2014 Austrian Grand Prix

Lore & Background

Felipe Massa started the race from pole position, his first since the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix and the last of his career. Massa had one previous participation in an Austrian Grand Prix, back in 2002, while from the last Austrian Grand Prix to be held before 2014, which was in 2003, only three drivers (Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button) returned to drive in the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix.

In Their Own Story

The air in Spielberg was thin and crisp, carrying the scent of burnt rubber and alpine pine. Inside the cockpit, Lewis Hamilton felt the familiar hum of the V6 turbo hybrid, a sound that had become their anthem all season. As they exited the final corner for the last time, the gap between him and Nico was measured in mere tenths, a delicate dance of aggression and restraint. The crowd roared as the two silver machines crossed the line, nose to tail, a visual echo of 1954 and 1955, but with the electric future powering them forward. In that moment, the internal friction at Brackley seemed to melt away, replaced by the pure, unadulterated joy of a job well done.

Reader's Guide

The Grand Prix was contested by eleven teams, each of two drivers. The teams were Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren, Force India, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Williams, Marussia and Caterham. Tyre supplier Pirelli brought four different tyre compounds for the race; two dry compounds, the soft 'primes' and the supersoft 'options', and two wet-weather compounds, the intermediate and full wet. The drag reduction system (DRS) had two activation zones for the race; one was on the start/finish straight from the final to first corners, and the second on the straight between turns 2 and 3. Going into the race, Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg led the Drivers' Championship with 140 points, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton on 118 points and Daniel Ricciardo on 79. Fernando Alonso was fourth on 69 points while Sebastian Vettel was fifth on 60 points. In the Constructors' Championship Mercedes were leading with 258 points and Red Bull were second on 139 points. Ferrari with 87 points and Force India with 77 points contended for third place, with McLaren fifth on 66 points. Mercedes had so far dominated the championship, winning six out of the previous seven races, with Ricciardo winning the Canadian Grand Prix. Championship competitor Kevin Magnussen had gained one second-place finish, while Jenson Button, Vettel (twice), Sergio Pérez and Alonso had achieved third place podium finishes.

Did You Know?

• Nico Rosberg was the fastest in the first free practice session with a lap time of 1:11.295.
• Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in the second free practice session with a lap time of 1:09.542.
• Valtteri Bottas was the fastest in the third free practice session with a lap time of 1:09.848.
• Williams driver Felipe Massa became the first driver other than Hamilton and Rosberg to claim pole position in 2014 with a Q3 lap time of 1:08.759.
• Hamilton failed to post a time in Q3, ending up ninth on the grid after Sergio Pérez's penalty was applied.