Pit Lane Walk, Meet the Drivers, Styrian Green Carpet, Legends Parade – all topped off by a motor racing spectacular of the highest calibre. The programme for each day of the race weekend was packed with entertainment leading up to the main event itself. On Sunday, at the end of the race weekend, the laughter, dancing and fun in the F1 Fan Zone, in the Steiermark Village and on the campsites continued into the evening.
Autograph and selfie hunters got their money’s worth, as did historic motorsports enthusiasts and fans of the star DJ acts booked for the occasion. The racing action was dominated by Max Verstappen, who put in yet another flawless performance over the entire weekend, eventually cruising to victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix. “I think the whole weekend we’ve done a really good job. A Sprint weekend is always very, very hectic, and a lot of things can go wrong. Luckily a lot of things went right for us this weekend”, said the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver.
Show on the track & at dizzy heights
However, Max wasn’t the only member of the Verstappen family putting in an appearance at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. His dad, Jos Verstappen, was also seen speeding around the circuit in a McLaren M8F Campagnie in the context of the Legends Parade – much to the delight of the numerous Dutch fans. Also at the wheel of retro rockets from the CanAm series were Alexander Wurz, Mark Webber and Dr Helmut Marko. David Coulthard and Juan Pablo Montoya accelerated in NASCAR cars. A regular feature of the Holiday Grand Prix, the air display by the Flying Bulls in the sky above the circuit, was as impressive as always.
A musical moment of magic
The goosebump moment of the weekend came with the reimagination of the national anthem in the style of the Red Bull Symphonics by Christian Kolonovits. Shortly before the start of the race, the ‘Dachsteinlied’ and ‘Land der Berge’ were skilfully merged to create an unparalleled sound experience. The Graz Philharmonic Orchestra and the chamber choir of the Johann-Joseph-Fux Conservatory Graz provided the backing to vocalists Christopher Seiler and Juliette Khalil. Tens of thousands of fans also felt inspired to sing along.
