Wet practice, dry race expected in Austria

2018 Austrian Grand Prix weather

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Last year’s unusually warm Austrian Grand Prix weather is unlikely to be repeated this weekend.

Air temperatures peaked at an unusually high 30C for this race last season. This year more normal conditions are expected, with race day temperatures currently forecast to hit around 20C.

Rain is expected during the build-up to the race but at present it is only likely to affect Friday’s practice sessions. Meteo France reports a 60% chance of rain, though by late afternoon it should begin to dry out.

While the rain should lift by Saturday, the first two days are likely to see wind gusts of up to 40kph. Conditions for final practice and qualifying are current expected to be dry, though cloudy.

Sunday should live up to its name, however, with little cloud forecast as the cars assemble on the grid for the 31st world championship edition of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Pirelli has brought its soft, super-soft and ultra-soft tyres this weekend, but the rain on Friday may limit teams’ ability to achieve meaningful running on them before race day. The relatively low race day temperatures should make cooling less of a concern for teams when setting their cars up than it was last weekend at Paul Ricard.

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For more updates on the track conditions during each session keep an eye on RaceFans Live and the RaceFans Twitter account.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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9 comments on “Wet practice, dry race expected in Austria”

  1. ”Rain is expected during the build-up to the race but at present it is only likely to affect Friday’s practice sessions.”
    – Good, and hopefully it either stays that way or changes to all the sessions being run entirely in dry conditions.

    1. Vettel fan 17 (@)
      28th June 2018, 11:14

      @jerejj Why don’t you want to see a wet session?

      1. @vettelfan17 It isn’t that I’d necessarily be against a wet session, but just that at the very least I hope qualifying to be always dry so that it’d be possible to see the full potential of any given season’s cars on any given circuit lap time-wise. A race I don’t mind as much but qualifying yes, since it’s the most lap time-relevant session of a race weekend.

    2. @jerejj bet you’re fun at parties mate.

      1. Personally I’ve never been a fan of wet weather for any sessions of F1, especially the race(s). Cars trundling along 15/20 seconds a lap slower, looking like on ice, drivers with little visibility. Never done anything for me other than the odd standout performance throughout the years like Max a few years ago. Less predictability and closer racing, as is being aimed for by Liberty going forward, will go a long way toward eliminating peoples’ hope for wet conditions to create a lottery and shake up the usual order of things.

  2. No the weather cast i saw from Austria site. Rain at FP saterday shower drying out later on the day. Sunday cloudy in the morning clearing after 10.00 am. But if the front is moving slower then it moves a day..

  3. Did we see rain on race day somewhere this year yet? How many wet races have seen over the last few years now that I think of it?

    I think last year we saw rain in China for a bit and Singapore of course, but can’t seem to remember others. In 2016 I believe Silverstone and Brazil were wet. But 2 races a year seems a bit low to me. Maybe it has always been only around 2 races a year, but I seem to remember we saw rain more often, no? Or did I fail to remember a bunch of wet races?

    1. Vettel fan 17 (@)
      28th June 2018, 16:58

      @jeffreyj talking about only wet races, you’re right about this and last year. 2016 Monaco was wet, as we’re the two you mentioned. 2015 Britain and USA (sort of) were wet. Can’t remember before that.

    2. @jeffreyj @vettelfan17 There was China and Singapore last year.

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