Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli are the top favorites. © APA / SONA MALETEROVA

In Spielberg: Will the generational duel continue?

The Formula 1 race in Spielberg this weekend will be a scorcher, and not just because of the high temperatures. The Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday (15.00 p.m.) promises plenty of excitement thanks to numerous overtaking opportunities and a generational clash.

June 25, 2026

From: apa

Mercedes' junior driver Kimi Antonelli (19) aims to solidify his lead in the World Championship, while Lewis Hamilton (41) hopes to build on the momentum of his maiden Ferrari victory. While the Italian failed to score points two weeks ago in Barcelona due to a technical issue, record world champion Hamilton achieved his long-awaited breakthrough after 686 days without a Grand Prix win. A rematch between the "Silver Arrows" and the Scuderia is a possibility in Styria, especially since both teams are arriving in the Murtal region with upgraded cars.

Ferrari aims to close the gap on the previously dominant Mercedes stars Antonelli and George Russell with a better engine, while Mercedes will counter with improvements in performance and reliability. Reliability has been their Achilles' heel so far, emphasized team principal Toto Wolff.

Mercedes wants to defend itself against the competition.

“Barcelona served as a benchmark for our current performance and offered us a reality check after winning the first six races,” said the Viennese driver. The competition has quickly caught up, and they now have to react to that. In the overall World Championship standings, five-time winner Antonelli still leads seven-time champion Hamilton by 41 points, while Russell is third, 50 points behind the leader. “Mercedes will show relatively quickly who’s in charge again,” predicted Gerhard Berger, Austria’s last Grand Prix winner, in an interview with APA.

Kimi Antonelli wants to strike back. © APA/afp / JOSEP LAGO

The past few years have shown that anything can happen in the 71 laps at Spielberg. Most recently, there have been four different winners (Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Russell, Lando Norris) from four different teams (Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren) in the Murtal region. Accidents have also been commonplace: last year, Spielberg record holder Verstappen (5 wins) was taken out by Antonelli, and two years ago, Verstappen and Norris had a serious collision. This year, temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius could pose an additional challenge for both drivers and cars.

Verstappen is hoping for an upgrade package

Besides Mercedes and Ferrari, McLaren, following last year's one-two finish by Norris and Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull Racing also aim to be in contention for the win. Verstappen can once again count on the vocal support of the "Orange Army" in the stands at the Bulls' home race. However, the seventh-placed driver in the championship has only managed one podium finish in the first seven races of the season, and the Austrian team hopes to close the gap to the competition with a major upgrade package. "It will be exciting to see what kind of lap time improvement this can bring us," said the 28-year-old Dutchman.

Max Verstappen is hungry for success. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

The heat will also be a constant companion for the fans – around 300.000 visitors are expected again this weekend. The Red Bull Ring will provide free water dispensers and sunscreen; bottles (no glass) up to a maximum of 1,5 liters are permitted on the premises.