Toto Wolff: Barcelona acted as a benchmark for our current performance and, having won the first six races, offered a reality check.

Others have gained ground quickly and we need to respond. We are in a fight for both championships but must improve if we want to come out on top come the end of the season.

Our Achilles heel so far has been reliability. We have lost a large amount of points across both cars in recent races; if we don't put together clean weekends, our competitors will happily take advantage.

We are not standing still in our efforts; we will bring a few updates to Austria this weekend with a focus on improving both performance and reliability. The margins are tight, and will be even tighter around Spielberg given the length of the lap. We need to put together a better weekend than we have in recent races but if we can deliver to our maximum, then we know we can challenge for victory.

Third Driver Insight

Frederik Vesti: Austria is an incredible circuit and, without doubt, one of the most beautiful on the calendar. I have a special connection with the track, I've always enjoyed racing here and it's been my most successful venue so far.

In many ways it's a simple layout, but that's what makes it so competitive, especially in qualifying where the lap times are extremely close. It's such a rewarding track to hook up a lap; with the high-speed sections combined with a handful of slower corners, you really need to deliver something close to perfection to be at the front.

The race itself usually provides great action too, with the long straights and heavy braking zones creating plenty of overtaking opportunities. I'm also excited to see how the current regulations play out here and what strategic options come into play. It should make for a very interesting race weekend.

Stats & Facts

• After holding three Sprint format weekends, the Austrian Grand Prix returns to the non-Sprint format weekend for this year

• With just 10 corners, Spielberg has the fewest of any track of the current F1 circuits. At the same time, Turns 2, 5 and 8 are taken at full throttle and are therefore not considered to be corners in an engineering sense.

• The difference in elevation of 69 metres between the lowest and highest points at the circuit is one of the largest of the season. That is unsurprising given the track's location in the Styrian mountains.

• It also has a steep gradient from track edge-to-edge in places, as exemplified by Turns 3 and 4. The circuit here slopes up towards the apex as the car drives over the crest while accelerating out of the corner. This can result in one wheel leaving the ground, causing challenges with braking, stability, and traction.

• For that reason, teams must apply significant cooling levels to the brakes. That poses a challenge in warming up the front tyres. With a short out-lap, it is a challenge to get them in the right operating window for a qualifying lap.

• With a maximum previously-recorded track temperature of 55.1 degrees, the surface in Spielberg can be one of the hottest of the season.

• Niki Lauda is the only Austrian driver to have won the Austrian Grand Prix, in 1984.

• George's triumph in 2024 means he has won at the Red Bull Ring in F3, F2, and F1.

• Kimi drove an F1 car for the very first time at the circuit in 2024, when he tested the Mercedes F1 W12 from the 2021 season.

• George's 2024 victory also meant that every Mercedes F1 driver at that time in the Hybrid era (2014) had won the Austrian Grand Prix. That list also includes Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, and Valtteri Bottas.