1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill says he expects a number of drivers will be frustrated in Austria due to having their laps blocked.
The Red Bull Ring is one of the shortest tracks on the calendar, and as it’s taken at such a high speed, the lap time is close to the one-minute mark.
Impeding has been a problem at races recently, with several drivers issued grid penalties for being in the way of a rival on a fast lap.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill is expecting a similar situation this time around in Spielberg.
“It’s all gonna be crammed into this ridiculously tight short track,” Hill said. “There’s not much of it, there’s only seven corners in it. It’s all over in about a minute, isn’t it?
“The number of cars getting clear laps is going to be a problem, as we’ve seen before.
“They’re all getting a bit tetchy because they’re doing their slow-down laps and blocking people inadvertently and getting accused of being unsportsmanlike.
“You can’t make your car disappear. These cars are huge.”
Verstappen enters the weekend in the lead of the standings
Hill: No-one will challenge Verstappen in Austria
Max Verstappen enters the race weekend in the lead of the championship, boasting a 69-point lead over team-mate Sergio Perez.
The Dutchman has won the last four races with three of them being from pole position and is now the heavy favourite to take the title this year.
Hill doesn’t believe that anyone will be able to challenge Verstappen at Red Bull’s home race this weekend and expects the 25-year-old to claim a fifth consecutive win.
“Very simple answer: no,” he said, when asked if anyone can beat Verstappen in Austria.
“I want to see racing, I want to see a challenge, but all things being equal, I think Max is going to have this one in the bag.
“We are on course for Max potentially winning Austria and winning everything else that comes along.
“I don’t know, maybe Silverstone could be more of a challenging circuit. Very tough but we’re jumping ahead of us.
“We’re talking about Austria and for the moment, I’d say Austria is going to be another Max victory.”
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