Summer has arrived, and so too has Formula One’s stretch of European races. Six events between now and early September will take teams competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship to Austria, England, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and Italy.

The Red Bull Ring rings in this summer stretch, with the 4.326 km (2.688 mile) circuit hosting this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. Located in Spielberg on a condensed version of the Österreichring, which held Formula One races from 1970 until 1987, the Red Bull Ring is a relatively short and compact circuit with just nine turns. Nonetheless, it covers a wide range of conditions.

The Red Bull Ring’s prime overtaking zone comes at turn two (Remus) where after heavy braking drivers navigate the sharp corner in either first or second gear. Juxtapose that section with the high-speed turn eight (Rindt), which drivers take at sixth gear, pushing the limits of their car and their resolve.

Both types of corners, and all the ones in between, require good traction, which is why Pirelli has brought its three softest tyre compounds – P Zero Yellow softs, P Zero Red supersofts and P Zero Purple ultrasofts – to the Austrian Grand Prix.