Zeltweg Air Base — formally named Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser after Austrian aviation pioneer Franz Hinterstoisser (1863–1933) — is a military airfield in the Styrian mountains that has served as the main base of the Austrian Air Force since the mid-twentieth century. The idea to use its tarmac for motor racing came in the late 1950s, inspired by the success of Silverstone Circuit in Britain, which had similarly been built on a former military airfield. The circuit was established in 1957.
However, the track engineers failed to account for one critical factor: the abrasive quality of the airfield's concrete surface. Military runways were not designed with the sustained high-speed loads of racing tyres in mind, and the bumpy, rough-hewn character of the layout placed severe stress on cars and components.
The Austrian Grand Prix was held at Zeltweg Airfield on 23 August 1964. It was the first World Championship Formula One race to be held in Austria. The circuit's severe surface took a heavy toll — the extreme bumpiness caused suspension failures and mechanical retirements throughout the field, with the majority of cars failing to finish. Only eight of the 20 starters were classified as finishers.
The race was won by Lorenzo Bandini driving a Ferrari 156, his sole Formula One Grand Prix victory. Dan Gurney set the circuit's Formula One lap record of 1:10.560 in a Brabham BT7 during that event. The race highlighted how unsuitable the airfield surface was for top-level single-seater competition, and Formula One did not return to Zeltweg.
The Zeltweg circuit proved somewhat more hospitable to sports car racing. The World Sportscar Championship's Zeltweg 500 Kilometres was held at the circuit on multiple occasions through the 1960s. The all-time circuit lap record of 1:04.820 was set by Jo Siffert in a Porsche 908 during the 1968 Zeltweg 500 Kilometres, underlining the pace that could be achieved on the airfield despite its rough surface.
The airfield circuit was abandoned in 1969, the same year the Österreichring opened on a site just across the expressway — a proper purpose-built road course in the surrounding Styrian hills that would give Austria a modern and spectacular Formula One venue. The Österreichring later evolved into the A1-Ring and ultimately the Red Bull Ring, which continues to host the Austrian Grand Prix today.
The Zeltweg Airfield Circuit's legacy is modest but historically significant: it gave Austria its first Formula One World Championship event, proved that airfield circuits without proper road-racing surfaces were not viable at the highest level, and indirectly prompted the construction of one of Europe's finest purpose-built tracks on its doorstep. The airbase itself continues to operate as the principal facility of the Austrian Air Force.