Mike, Joanna and Willi share their experience attending the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
2026 Austria F1 Tickets / F1 Experiences / Graz Accommodation / Austria F1 Facebook group
The 2026 Austrian Grand Prix will be held on June 26-28
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Mike from the USA
Overall, we had a pretty good weekend in Austria, but this race may be a ‘one and done’ in my book. For reference, I’ve been to COTA and Montreal before. The loss of the sprint format was a huge loss to the in-person experience and value, in my opinion. I wish we had waited until they announced the sprint calendar before buying tickets.
The scenery surrounding the Red Bull Ring was beautiful, with a backdrop of mountains, multi-turn views from many grandstands and lots of elevation changes. Similar if not better than COTA. The potential of a great race weekend is there. The weather was pretty brutal, even for someone from the southern U.S. It was almost as hot as at COTA. This was obviously out of our control, but the weather almost single handedly zapped the entire experience and vibe of the crowd on Sunday.
We really enjoyed the Euro camping/festival vibes and local culture at the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes truck techno bro pool party thing was hilarious. The airshow and national anthem with the helicopter hanging the Austrian flag was pretty epic. Everyone was really nice overall.
The organization was pretty solid overall, trackside prices were somewhat affordable for a large event, and the organizers were quite lenient about letting fans bring in their own food and drink. Crowds and queues were within the realm of expectations for an event like this.
We stayed in Graz and took the train to Knittelfeld each day, followed by the shuttle bus to and from the circuit. If possible, I’d stay closer to the track next time. Graz was a great base and much larger than I expected, but getting to and from the track took around 2.5 hours each time. This meant we had minimal time to see or do anything in Graz, and barely enough time to grab dinner after a long day at the track. This wasn’t helped by the fact that many restaurants stopped serving food after 9pm.
Between catching the local Graz city bus from our hotel to the train station (15-20 mins), taking the Einfach Raus/Styria leisure regional train to Knittelfeld (1.75 hours), Knittelfeld shuttle to the track (15-20 mins) and finally 30 minutes to walk, queue for security and enter, we lost half of each day in transit! Staying in Knittelfeld and only having to take the shuttle would be much more convenient!
We bought the Red Bull C,D,E Corner Hopping package, where you sit in a different grandstand each day. Overall we really liked it, and it was cool to sample different viewpoints. We were really surprised by the Start-Ziel (Main) grandstand on Friday.
I’m not sure if it is specific to this race, but the audio experience was on a different level as the sounds of the car seemed to resonate within the grandstand structure. The views of the pits were also very cool. The Steiermark grandstand on Saturday was also really good, but if I had the choice, I would pick higher up seats in section A or B of the Red Bull grandstand for race day to get better views of the infield.
On race day, we sat in section C of the Red Bull Grandstand and it was overall pretty good. The only downside is that the seats allocated to Corner Hopping packages are quite low (we were in row 9). If we come to the race again, we would just do Sat and Sun individually, and try to choose the Start-Ziel (Main) grandstand for Saturday and either the Red Bull A/B (row 20 or higher) or T3 grandstand for the race. All of the grandstands we sat in had access to water, toilets, food and drink concessions, and decent track audio and visible screens. They weren’t giving out free Amex radios at this race.
I would recommend this location if you’re somewhat local or based in Europe, or if you’re traveling from further away and add some time to explore the region before or after the race. I’m not sure I would be able to justify only going to the race if traveling a long way. We added on a roadtrip through the Alps and enjoyed this as much or maybe more than the actual race, to be honest.
Overall, I’m glad I went, but it might be my last in-person F1 experience. The effort/fun/comfort ratio is waning and I’m a little tired of baking in the sun for multiple days in a sea of people for a chance to watch a mediocre race, all of which requires a fair amount of travel planning and logistics.
Joanna from the UK
Having just experienced my first F1 weekend as a UK visitor, here’s my tips for F1/Austria newbies for next year. We flew in from London to Vienna and stayed in a hotel in Vienna, choosing to travel to the circuit by train each day.
We had T10 grandstand passes for the weekend. Firstly, it may seem obvious but the circuit is hilly! Very hilly! Anywhere from T3 to T8 grandstands, you have some serious uphill walking to do. Coupled with the heatwave and 30° temperatures we had, it made the walk difficult (and we were lucky to be fairly low down in T10).
I’d definitely consider the increased cost of the covered Start/Finish grandstand if you struggle to sit in the sun. I know the weather won’t always be the same but Austria in June is always going to be hot (and with a high chance of thunderstorms!).
The shuttle buses from the track to Knittelfeld train station were efficient and reliable. Not once did we have to wait for transport. Every time we arrived at Knittelfeld there was a shuttle bus waiting, and on leaving the track there was a queue of buses waiting for us. The only downside was a walk of roughly 15 minutes from the track to the shuttle buses. After the race, we were back in Knittelfeld within an hour and I’m not a quick walker
Lastly, we stayed in Vienna and although the trains were ridiculously cheap (compared to the cost of UK trains) and the scenery is gorgeous, it’s still 2.5 hours each way to and from the track. I’d definitely pay more to stay closer to the circuit next time as we left the hotel at 7am each morning and didn’t get back until 9.30-10pm each night. Graz was very popular when I researched. Loads of people that were staying in Graz got on the train at Bruck. I hadn’t considered Graz, but I’ll definitely look at staying there if I return to this race.
All in all we had a fabulous weekend and would highly recommend Austria. Bucket list ticked!
Willi from Austria
I had Paddock Club tickets and overall a very different experience than most of you. No queues for drinks or food 🙂 With a paddock club ticket you can drive directly to the main entrance passing all the checks. There is a shuttle that brings you from the parking lot to the paddock club entrance if you are too lazy to walk for five minutes. At the entrance you scan your pass and get a wristband. (The parking sticker is really tough to get off after the race!)
You are greeted with a glass of champagne and can take pictures with a replica of the driver and constructor trophy at the entrance. The track tour on the truck for the drivers’ parade and the photo safari (at Turns 5-6) were super interesting. For the photo safari, you had to sign up early in the morning since they only had about fifteen spots available. The pit lane walks each day were great as well, especially watching the mechanics warm up and seeing practice pit stops up close.
The F2 and F3 paddock tour with an expert host was something for real fans. Last year, Christian Mansell explained his F3 car and showed us how DRS works. This wasn’t included in the tour this year, unfortunately. There were also some talks and interviews with F2 and F3 racing drivers but I didn’t attend them.
I feel that 90% of the guests in the Paddock Club couldn’t name more than three drivers. Most guests were probably invited by sponsors or were given the tickets. You hardly see anyone actually following the sessions. I ended up watching the start of the race from the lounge on a big screen. Watching a pit stop from above was still a spectacular thing to see. A part of the terrace directly overlooks the podium, but of course it was completely full.
They had F1 simulators running the official game, but you couldn’t turn off brake assist, which made it not very fun. The food from Do&Co was good with plenty of options, but nothing too special. Strangely, they didn’t have any Red Bull drinks this year.
The best part of the Paddock Club ticket was actually the full access to the support paddock for F2, F3 and the Porsche Supercup. It was basically one long pit lane, with F2 tents on one side and F3 tents on the other. You could walk around freely and watch the teams work on the cars. The mechanics were happy to answer questions. We were there before and after the sessions. It was amazing to stand just half a meter away from the cars as they lined up to leave for the F1 pit lane. Those cars are extremely loud. After each session, you could watch the cars return to parc fermé and walk across the whole pit lane for weighing. Some drivers were greeted by friends and family. It was total chaos when F3 returned and F2 were entering the track at the same time! You could easily end up blocking a car or mechanic. Sometimes you had to step into a garage tent just to get out of the way. You were right in the middle of the action.
Do you get to see F1 drivers? The Paddock Club ticket does not give you access to the actual F1 paddock, but you can wait in the morning near the paddock entrance (right next to the Paddock Club entrance), or try to spot a driver from the balcony overlooking the paddock. You can also see into the first floor of each motorhome from there. There is one F1 garage tour included which was right in the morning before most of the staff had arrived.
Until this year, parking right in front of the main entrance was included with the ticket. Now you have to pay €150 extra. You get to the highway fairly quickly after each day, but you will still end up stuck in traffic. I only lost about 20 minutes this year after the race, but I guess that depends a lot on how many construction sites are on the highway. This year it was quicker than last year.
I didn’t have to pay anything for the ticket, but honestly I don’t think it’s worth the money. I would rather pay for a support paddock pass (for F2 and F3) and watch the race from the Turn 3 grandstand.
In Brief
The following comments are from members of our Going to the Austrian Grand Prix group on Facebook who attended the event.
Conrad: We stayed in Vienna and decided to drive each day back and forth. This was trouble-free on Friday and Saturday, when it took 2.0-2.5 hours each way. After the race on Sunday we got in the car at 6:13pm and got back to our hotel at 11.53pm. Five hours to get home after the race. We would definitely consider staying closer to the Red Bull Ring next time.
Natalie: First time at the Red Bull Ring for us. Flew from Bristol to Vienna, then hired a car. We stayed in a beautiful village called Steinberg-Oberberg, which is around 15 mins from Graz. Drove to the circuit every day (took just over an hour). Parking was great Friday and Saturday but Sunday it was horrendous getting out of. We had general admission tickets which were great to be honest (apart from the queue to get in on race day!). Overall an amazing weekend and one I will next forget!
Suzzi: We took the bus from Graz and they got us in very efficiently but getting out was difficult as they held the buses back on both Saturday and Sunday. We were back in Graz around 9pm both days so it was long. If I did it again I’d take the train from Graz so then at least you also have the freedom to stay/ go on the track after the race. We had to rush back for the bus only to be sat for ages waiting to get out. Hot temperatures and not much shade anywhere, so you need to be prepared for it. Such an awesome track though, thoroughly recommend the race itself. We had a blast!
