STRATEGY GUIDE: What are the options for the Austrian GP?

George Russell made it back-to-back poles with a phenomenal lap in Austria, good enough to finish on top by two-tenths, despite lifting for a yellow flag in the final sector. But pole position is no guarantee in Austria. We’re looking at multiple stops, high degradation and a track that always brings the drama. Calm heads on track and on the pit wall will prevail… with a little bit of help from a strategy department feeding them good numbers.

What Happened Last Year?

The 2025 Austrian Grand Prix was an electrifying tussle in orange, as the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri gave their team palpitations with a fierce battle and a couple of near-misses that ended with Norris converting his pole position into victory. They, together with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in P3 and P4 respectively, all ran the two-stop medium>hard>medium race. Norris was the first to pit, on Lap 20. Piastri stayed out to Lap 25, in an attempt to build a tyre delta. They were, however, back together for the second stops, with Norris pitting on lap 52 of the 70-lap race, and Piastri following a lap later.