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Why is it called the Styrian Grand Prix?

By Josh Hill

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 26: Lando Norris of McLaren and Great Britain qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 26: Lando Norris of McLaren and Great Britain qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Styria at Red Bull Ring on June 26, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images) /
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Fans are all wondering the same thing about the Formula 1 race today: Why is it called the Styrian Grand Prix? 

Formula One fans gearing up for another exciting weekend of racing might be sitting in front of their schedule asking themselves the same question: What is this F1 race I’ve never heard of and why is it called Styrian Grand Prix?

Don’t worry, not knowing what the Styrian Grand Prix is doesn’t speak ill of your race knowledge, as it’s the newest race in the Formula One World Championship but it’s short history is already as storied as some of the circuit’s biggest races.

For the second year in a row, Formula 1 will be racing an event that was originally designed to be nothing more than a stand-in race.

Why is it called the Styrian Grand Prix?

The Styrian Grand Prix is simply named for the city in which the race takes place. Styria, Austria is home to the Styrian Grand Prix, but if it doesn’t sound familiar to F1 fans there’s a good reason why.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Formula 1 had to revise its schedule due to the original slate getting pushed back. The Styrian Grand Prix was added as a one-off race to help massage the structure of the schedule since originally scheduled races were postponed.

So why is a one-off race being run for a second time?

The Styrian Grand Prix was brought back this season due to the Turkish Grand Prix being postponed because of COVID-19 travel restrictions that remain in place. It will once again be run as the eight round of the F1 championship and there could be a case for it to make a third appearance on the schedule next season after two years of fantastically filling in for races that otherwise could not be run at their normally scheduled time of the season.

Formula 1 race today: Styrian Grand Prix qualifying results

If you’re interested, here’s what the starting grid will look like after the Styrian Grand Prix qualifying results were determined this weekend:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
6. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
8. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
9. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
11. George Russell (Williams)
12. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
13. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
14. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
15. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
16. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
18. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
19. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
20. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)