Austria has the luxury of being the track that follows Azerbaijan on the calendar: no matter what happened in Baku, we'd be looking forward to this weekend. If it had been a dull race, we'd be eagerly anticipating action on a more traditional circuit. As it happened, it was both a brilliant race and one that left us with a lot to think about, so now we're left looking forward to the Spielberg event to see what on earth can happen next.

Event schedule

We had a fun podium in Baku, with Daniel Ricciardo taking an unexpected race victory, and Bottas and Stroll both smiling alongside him as they collected their trophies. It seems more likely things will return to form in Austria, with the battle returning to be between Ferrari and Mercedes, but at this point you just quite never know where the season will go.

The incident between Hamilton and Vettel has rumbled on, with the German driver finally making an apology for his bad behaviour in Baku, and getting away with very little punishment from the FIA. What will the so-far friendly relationship between the two be like heading into this weekend?

We're almost at the midpoint of the season, and all teams now have points on the board which must be a relief to some. There's still a lot of work to be done, however, for those in the midfield hoping to make progress. Williams got a good haul of points from their podium finish, whilst Force India continue to look strong but struggle to keep their drivers apart. There's a lot to look out for this weekend.

Support racing for this event includes FIA Formula 2, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and GP3 Series.

Expected conditions

The F1 paddock moves firmly into the heart of Europe, amongst the beautiful landscape of Austria. That also means there's plenty of changeable weather to be had, though, and this weekend's forecasts suggest that is what we'll see. Moderate but cloudy conditions early in the weekend are likely to give way to rain and potential thunderstorms on race day.

Circuit history

As if the numbering of corners wasn't confusing enough, organisers have decided to revamp their system for this year. The curve before the old turn two has become turn two, so that everything after it shuffles up one number. There's also been additional kerbing and tyre barriers installed to help improve safety.

This is the 30th running of the Austrian Grand Prix, although of course it only rejoined the calendar in 2014, so is up for its fourth outing since then. McLaren have the most wins at this event, although it seems unlikely they can add another to their tally this weekend. Pole position isn't crucial, the race has been won from outside pole position 60% of the time. However, the lowest position the race has been won from is P7, so getting into the final session of qualifying is a must.

Valtteri Bottas has good memories of Austria, getting his first podium finish there in 2014. What with that, and his podium last time out in Baku, he'll be in good spirits for another strong result this weekend.

Tyre compounds

We are back to the softest of the available compounds this weekend, with the purple striped ultrasofts in action once again. This time out we're on a permanent circuit, and one with a shorter lap - particularly when compared to Azerbaijan. However, there was extensive resurfacing done last year which will make it a smooth surface for the drivers to deal with.

Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola says: "We've seen in the past that Austria has the capability to spring a few surprises. When we get there, we'll see if one stop or two are more likely, but it will be important for teams to build some flexibility into the strategies as well."

Selected tyre sets per driver

Lewis Hamilton	2	3	8
Valtteri Bottas	1	4	8
Daniel Ricciardo	2	2	9
Max Verstappen	2	2	9
Sebastian Vettel	1	5	7
Kimi Räikkönen	2	4	7
Sergio Pérez	1	2	10
Esteban Ocon	1	2	10
Felipe Massa	2	3	8
Lance Stroll	1	4	8
Fernando Alonso	1	2	10
Stoffel Vandoorne	1	2	10
Carlos Sainz	2	3	8
Daniil Kvyat	2	3	8
Romain Grosjean	1	5	7
Kevin Magnussen	1	5	7
Nico Hülkenberg	2	3	8
Jolyon Palmer	2	3	8
Pascal Wehrlein	3	3	7
Marcus Ericsson	2	4	7

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

The FIA stewarding process includes a former F1 driver to offer added insight. These stewards are overseeing the weekend's action.