Austrian Grand Prix

The Austrian GP at the picturesque Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is one of my favourite events. The track is located in the town of Spielberg a couple of hours drive from Vienna and an hour from Graz. A freeway passes right by, so traffic is dispersed quickly at the end of each day.

There is plenty of forest both inside the track and outside and if camping is your thing, you’ll love this event. Thousands enjoy the fun atmosphere staying in the camps that butt right up against the track. And if you don’t have a tent or motorhome worry not as tents are set up at a number of the campsites.

The Landhotel Schonberghof is the closest quality hotel to the track; it actually overlooks the back straight and as you can imagine, rooms are booked well in advance and are pricey. The city of Graz offers a better choice of hotels but it’s an hour away via freeway.

This event provides fans with one of the best opportunities to get close to the drivers on the green carpet. Most of the drivers walk the carpet on Saturday and Sunday and interact with the fans on either side of the fenced walk. Get there early if you want a front row spot.

This race attracts a large contingent of Dutch fans decked out in orange supporting Max Verstappen; they are passionate and vocal and dominate the Grandstand Center stands. Aside from the pit straight stands, I would recommend the stands at Turn 1 or Turn 3.

I like the track, the facilities, the people and the scenery, if only there was more quality accommodation nearby.