F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Start time, TV channel, how to stream 2019 race

The F1 2019 schedule reaches its ninth race of the season Sunday, the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria. After a detours to flagship networks ABC and ESPN for the last two F1 events in the U.S., ESPN2 will be the TV channel that will broadcast this weekend's Formula 1 race, with a start time of 9:05 a.m. ET on Sunday. The Austrian Grand Prix also can be live streamed via the ESPN app.

The Austrian Grand Prix in 2019 returns to the Red Bull Ring, a relatively short, 10-turn, 4.318-kilometer course located in Austria's Styrian mountains. The Red Bull Ring, which was founded as Osterreichring and was once called the A1-Ring, has been a staple on the F1 schedule since 2014. Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled for 71 laps and a total distance of 306.452 kilometers.

MORE FORMULA 1: Full 2019 Grand Prix schedule

In Austria, the same question that has overshadowed every F1 race this season will apply to this Grand Prix: Can anybody beat Mercedes? Last year, Red Bull's Max Verstappen did just that and broke Mercedes’ 100 percent win rate at the Red Bull Ring after its return to the F1 calendar (four out of four from 2014-17). This year, though, it's easier said than done.

A Mercedes driver has won each of the eight F1 races this far in 2019, and while Lewis Hamilton is the hot driver who is coming off four consecutive wins, Valtteri Bottas is the most recent Mercedes winner at the Austrian Grand Prix, taking the checkered flag two years ago. Bottas also has a chance to become the first driver ever to take three pole positions in row in Spielberg.

As for Mercedes' rivals over at Ferrari, its drivers are still looking for a breakthrough victory. Sebastian Vettel has gone 16 Grand Prix races in a row without winning (excluding retirements), his worst such run in his F1 career.

Below is all you need to know about the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, including how to watch and live stream the race.

F1 2019 Austrian Grand Prix start time, how to watch

• Date: Sunday, June 30
• Time: 9:05 a.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN2
• Live stream: ESPN app

F1 TV schedule, live stream for Austrian Grand Prix

As it has in years past, in the United States, ESPN will broadcast Sky Sports' presentation of all 2019 F1 races.

Below is the TV and live streaming schedule for Austrian Grand Prix qualifying and race presentations on ESPN platforms Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, June 28

Saturday, June 29

Sunday, June 30

Austrian Grand Prix qualifying results, starting lineup

F1 qualifying for the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place Saturday, June 29 at 8:55 a.m. ET and will be shown live on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.

Fun fact: The last seven F1 races in Spielberg have been won by a driver who started from the first two rows on the grid; the last driver to win from further back was David Coulthard for McLaren in 2001 (seventh). Also, the next driver to secure a maiden career pole position will be the 100th different driver to do so in F1 history.

The F1 qualifying results and starting grid for the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix will be posted upon completion of Saturday's session.

Austrian Grand Prix facts, notes

F1 Opta facts:

• Verstappen was the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix last year, breaking Mercedes’ 100 percent win rate at this circuit after its return to the F1 calendar (four of four; Nico Rosberg twice, Hamilton and Bottas).
• The last seven F1 races in Spielberg have been won by a driver who started from the first two rows on the grid; the last driver to win from further back was David Coulthard for McLaren in 2001 (seventh).
• Since the Austrian Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar in 2014, Mercedes has taken four out of five pole positions: Hamilton (2015 and '16) and Bottas (2017 and '18). In 2014, Felipe Massa was on the pole, Williams' last pole in F1.
• Bottas is one pole position away from becoming the first driver to take three pole positions in row in Spielberg. Only René Arnoux has managed this before in three consecutive Austrian GPs (1979-81 at Osterreichring).
• The late Niki Lauda is the only Austrian driver to win the Austrian Grand Prix (Osterreichring), one of five victories for him in 1984, the year when he claimed his third and final F1 World Championship.
• Mercedes reaches this race after recording its 50th one-two finish in F1.
• Ferrari drivers Vettel and Charles Leclerc have finished between second and fifth place in each of the opening eight races in 2019 (except Leclerc’s retirement in Monaco).
• McLaren reaches this Grand Prix after its two drivers (Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz) have both reached Q3 in qualifying in two consecutive races. The last time the British team managed this in three or more races in a row was in 2014 (four between Japan and Brazil).
• The next driver to secure a maiden career pole position will be the 100th different driver to do so in F1 history.
• Hamilton has won the last four F1 races. He is one race away from equaling the best run of victories in his F1 career (five between Italy and U.S. in 2014).
• Only Jim Clark (eight) has notched more Grand Chelems than Hamilton in F1 (five, alongside Alberto Ascari and Michael Schumacher).
• Hamilton has won once before in Austria, his joint-lowest for a GP on the current calendar (alongside Mexico and Azerbaijan).
• Bottas has taken two pole positions in Austria (2017 and '18), more than at any other GP in the Finn’s career.
• Vettel has gone 16 Grand Prix races in a row without winning (excluding retirements), the worst such run in his F1 career.
• Leclerc wins in Austria, he will become the third youngest driver to win a F1 race (21 years, eight months and 14 days) after Verstappen and Vettel.
• Verstappen has finished 17 Grand Prix races in a row, the best run in his F1 career, being placed in the first five positions in all of them.
• Sainz has a chance to record the 100th F1 podium for Spanish drivers (Fernando Alonso 97, Pedro Martínez de la Rosa and Alfonso de Portago).
• Sergio Pérez, Force India’s driver, has raced 166 F1 Grand Prix races, the most ever for a driver without a pole position.

Austrian Grand Prix: Live updates

F1 Austrian Grand Prix live updates