The original Österreichring was built in 1969 in the spectacular mountains above the unpopular Zeltweg airfield circuit it replaced. It was a magnificent collection of fast corners and steep elevation changes. The Bosch Kurve, 180 degrees and no run-off, was an awesome challenge. A chicane was built at the first corner following Mark Donohue’s fatal accident in 1975, but that was the Österreichring’s only slow corner. The Austrian Grand Prix often provided a surprise winner with Vittorio Brambilla, John Watson and Alan Jones scoring maiden victories in successive years during the 1970s. This was also the scene of Elio de Angelis’ dramatic victory in 1982 when he edged eventual world champion Keke Rosberg by just 0.05sec. However, Austria lost its GP after the 1987 race was twice stopped by accidents on the narrow starting straight. It was rebuilt in 1996 with naming rights sold to the A1 mobile phone network and was restored to the F1 calendar a year later.
