As Raikkonen becomes the most experienced driver at the Austrian venue, Hamilton could equal the record for most second place finishes and Honda could celebrate their 300th points-scoring race. Here are the milestones and records which could be broken at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix!
THE MILESTONES
The 2021 Styrian Grand Prix will be the 1,042nd World Championship F1 race. This will be the second running of the Styrian Grand Prix, as well as the 34th time that Formula 1 has raced at the venue now known as the Red Bull Ring.
Lap 17 of the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix will be the 2,021st racing lap to take place at this circuit in F1 World Championship history.
Kimi Raikkonen will become the driver to have started the most races at this circuit this weekend. He has started eleven races here so far in his career – the same number as Jacques Laffite, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi.
This weekend, Raikkonen will also overtake former Lotus team-mate as the driver to have made the most starts with a single car number in his F1 career. This will be his 163rd appearance in car number 7. Grosjean made 162 appearances in car number 8 during his career. Read more: Drivers Who Made the Most Starts With a Single Car Number.
THE F1 RECORDS TO BREAK
It has now been over fourteen years since Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 victory at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. Should he win this weekend, he would be the third driver – after Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen – to have a gap of more than fourteen years between their first and last Grand Prix wins.
If he finishes as runner-up, Lewis Hamilton would equal Michael Schumacher as the driver to have recorded the most second place finishes in F1 history. Schumacher finished second on 43 occasions in his career, while Hamilton finished as runner-up for the 42nd time at the French Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen recorded his thirteenth Grand Prix win at the French Grand Prix. Another win this weekend would see him overtake David Coulthard as the driver to have won the second-most races without winning the title. Stirling Moss, who won sixteen Grands Prix in his World Championship career, is the only other driver to have won more races without claiming a title win. Read more: Most F1 Wins Without Winning the Title.
A podium finish for Valtteri Bottas would be his 60th top three result. It would see him equal Nelson Piquet for tenth in the all-time list of most podium finishes in Formula 1.
Pierre Gasly has scored at all of the last six races. Should he score again this weekend, it would be his longest points-scoring streak in F1. He also scored at six successive races between the 2019 Spanish and British Grands Prix.
If a Mercedes-powered car takes pole position at the French Grand Prix, it would be the 213th race at which a Mercedes-powered car has taken pole. That would see them equal Renault as the engine manufacturer with the second-most poles in Formula 1.
Should any Red Bull or AlphaTauri driver score this weekend, this will be the 300th Grand Prix in which a Honda-badged engine has scored in Formula 1.
THE AUSTRIAN RECORDS TO BREAK
Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are all one win away from equalling Alain Prost’s record tally of three F1 wins in Austria. Any one of the trio could equal the record this weekend.
McLaren and Mercedes are currently tied for the most wins at this circuit, each having won on six occasions. Either team could set a new outright record for most wins here this weekend.
Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are currently tied with Niki Lauda, Rene Arnoux and Nelson Piquet as the drivers to have set pole position the most times in Austria. Either driver will set a new record should they take pole this weekend.
If the polesitter wins this weekend, it will be the first time that three successive races at this track have been won from pole position. The polesitter has won two consecutive races here on only three occasions: in 1971 & 1972, 2016 & 2017 and at both of 2020’s races.
Valtteri Bottas is tied with David Coulthard as the driver to have finished on the podium the most times in Austria. Each have five top three finishes to their name here. Bottas could set a new outright record this weekend, while Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen each have the opportunity to equal the existing record.
A third place finish for Valtteri Bottas would see him equal Rubens Barrichello as the driver to have finished in third on the most occasions at this circuit.
A fourth place finish for either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel would see them set a new outright record for most fourth place finishes at the track, becoming the first driver to finish fourth on three occasions. They currently share the record with Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann.
Mercedes are presently tied with Ford for the most victories for an engine manufacturer at this circuit, with nine apiece. A win for a Mercedes-powered car would see Mercedes set a new outright record for most wins at the track. Ford power last won here in 1982.
If Lewis Hamilton sets the Fastest Lap of the race, he will equal David Coulthard as the driver to have set the fastest lap in Austria on the most occasions. Coulthard set the fastest lap of the race here on three occasions, back when the circuit was named the A1 Ring.
Valtteri Bottas will become the driver to have scored the most points in Austria if he out-scores Lewis Hamilton by eleven points this weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas could all set a new record for most points-scoring appearances in Austria. They currently share the record of seven points scoring appearances with David Coulthard. Sergio Perez will equal the existing record should he finish in the top ten.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas share the record for most front row starts at this track with Rene Arnoux, who started on the front row on four occasions. Either Mercedes driver could set a new record if they qualify in the top two this weekend, while Max Verstappen has the opportunity to equal the existing record.
Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas could all equal Nelson Piquet as the drivers to have qualified in the top ten on the most occasions at this circuit. Piquet qualified inside the top ten at the Austrian Grand Prix nine times in his career.
Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris will all be looking to maintain their 100% Q3 appearance rate at the track. Nico Rosberg is the only other driver to have never missed out on Q2 since F1 returned to the Red Bull Ring in 2014.
If he is eliminated in Q2, Fernando Alonso would set a new record for most Q2 exits at the Red Bull Ring. He’s currently tied with Romain Grosjean on four Q2 eliminations at the track. Carlos Sainz could equal the duo’s record tally.
If he’s out in Q1, Sergio Perez would become the first driver to record five Q1 exits at the Red Bull Ring. He currently shares the unwanted record for most Q1 eliminations here with Marcus Ericsson.
Kimi Raikkonen will equal John Watson as the driver to have finished the most races in Austria should he reach the chequered flag here on Sunday. Watson reached the finish line on nine occasions during his career.
A first lap retirement for Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen or Max Verstappen would be their second at this circuit. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Marc Surer and Mario Andretti are the only drivers who have previously recorded multiple first lap retirements here.
