Old F1 racetrack had just four corners and is now used by Air Force jets

Next up, the Formula One circus heads to the Styrian mountains for the Austrian Grand Prix, hosted at the state-of-the-art Red Bull Ring. However, less than a mile away from one of the sport's greatest tracks lies one of its most peculiar, the Zeltweg Airfield.

F1 and Austria have a storied history together, but open-wheel racing in the Styrian mountains had humble beginnings. After witnessing the success of the now-legendary Silverstone Circuit, which was built on an airfield site, local organisers in the 1950s concocted an idea for the Zeltweg Airfield circuit.

However, unlike Silverstone, which remains on the calendar as a permanent venue today, Zeltweg was less revered. The track surface was formed from concrete slabs used to lay the initial airfield, but over time, degradation and abrasion made them extremely bumpy, making this an extremely difficult track to navigate.

While the track was challenging when it came to keeping cars in one piece, it was not tough on a technical level. In fact, Zeltweg had just four corners. After starting the lap, drivers would head clockwise towards Flarschacher-Curve at Turn One, a sweeping right-hander, before a short straight led to the Hangar-Curve.

After a 180-degree direction change, a short straight led down to Inner-Curve, a 90-degree left-hander, before the long trip to the final corner, a 180-degree about turn, sending cars back down the start-finish straight.

The effect was an uninspiring track map that resembled a hastily drawn hockey stick, and dull racing. The Austrian GP was held as a non-championship race in 1963 and then as a round of the F1 World Championship in 1964.

Ferrari's Lorenzo Bandini won the event from Richie Ginther of BRM. The next closest driver was three laps down, and over half of the 20-car field retired with mechanical issues.

Zeltweg continued to hold the Grand Prix as a non-championship round until 1968 before it was moved to the Osterreichring, which was later shortened and redeveloped for £32million to make the Red Bull Ring, just across town.

While F1 no longer pays a visit, the Zeltweg Airfield found a new purpose. It is now the primary airfield of the Austrian Air Force, and has hosted the popular AirPower show since 1997. This event is still going strong with Red Bull backing, and attracted a bumper crowd of 250,000 spectators in 2024, with more success anticipated in the 2025 running.