F1 News: Severe weather warning issued ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

Austrian Grand Prix

Severe weather warning issued for F1 stars at Austrian Grand Prix

It could get very hot in Austria!

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 23 June 2026 19:15

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Europe is currently enduring a record-breaking heatwave and the soaring temperatures are set to impact this weekend's F1 Austrian Grand Prix.

The eighth round of the 2026 campaign presents enough unusual challenges thanks to the high altitude of the Red Bull Ring, but the circuit is also facing some searing temperatures ahead of this year's race.

As the stars of the grid prepare to travel to the Styrian mountains there are temperatures being recorded across the UK and Europe well into the 30s, with the Austrian capital of Vienna expecting highs of 38 degrees Celsius on Sunday, June 28, the same day as the Austrian GP.

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The Met Office has even warned that on Thursday, the UK could reach a staggering 39 degrees Celsius as the current June all-time record of 35.6C is expected to be exceeded on multiple occasions this week.

But how are things looking more locally to the track?

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Austrian weather services issue extreme heat warnings for grand prix weekend

The track action for this weekend's race takes place from Friday, June 26, to Sunday, June 28, with both accuweather and Austria's very own Geosphere weather service issuing heat warnings.

The entire weekend is expected to be very warm with long sunny spells being cast over the track, something which could prove problematic for championship leaders Mercedes given that their battery reliability issues are said to be linked to high temperatures.

Accuweather currently has a yellow warning for extreme high temperatures in place across Friday and Saturday in Spielberg, with no warning in place for Sunday despite that being the day the highest temperature of 32 degrees is currently forecast.

In 2019, an average race day air temperature of 34.4 degrees was recorded in Austria, with the highest throughout the race recorded as 35.3 degrees, so there is every chance that could be broken this weekend.

But don't worry, the chances of this year's Austrian event breaking the record of the hottest F1 race in history are very low.

That was recorded at the 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix, where air temperatures reached a whopping 42.6 degrees Celsius.

F1 Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring