Will weather be a factor in the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix?

Photo by JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty Images

F1. teams and drivers might have their eyes in the sky on Saturday

Could the weather add another twist to the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix?

It certainly looks that way, at least for Saturday.

Current weather forecasts for Spielberg, Austria are calling for likely thunderstorms on Friday afternoon, when both the single practice session as well as qualifying for the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix are slated to take place. Weather could persist into Saturday, with current forecasts calling for a “steady” rain in the morning, as well as showers continuing into the afternoon.

This week is one of the sprint race weekend on the 2023 schedule, and under the new “Sprint Saturday” format qualifying for the sprint race is set to take place at noon local time, with the sprint race scheduled for 4:30 p.m. local time.

Here is a current look at Saturday’s forecast:

Even if it is not actively raining during the “Sprint Shootout” or the sprint race on Saturday, overnight rains and/or rain in the morning will certainly impact track conditions, washing away any rubber that was laid down on the surface during Friday’s action.

Currently there is also a chance of showers in the afternoon on Sunday, which has the potential to impact the Grand Prix itself.

Weather was a factor two weeks ago in Montreal, most notably during qualifying on Saturday. While some drivers such as Charles Leclerc ran into some bad luck as a result of the rain, other like Alex Albon and Nico Hülkenberg parlayed the conditions into much better results ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Could something similar play out this weekend, at least with respect to the sprint race? We will know more in a few days.