F1 Grid Slot Stats: Red Bull Ring

The polesitter won both the Austrian and Styrian Grands Prix in 2020 and 2021, but Max Verstappen failed to convert his pole into a win at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

Of the 36 races held at this track, the polesitter has won only 13 of them, giving a pole to win conversion rate of only 36%. The polesitter has finished on the podium here on 23 occasions, and has retired from the race eight times.

Of the 28 finishes for the polesitter at the Austrian circuit, Rene Arnoux’s ninth place finish in 1980 is the only time the polesitter has finished outside of the points.

Since 1987, Giancarlo Fisichella in 1998 and Valtteri Bottas in 2018 are the only polesitters who have failed to finish the Austrian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen’s victory at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix marked the first time that the polesitter won four races in a row at this venue.

The driver starting from second on the grid at the Austrian Grand Prix has won only three of the last 18 races at the Red Bull Ring.

Lewis Hamilton won from second in 2015, Max Verstappen took victory in 2019 and Charles Leclerc won in 2022.

The driver starting here has won nine times in total. Six of the last eight Austrian races have resulted in the driver starting second finishing on the podium.

In 2022, Carlos Sainz recorded the first retirement from third on the grid at the Red Bull Ring since 2003. His 2022 retirement and his ninth place in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix are the only times since F1’s return to the Red Bull Ring that the driver starting sixth has failed to finish in the top six.

Nico Rosberg won from this grid slot on the sport’s comeback in 2014. It actually won four of the eight races held here between 1998 and 2014. In the first 19 races at the track, the driver starting third scored points only four times, including Jacky Ickx’s win in the first race here in 1970.

The driver starting from fourth has enjoyed podium finishes in five podium finishes since F1 retuned to the Red Bull Ring. Max Verstappen won the 2018 race from this grid slot and the position has provided further wins for Jacques Laffite in 1981 and Niki Lauda in 1984; the latter becoming the only Austrian to win his home Grand Prix.

Fourth on the grid has supplied 12 third place finishes – four times as many as any other grid slot. Curiously, Valtteri Bottas’ second place in 2020 was the first time that the driver starting here finished as runner-up!

Fifth on the grid has supplied two wins – both for Alain Prost in 1983 and 1986. Until 2021, there had been no podium finishes from this grid position since Rubens Barrichello finished third in 2003. In 2021, Valtteri Bottas recorded two podium finishes from this grid slot.

There have been three retirements from fifth on the grid since 2014: Max Verstappen’s retirement in 2017, Esteban Ocon’s retirement from the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix and Sergio Perez’s retirement in 2022.

Pierre Gasly’s first lap retirement in the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix was the first time that the driver starting sixth retired from an Austrian race since 2002. Gasly’s retirement is the only time that the driver starting here has failed to score in any race at the track since F1’s return in 2014. During that time, it has given one podium finish; a third place for Sebastian Vettel in 2018.

Between 1983 and 2003, this grid slot suffered one of the unluckiest streaks at the track. It failed to score in any of the 12 races and retired nine times; including for seven consecutive visits. The best result from here is second, recorded by Keke Rosberg in 1982.

Along with 16th, seventh is the grid slot with the least retirements at this circuit. Seventh on the grid has given points-scoring finishes on more occasions than most grid slots, with only pole and fourth on the grid scoring more often than seventh.

While Daniel Ricciardo retired from this position in 2018, the grid slot has finished in the top ten 23 times in total. In 2020, Charles Leclerc finished as runner-up having started seventh in the Austrian Grand Prix. His was the first podium result from this grid slot since David Coulthard won the 2001 Austrian Grand Prix.

George Russell’s 11th place finish in the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix is the only time in the last nine races at the Red Bull Ring that the driver starting eighth has failed to score.

In 2022, Lewis Hamilton finished on the podium having started eighth – the first grid slot for the driver starting here since Max Verstappen finished as runner-up in 2016. Vittorio Brambilla is the only driver to win from eighth on the grid in Austria, doing so in 1975.

The first five races at this track all resulted in retirements for the driver starting from ninth on the grid. Plenty of points-scoring finishes have followed – including three podium finishes – but the grid slot still has unlucky streaks. The most recent was in the five races between 2002 and 2016, with all but one resulting in a DNF. The one that didn’t was Lewis Hamilton’s second place finish in 2014. The grid slot has scored five times in the last eight races at the circuit.

At the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz became the first driver to score from tenth on the grid in Austria since 2015. Lando Norris followed that up with a seventh place finish in 2022.

The driver starting 10th has retired from five of the last eight Red Bull Ring races. Both Carlos Sainz in 2017 and Nico Hulkenberg in 2018 came to a halt with engine failures before the races had reached their conclusion, Daniel Ricciardo retired from the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel was taken out by his team-mate on the first lap of the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix and George Russell retired with engine issues at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix.

In 2018, Esteban Ocon finished sixth having started 11th at the Austrian Grand Prix. But that was a rare moment of joy for the driver starting here, and one of only four times that the driver starting 11th has scored points in the last 16 races at the circuit.

The other recent points scoring appearances were tenth places for Sebastian Vettel in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, tenth for Yuki Tsunoda in the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix and ninth for Daniel Ricciardo in 2022.

The grid slot has given one podium finish, but that was for Gilles Villeneuve all the way back in 1978. It was the Canadian driver’s first podium finish in Formula 1.

Lance Stroll’s 13th place finish in 2022 ended a streak of four consecutive top eight finishes for the driver starting 12th at the Red Bull Ring.

With sixth place in the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz recorded the grid slot’s best result since Stefan Johansson finished fourth for Ferrari in 1985.

A single podium finish has been recorded from 12th on the grid in Austria. Michele Alboreto finished third in 1984.

Until 2020, the 13th grid slot has enjoyed the longest run without a DNF at the Red Bull Ring. Nick Heidfeld was the last driver to retire having started thirteenth in 2000, until luck ran out for Daniil Kvyat at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

Since F1 returned to Austria, the grid slot has scored four times, with ninth place for Sergio Perez in 2015, seventh for Romain Grosjean in 2016, tenth for Kvyat at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix and seventh for Daniel Ricciardo at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.

This position’s best-ever result is second place, courtesy of Patrick Depailler in 1978.

The furthest back win at the Austrian Grand Prix came from 14th on the grid in 1977, when Alan Jones took the Shadow team’s only F1 victory.

The driver starting 14th has recorded four podium finishes in total – far more than any other grid slot outside of the top eight.

The driver starting from 14th has also scored on more occasions than any other grid slot outside the top ten. Strangely, 14th has supplied just one less top ten finish as the sixth grid slot.

Until F1’s return to Austria in 2014, the driver starting 15th had scored only three times. Since 2014, the driver starting here has picked up points on three occasions. Of course, points are awarded for the top ten now – and the grid slot had a healthy share of top ten finishes prior to 2014. The best ever result from 15th on the grid is third place, for Tom Pryce in 1975.

The driver starting from 16th at the Red Bull Ring has recorded DNFs on only ten occasions; that’s tied with seventh as the least non-finishes from any grid slot apart from pole.

While a finish looks quite safe from here – at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen became the first to retire having started here since Jarno Trulli in 2002 – points are less secure. Only three drivers having scored points starting from 16th in Austria. The best finish for this grid slot came in 1986, when Alan Jones came home fourth.

The diver starting 17th has retired from each of the last two races held at the Red Bull Ring. In the first Austrian Grand Prix to be held at the Österreichring in 1970, Rolf Stommelen finished third having started 17th on the grid. The grid slot is yet to replicate that success and has scored only four times since.

Three of those points-scoring races have been in the last six years, with ninth place finishes for Felipe Massa in 2017 and Charles Leclerc in 2018, and sixth for Sergio Perez in the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix. Perez’s sixth place was the best result for this grid slot since 1984.

18th may be a lowly place to start from, but points are an achievable target from here – the driver starting here has scored in four of the last ten races at the Red Bull Ring. Three of those finishes have been tenth places – for Daniel Ricciardo in 2015, Lance Stroll in 2017 and Marcus Ericsson in 2018 – while Antonio Giovinazzi finished ninth having started 18th in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix. There has not been a retirement from 18th on the grid since 2002.

In the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz finished eighth having started from 19th. It was the first time that the driver starting here has scored since Marc Surer finished sixth for Arrows in 1984. Fernando Alonso added to the grid position’s points tally in 2022, finishing tenth.

In the last 21 races at the track, the driver starting here has failed to finish on 11 occasions. 19th has suffered 21 non-finishes in total, which is more than any other grid slot. It’s the only grid position at the track to have recorded a DNS, a DNF and a DSQ.

1974 is the only year that the driver starting 20th has scored, with Vittorio Brambilla finishing in sixth place. Since then, there have been six top ten finishes, but none of those finishes supplied points.

There have been eight pit lane starts at the Red Bull Ring. Fernando Alonso’s eighth place in 2018 is the only time that a driver starting from the pit lane at the Red Bull Ring has scored points, while Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa’s retirements in 2016 are the only times that a driver starting from the pit lane has failed to finish.