SPIELBERG FLASHBACK: Some of the standout moments from F3’s visits to the Red Bull Ring

23 June 2025

Formula 3 teams and drivers are all set to go racing at Round 6 of the season in Spielberg, a venue that has played host to many memorable moments in the Championship’s history.

So before we make more memories at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, let us go back into the vault and revisit some of the special moments.

2023: THE TIGHTEST OF QUALIFYING BATTLES

Qualifying got off to a flying start that weekend, with PREMA Racing’s Dino Beganovic setting the early pace ahead of his teammate Paul Aron.

The Swede’s 1:20.518 put him on top by just 0.003s, while Gabriel Bortoleto Bortoleto and Josep Maria Martí had been in P3 and P4, respectively. However, they had their fastest times deleted, dropping the former to P7 and the latter to the back of the field.

But back out on a new set of Softs, it was Aron that went to P1 with a 1:20.283. Grégoire Saucy was second, 0.174s off top spot, while Beganovic rounded out the top three, 0.178s behind.

However, the Estonian driver’s celebrations quickly stopped when his provisional pole-sealing time was deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping him to fourth.

Saucy took pole following a very tight Qualifying battle in Spielberg

It put Saucy on pole, 0.004s ahead of Beganovic, and 0.017s in front Bortoleto in third. Aron wound up 0.064s off P1, while Caio Collet rounded out the top five, 0.090s away from top spot.

Such was the closeness of the field, that the top 23 drivers were all within a second in a memorable Spielberg Qualifying.

2023: O’SULLIVAN WINS A CLASSIC

Qualifying was merely the start of what proved to be a stunning weekend of races, with Aron making up for losing pole on Friday by winning a wet Sprint Race on Saturday.

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Returning on Sunday though, the drivers treated us to a special race, but it all started quietly out in front, as Saucy lead the pack away, while Beganovic, Bortoleto and Aron maintained their positions.

Behind them though, Zak O’Sullivan was up to fifth on Lap 1 as Collet dropped from P5 to P8. However, Gabriele Minì was out of the race, the Italian making small contact with his Hitech teammate Luke Browning, forcing him to stop on track, and bringing out the Safety Car.

Once the action resumed, there were plenty of battles for position, especially at the front, where there was a change for the lead with Beganovic going to P1.

O'Sullivan came out on top of a dramatic Spielberg Feature Race

Saucy’s day got worse when he made the smallest contact with Aron on Lap 11. The former had a puncture while the latter was falling through the field with front wing damage.

This left a three-way fight for the lead with Beganovic and Bortoleto swapping positions several times, while O’Sullivan kept a watching brief in P3.

However, Beganovic was struggling on his tyres and fell through the field to finish in fifth. O’Sullivan had kept his in decent shape and overtook Bortoleto for a lead he would not give up on Lap 15 of 26.

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The eventual Champion settled for second, while Franco Colapinto and Sebastián Montoya’s collision on the final lap while battling for P3 opened the door for Collet to take the last spot on the podium.

2020: A COUPLE OF F1 STARS WIN FOR THE FIRST TIME

Round 1 of the 2020 season got off to a flying start in Spielberg where a couple of now Formula 1 stars put their name into the F3 winners list for the first time.

Current F1 Championship leader Oscar Piastri started his title winning campaign in 2020 on the best note possible, overcoming an early tangle with pole-sitter Sebastian Fernandez to win the Feature Race, after starting third.

Oscar Piastri claimed his first F3 victory in Austria on his way to winning the title

It was the first of two victories for the Australian driver that year – the next coming in the Barcelona Sprint Race in Round 6.

Piastri finished eighth in the Sprint Race the following day, which was won by Liam Lawson, the New Zealander coming through from fifth on the grid to claim his first FIA F3 win.

It kicked off a strong season for Lawson where he won three races in total and finished fifth in the Standings. So, is it possible that we have another set of future F1 stars on the current grid that could come out on top in either race this weekend?