When it comes to tracks on the Formula 1 race calendar, Red Bull Ring in Austria has become a fan favorite thanks to its picturesque location in the Austrian countryside, the layout of the track, and all the modern facilities.
But if you can’t make it to Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix, there’s good news: You can still experience the best of this track with a guided track tour of Red Bull Ring!
I recently did a Red Bull Ring track tour, and I’m here to tell you all about it (without giving away *all* the track secrets, of course).
Red Bull Ring history
First up, a little history of Red Bull Ring. The current race track has only been known as “Red Bull Ring” since 2011, but cars were racing here in Styria for decades before that.
In 1969, the Österreichring (“Austria ring”) officially opened in this location, replacing an old, bumpy track known as the Zeltweg airfield track. The Österreichring hosted its first Formula 1 Grand Prix the next year in 1970, and F1 drivers raced at the fast-paced track until 1988.
In the mid 1990s, the Österreichring was redesigned by track designer Hermann Tilke and re-branded as the A1-ring. The new track was wider and shorter in distance, with more run-off areas for safety. Formula 1 tested at the new track in 1997, and the Austrian Grand Prix returned that same year, running until 2003 on the A1 layout.
In 2003, Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz bought the A1-ring, with plans to totally re-imagine the track for modern F1 racing. His plans didn’t get put into action until 2008, and the transformation took three years, with the new Red Bull Ring officially opening in 2011. Formula 1 returned to Spielberg in 2014, and they’ve been running the Austrian Grand Prix here every year since then.
The current Red Bull Ring is a shorter track, only 4.318 km long. It’s a relatively fast track, too, with three high-speed straights plus some changes in elevation. It’s guaranteed to be on the Formula 1 race calendar until at least 2041.
And it’s a great track to take a tour of!
Red Bull Ring tour
The Red Bull Ring is open to the public year-round (except when there are races or other special events on). Anyone can stop by the track to visit the Welcome Center and Fan Shop, view a small vehicle exhibition, and grab a coffee at the Wing Cafe. Anyone can also take the underground tunnel (the Walk of Legends) under the track and over to the hospitality buildings where the Bull’s Lane restaurant is, which has views of the track.
And the track also offers daily 90-minute guided track tours (when the track schedule allows), which is what we’re going to talk about here!
They offer tours in both English and German, so you’ll want to be sure you book the correct one. You can book tour tickets online, or by emailing [email protected]. (They do recommend pre-booking, as the tours are popular and do sometimes sell out!)
Part 1 of the tour: Red Bull Wing
You’ll want to arrive to the Red Bull Ring a little early to park your car and check in at the Welcome Center. The check-in desk is easy to find inside the Red Bull Wing, which is the track’s main building – built to resemble the rear wing of an F1 car.
You’ll meet your guide in the Welcome Center at the tour start time (our group for the English tour on a weekday in June had 8 people in it), and then you’ll be guided into a small theater room to watch a short video about the history of Red Bull Ring.
The intro video covers the track’s history, some of the famous drivers who have raced here (both in F1 and MotoGP), plus a few anecdotes about notable races and race moments – like when Alan Jones won here in 1977 but they didn’t have the Australian national anthem on hand, so they played “Happy Birthday” instead.
Afterwards, you’ll take an elevator to the upper floors of the Red Bull Wing building to see some of the media suites with views of the track and podium.
Part 2 of the tour: Paddock area
Next, you’ll cross under the track via the Walk of Legends, which is lined with images of famous F1 drivers who have driven in Austria, plus race posters from years past. If you don’t quite see everything, don’t worry because you’ll come through here at least once more on the tour.
You’ll emerge into the paddock building above the pit garages, and here you’ll make several stops. You’ll pop into at least one hospitality suite, get to peek into Race Control to learn how it works (my favorite part, personally!), and then stop at the podium for some photos.
(And yes, photos are allowed and encouraged throughout the tour!)
Part 3 of the tour: Car display
You’ll head back to the Welcome Center for the last part of the tour, where your guide will go over the Formula 1 cars on display in the Welcome Center. Then there’s a fun photo op in a (partial) F1 car to round out the tour.
The whole tour lasts just about 90 minutes.
ALSO READ: Formula 1 Race Track Guide (+ Which Ones You Can Tour!)
Lunch at Bull’s Lane
After the tour, you can head over to the Fan Shop (you’ll get a discount coupon with your track tour ticket), or do what we did and go back through the Walk of Legends again to the Bull’s Lane restaurant.
Here there’s a buffet option and an à la carte dining option, and on nice days you can sit outside above the pit lane. When we were there, people were taking F4 cars around the track (something you can pay extra to do yourself), so we actually got to see Red Bull-branded cars racing around the Red Bull Ring while drinking Red Bulls!
The food off the a la carte menu at Bull’s Lane was also really good! (And anyone can stop here for lunch when it’s open; you don’t have to go on a tour.)
Red Bull Ring tour review
So what did I think about the tour? Here are some pros and cons:
What I liked:
What some people might not love:
Overall, I think it’s a solid tour, and the Red Bull Ring really is lovely and modern. I also really liked the on-site food options; having lunch overlooking the track was a highlight!
How to get to Red Bull Ring
Red Bull Ring is located in the small town of Spielberg in the Styria region of Austria. I recommend going by car since it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. If you’re coming from Vienna, it’s just over 2 hours driving. From Graz, it’s a little over 1 hour of driving.
Don’t have a car? You can also take the train to Knittelfeld (which takes 2 hours and 15 minutes from Vienna) and then take a bus 15 minutes to Spielberg. This would make for a pretty long day trip, though, and you’d have to time everything right to get there on time for your tour!
Is Red Bull Ring on your list of tracks you’d like to visit?
