FEBRUARY 7, 2008
Forget the A1 Ring
The future of the A1 RIng in Austria remains clouded following the news that an attempt to revive the track for F1 has failed. The track was purchased by Red Bull some years ago and the pits and grandstands were then demolished in preparation for a major overhaul, aimed at winning back an Austrian GP. The work was then stopped by environmentalists and Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz lost patience with the authorities and mothballed the facility. Red Bull remains the owner of the site but talks with the local governor Franz Voves are reported to have failed to find a solution. Voves wants the track revived in order to help the regional economy but this will not involve F1. Red Bull is said to have agreed to build new pits and grandstands. The circuit was built in the late 1960s and hosted F1 races for many years before becoming obsolete. It was rebuilt in the mid 1990s and returned to the calendar in 1997 and remained there until 2003.