Williams Racing Senior Race Engineer, Dave Robson, has said that the Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring, will test many of the components of the cars to their limits.
“The Styrian Mountains provide the dramatic backdrop for round nine of the 2019 Championship. The track is one of the highest circuits and has the largest elevation change of any circuit on the calendar apart from Spa.
“These characteristics combine with the smooth track surface and high kerbs to make it a significant challenge for tyres, brakes and power units alike. The circuit layout, with three long straights, and only nine corners, gives rise to one of the quickest laps of the year: pole position in 2018 was secured with a lap time only just over 63s,” said Robson.
Tyre supplier Pirelli are bringing the same tyre sets to Austria as they did in France, with the C2 acting as the hard compound, the C3 as the medium and the C4 being the softest available.
“As in France, Pirelli have made available the middle three compounds from their range, and similar strategies can be expected. The front right tyre can get a hard time in the quick T5/6 complex if drivers struggle to keep temperature in it during the rest of the lap.”
Robson added: “With Austria being the second of back-to-back European races, the logistical challenge mean that the cars will change little and so our test programme for Friday will concentrate on understanding the tyres.”
