their triumph with David Coulthard in 2001, which was one month after current driver, Oscar Piastri, was born.
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The Red Bull Ring is Verstappen territory
Max Verstappen revels on this tarmac. In front of an army of Dutch support, he has flourished, even against the odds. His first two F1 victories here were hugely surprising, given the circumstances.
In 2018, he recovered from a dismal qualifying session for the team (where they barely lapped quicker than the Haas team) to take advantage of a double Mercedes retirement. A frantic first lap and a decisive overtake on Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen led to a remarkable win.
Then, a year later, he sensationally recovered from an awful start to give Red Bull their first victory without Renault engines and supplier Honda's first win for 13 years.
A pair of dominant victories, in 2021, and another in 2023 have added to the Dutchman's unparalleled pedigree of this race, which is his team's home event.
However, the sudden rise of their papaya rivals will make for a fascinating weekend. The RB21 flourishes in the high-speed turns, which the second half of the 2.688-mile-long track is dominated by, but with a hot race expected for Sunday, that could easily swing this battle one way or the other.
Which version of Leclerc will we see?
Charles Leclerc has had mixed results at the Austrian Grand Prix. Some of his greatest drives have been executed here, but he has endured equally frustrating races among those.
For instance, he won here three years ago, after making three passes on Max Verstappen (a rarity across a season, let alone one race) and overcoming throttle issues.
He also roared to an unexpected P2 finish in 2020, with possibly Ferrari's worst challenger of the 21st century. Such was the Monegasque's tour de force on that day, he said that it 'felt like a victory'.
However, he failed the score points during last year's Grand Prix Sunday, after a first lap collision with Oscar Piastri. Other first lap clashes, with Pierre Gasly, in 2021 and teammate Sebastian Vettel, during the 2020 Styrian race, have also undone his often-searing speed in Styria.
Haas could spring a surprise
Haas' best-ever result, with a fourth and fifth-placed finish, was recorded at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.
In fact, it could be argued that this is historically their strongest track. Points finishes in: 2016, '17, '18, '22 and '24 would certainly indicate that.
Oliver Bearman, their rookie driver, also goes well here. He won last year's Formula 2 sprint race, as well as a 2021 Italian F4 race.
However, the Essex-born driver has not scored a point since this season's fourth round. But with two tracks coming up, Austria and Silverstone, which were among the team's strongest in 2024, that barren run may finally come to an end.
Have Mercedes turned a corner?
Part of Mercedes' shortcomings of the 2025 season, and indeed before that, have been how they struggled to cope with the hot and warm temperatures.
However, that point was called into question when George Russell comfortably converted pole into victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, with hot track temperatures.
In fact, the issue of tyre management was cited as a core reason why Russell was able to pull away from second-placed Verstappen.
But with a hot race expected for Sunday; the air being thinner, thanks to the higher altitude; a more comprehensive understanding of Mercedes' warm-running performance may be answered.