Those with a ticket for Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring could be in for a 'silver versus red' slug fest which might just be the tonic required to revive Formula 1's flagging fortunes.
Last year, 90,000 race-day spectators watched on as Red Bull organised the first grand prix in picturesque Spielberg for over a decade. But it is believed only 50,000 will be trackside in 2015.
"I suppose no one wants to watch two silver cars speed off into the distance," said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Actually, the Silver Arrows could be in for a fight in Austria. In Friday practice, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was quicker than Nico Rosberg's Mercedes.
"With little fuel for qualifying, Ferrari seems to be fast," Rosberg told German media. "And also with a lot of fuel they're not slow. Ferrari is definitely very close."
Rosberg was, however, happy to be ahead of his on-form teammate Lewis Hamilton. "It is better to be ahead of him in practice than behind him," he smiled.
As for Ferrari's apparent pace in Austria, Vettel urged caution, "We know that the Mercedes has not overnight turned into a shovel, and also that they do not show everything on a Friday."
"We are a bit closer, but it's not easy to bridge the gap," he admitted after a first day in Austria which saw him suffer technical niggles, one of which sidelined him early in FP1.
The high profile Ferrari winter revolution has galvanised the team, while Vettel's presence has transformed the atmosphere within the ranks and victory in Malaysia provided the incentive to press on with challenging Mercedes.
However at this stage Mercedes are firmly entrenched at the top of the standings with 285 points, leading Ferrari by 105 points. The Silver Arrows have won six of the seven races so far this year, while both their drivers have been on the podium in all the races.
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