MotoGP heads around the ring again! Red Bull Ring II Preview

MotoGP 2021 – Round 11 – Red Bull Ring
Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Spielberg

You know how it is, you wait all summer for a MotoGP race weekend… and then two come along at once! The venue remains the same as we race back-to-back at the emblematic Red Bull Ring, but there’s plenty to talk about on take two as we return for the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, not least of all our first time winner: Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing).

A quick blitz through the stats: rookie, first Independent Team rider to win on a Ducati, first Pramac Racing win with Ducati, first rookie to win with an Independent Team, and only fifth rookie to win in MotoGP: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and the legendary Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo are the other members of that club. And Martin did it from his second pole position of his rookie season, with little drama and a whole load of speed. That must make him a favourite as we return to the track, but likewise the man he just defeated: Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

The reigning Champion has a great record in Austria; it’s where he took his first Grand Prix win and later, his first premier class podium too. He’s added another to that in the Styrian GP, which is his best of the year so far, and he also set the fastest lap for the first time in MotoGP. So Mir will surely be a threat, but can he take another step forward to go one better on Sunday?

Joan Mir

“The team did amazing work during the summer break and the bike is feeling better than ever, especially with the new device. I was really satisfied with my performance on Sunday, the win was a little bit beyond my reach but second place was a nice way to repay the team and to kickstart the second half of the season. I’m looking forward to riding again this weekend and aiming for the win, we certainly have good information collected from last week’s race and that can help us. My performance is already good here, and if we can find those improvements in a few areas it could allow me to get to the top spot. Let’s see what we can do!”

His team-mate Alex Rins had a tricky time of it around the circuit on Sunday after struggling to find the feel under hard braking. This is something the Spaniard is confident of resolving ahead of this weekend. Nevertheless, his determination brought him a useful seventh place finish and moved him up one place in the championship.

Alex Rins

“It was a strange weekend for me at the Styrian GP, I had some really good pace over the practice and then I struggled a bit when it came to the race. But the team and I are working to find the best settings ahead of this next race weekend, and I’m sure I can achieve a good result. It is important that we analyse all the data to discover what happened during the first race in Austria to improve our performance for the second race. Usually the second race at the same circuit is pretty tight because everyone improves, so we will need to keep our focus. My seventh place finish last Sunday was OK but obviously I’m hungry for more and I hope to be much higher this time out, I know I can be fast in the corners and that’s important.”

Team Suzuki Ecstar made a promising step in their quest for glory at the Red Bull Ring last week when they debuted the new ride height device, this addition to the GSX-RR received good feedback from both sides of the garage and with work still to be done to fine-tune the device, strong results are expected again this time out.

Shinichi Sahara – Project Leader & Team Director

“Last weekend we were satisfied with the progress we made while using the new ride height adjuster. As we’ve said, it’s only the first prototype and it can still be improved upon, so we’re sure it will continue to help us in the coming races. Joan got a really nice podium on Sunday, which was a great way to restart the season. Alex struggled a bit with a few small issues but he was still able to bring home decent points and this is important. This is always one of the most unpredictable circuits of the season, not least because of the mountain weather, and we have seen that the other manufacturers can also be strong here, but we’re confident of another successful weekend.”

Ducati Lenovo Team duo Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller are the two key names recently shuffled down in the standings, and they’ll want to come back stronger on take two… especially having watched the Red Bull Ring remain Ducati territory, just not theirs. Bagnaia at least had a good qualifying and first start to set him up for more this time around, and Miller had a good weekend too – until he crashed. The Australian didn’t have the pace of the Martin-Mir duo in the lead, but he was stalking Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) for the podium and has made looking for redemption work for him before.

Francesco Bagnaia

“Last week at the Red Bull Ring, we had a great opportunity, and I hope we can have another one this Sunday. In the first start, before the red flag, I had a really good feeling with the bike, and I felt I could fight for the win, but then I didn’t find the same conditions in Race 2. Now we have a good base from which to set the work of this weekend, and certainly, the experience of last Sunday will come in handy. The weather will once again be the real unknown factor, but we’ll try to be ready to face the race in any condition. I’m very determined to finish the Austrian GP well.”

Jack Miller

“This weekend, we’ll race again at the Red Bull Ring, and it will be a chance for me to redeem myself after the crash I had here last Sunday. The podium was really within my reach: the team did a great job, and I felt really good on the bike, and when I crashed, I didn’t feel like I was asking too much from the front, although that was probably the case. These days, the team could analyse the data to understand what happened, and it will be an important reference to prepare in the best way for the Austrian GP. My goal is to finish this weekend on a high with a good result“.

Quartararo, meanwhile, already found some for Yamaha at a venue that’s usually a tougher one for the Iwata marque. When you’re leading the Championship and realise you can’t win, what do you do? The next best thing possible, which a podium more than fulfilled for the Frenchman – and he was ultimately a few places ahead of closest challenger Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) to compound the good day’s work. Can he do it again if the likes of Bagnaia and Miller come out swinging?

Fabio Quartararo

“I was so happy after the last race because we know that Spielberg is not the easiest track for us. To be on the podium was actually nice for me and the team. We know the competition is strong here, but I was riding in a perfect way. I actually learned a lot during the last race. When I was in P3, I saw that Johann was 2.5s behind me, so I was trying new things. Usually, the race is not the best time to do that, but I was riding some different lines. I think I learned something, and we have good data for the upcoming week. We know what area we need to work on, and we‘ll see. But to increase our championship lead in Austria, I never expected that before we came here. Now let‘s see what we can do this weekend.”

The other side of the Monster Energy Yamaha will be vacant after today Yamaha accused Maveric Vinales of malfeasance and are taking disciplinary action against their rider by removing him from the entry list for this weekend.

On the note of Zarco, however, the more veteran Pramac rider did start the last lap fourth and only one place behind Quartararo. He had a solid weekend and was the second Ducati home, after all. But he didn’t come home in fourth, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) saw to that, and he’ll want to figure out his team-mate’s secret to the Red Bull Ring and take back some ground on Quartararo as a minimum.

Having demonstrated good pace throughout the sessions at Spielberg last weekend and scoring valuable points in the race, Rossi will be aiming for more of the same this weekend. The Italian has identified areas for improvement and will be focused on making further progress at the Spielberg circuit. With the aim of recording another points-scoring finish, Valentino will also be hoping to join the fight for the top-ten.

Valentino Rossi

“It’s good to be at home for three days to train and prepare for the next round in Austria. It wasn’t a bad first race at Spielberg; I was able to fight with those around me and we managed to score points. We now need to look at how we can improve, primarily with the settings of the bike, try some small things with it and work to be stronger this weekend. The target will be to work well in the sessions and try to get a better position on the grid. Then on Sunday we will try to improve the start, have a good pace again and take some points. I would also like to be able to fight for the top-ten.”

Cal Crutchlow, who is deputising for the recovering Franco Morbidelli, completed his first race aboard the Petronas Yamaha SRT machine last weekend. The Brit rode a sensible race, making no mistakes, and was able to set several personal best sector times. With another GP at the Spielberg circuit this weekend, Cal will be aiming to use what he learned during the StyrianGP to increase his speed further and continue to make improvements.

Cal Crutchlow

“It was really good to be back racing again last weekend and physically I felt quite good. We need to look at the data and try to understand why we had problems with rear traction, especially as we didn’t have this problem before. I’m really looking forward to riding again and my main aim will be to improve upon my performance from the StyrianGP and go even faster this weekend. We have margin to improve and it will be interesting to continue working on the bike at the same circuit for three more days.”

So what about KTM and the aforementioned South African? The weekend was a rollercoaster for the Austrian marque from the off. Dani Pedrosa’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) wildcard put him top KTM on Friday, and drama hit early for Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the Portuguese rider highsided and was left riding through the pain barrier thereafter. Meanwhile Binder spent the day, and the day after, MIA from the top ten… but the story changed somewhat on Sunday.

From P16 on the grid, taking fourth place is an impressive performance. Doing so in a race where there were no big dramas ahead on track and on a day that, despite the weather forecast, stayed dry, made it even more so. For a final flourish, the South African also managed to get past both Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) on just the final lap alone… so can he repeat his incredible race, and from a starting position giving him a little less work to do? It was a spectacular reminder of just how and why he was the most recent rookie winner before Martin.

So Binder could be one to watch, and Oliveira will have hopefully gained from some days off to heal and get some better Sunday luck to pick up where his form left off before summer. Both will likely be getting some more Pedrosa feedback as the MotoGP Legend returns to test duty too.

Following a rather tricky first round after the summer break, Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona are very eager to improve on their results. While Petrucci aims to work on acceleration, Lecuona plans to refine his tyre consumption, but both Tech3 KTM Factory Racing riders together with their respective crews have some ideas on upgrading their performances in order to get closer to the top 10 this time.

Danilo Petrucci

“We will have another chance to prove ourselves this week. We knew this track is one of the most challenging for us. We need to work more on the acceleration, even if we have been doing a pretty good job during this last weekend. But my weight and my size are limiting the progress a bit. Acceleration and stopping the bikes in really slow corners are our main focus at the moment, so we will try to work even more in order to reduce the wheelie and trying to make the corners as fast as possible. It’s going to be a tough mission, but we will try to score some points this time.”

Iker Lecuona

“I think we need to work on the grip for this weekend, as we have been struggling quite a lot with that during the race. We did a very good race, but we still need to improve and continue to work. I’m pretty happy about my feeling on the bike, we just need to get better in some points and then I’m convinced we are there. We have to wait what the weather is going to do. In case it rains, we can for sure fight at the top. In the dry, we have a but more to do, but I think we can fight close to the top as well.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Just a couple of days off and then we start racing again here at the Red Bull Ring, which is a pleasure, because this is really a beautiful place with great facilities. Clearly, we were competitive last weekend, but the grid is so close, that the position doesn’t reflect the improvement in our two riders’ level and we are really determined and focused to try to find some small improvements, that will allow both, Danilo and Iker to fight for the top 10. We know we can do it, as I said it’s difficult as the grid is so competitive and everybody is so close to each other. But this is the target. It’s home ground for KTM. Stefan Pierer and Hubert Trunkenpolz are here and it is very important for me to give them the reward of their support and to give them what they are expecting, so it’s going to be full on next week for the Austrian Grand Prix!”

Honda, meanwhile, had a mixed bag too. Nakagami was top Honda on Sunday and whilst he did lose out to Binder, he gained on Zarco and the result was a top five. That’s encouraging after a tougher season at times, and likewise the performance of teammate Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) as he got back in the top ten and showed some serious pace. Can they build on that in the Austrian GP?

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) did pip Alex Marquez in the end and took eighth – via a couple of higher profile moments – but he’ll want more this time around.  And his team-mate Pol Espargaro too, after a late penalty compounded a tough weekend, as did the restart. Can they find more in the second run at it?

Marc Marquez

“We are back again in Austria and it’s the first time I will be racing at the same circuit two weekends in a row, so this will be interesting. Honestly speaking I don’t think it will change too much but we start from a very good base. Last weekend was good, apart from the restart on Sunday. I am confident we can do another good weekend.”

Pol Espargaro

“For this second weekend we need to improve. It was a really difficult weekend last time so we need to try something new to improve our situation because it’s not what should happen when you wear these colours. I know that if we can improve the rear grip that we can fight and keep improving. The important thing now is to keep focused and keep working.”

Finally, for Aprilia the promise was there but the luck was not. For Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) less than anyone as the Italian made contact with Pedrosa’s fallen bike and the results made for a dramatic Red Flag moment. He was up and ok after the incident, but an ankle fracture was found in further checks and after surgery, he’s sidelined. On the restart Aleix Espargaro then suffered a retirement, so he’ll be looking to restart his consistent run of form this season as we get back in business at the Red Bull Ring, alone in the Noale garage this weekend at least.

A rookie winner, a Ducati winner… a reigning Champion on a charge and a Yamaha locking out the podium was quite a spread of headlines. What will Spielberg deliver in the Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich?

2021 MotoGP Championsip Points

Moto2

There has been one constant for the vast majority of the 2021 Moto2 season so far: one or both Red Bull KTM Ajo riders on the podium. But in the Styrian GP it proved not so, with Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) ruling the venue once more and with some serious speed. As we head into the second back-to-back weekend in Austria, can the orange machines fight back?

Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KT Ajo), certainly, looked to have the raw speed – and took pole – but the Australian had a couple of uncharacteristic moments, one of which sealed his fate of a finish off the podium. But uncharacteristic is the key word, with the number 87’s form so far this season having been so imperious, and he took a good finish and some good points despite that run off. Bezzecchi also said he’d improved a couple of things in his riding from watching how Gardner attacked the venue, so the two surely lead the bets heading into the Austrian GP…

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, had a tougher weekend as he came home in seventh – his worst Moto2 finish to date. With plenty of talk around the Spaniard and his future it was a busy weekend on track and off, so will some serenity return at Spielberg this time around?

In the end, it was Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) who emerged as the rider putting the pressure on Bezzecchi, so the Spaniard should be one to watch again. He’s also got a bowtie to explain too, which he says he’ll do when he wins. Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) was also back on the podium and although he acknowledged a little luck playing its part there, the Spaniard backed up his speed from Assen. Is there more in the locker? And what about his teammate Sam Lowes, who, like Gardner, also paid the price for a run off and dropped down the order?

Finally, there is another rider who created a little Jaws music on Sunday for those ahead of him: Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia). The Japanese rookie fell foul of track limits, got a Long Lap penalty and then another that took him out of podium contention, but he was fast – fastest lap fast, and more than once. He’d also not only been homing in on a debut Moto2 podium, but the race lead… so with even more fire from feeling he could have left the Styrian GP with more, can Ogura get back in that fight for victory?

Moto2 Championship Points

Moto3

The Moto3 race at the Styrian GP was an all-time great. Tricky conditions, a little tyre intrigue, and the top two in the Championship leaving the field in the dust for their own duel made for an electrifying contest – and a final lap and corner that will become legendary in the lightweight class. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Sergio Garcia (Santander Consumer Bank GASGAS Aspar) were in a league of their own on Sunday, and now we’re going to do it all again. Can they?

The first thing we learned from the Styrian GP is that Acosta only continues to deserve his hype. He didn’t need to win, but he put it on the line to do just that – and pulled it off. A few points would have been fine for the rider now 53 points clear at the top of the standings, but Pedro Acosta doesn’t really race for a few points. He also showed he’s still a master of the Red Bull Ring as the stakes rose from five Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup wins in a row to his first Moto3 appearance at the track. So heading into the Austrian GP, there’s a clear favourite at the top – and that gap is even bigger.

The second thing we learned, however, is that Garcia will also put it on the line… and the stakes for the Aspar rider were arguably even higher than those for Acosta. His lunge down the inside, squarely underlining a belief in rubbing sometimes very much being racing, was a statement in itself – even if it didn’t ultimately secure him the win. If he hadn’t remounted and managed to hold onto second, he could have ended up taking himself out of real contention for the crown, and he was still willing to go for it. Looking ahead to the Austrian GP, there’s no reason to expect him to turn down the chance on take two. And he and Acosta were already firm favourites in Free Practice in the dry…

A few more fast faces made a good mark in der Steiermark too though. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) was back on the box, already has winning form there and went for a late move, also completing the PR dream to make it a KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna podium. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was back in a frontrunning postcode after a tougher rollercoaster so far, and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) returned from injury to get straight back into the top five, as ever aiming for more next time out.

Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), meanwhile, somehow outpaced everyone else on slicks by the kind of margin that would normally contain the entirety of the points scorers… and took a top six. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) deserves a shoutout too for his pole position – the first for Turkey – and then taking the gamble, which on another day may have proven a masterstroke. But that’s racing, and that’s what we’re returning to the Red Bull Ring to do this weekend.

Moto3 Championship Points

MotoE

Summer break was a little longer for the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, but we’re back in business at the Austrian GP as the spectacular Red Bull Ring welcomes the electric runners for the penultimate round of the season. A venue the Cup has visited before, it’s familiar turf for those who competed in MotoE in 2019… but a new challenge for a few competitors.

Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) is one of them, the Italian making his MotoE debut last year. But so far this season it hasn’t seemed to matter where we’ve raced or what his previous CV or track knowledge was like, the number 61 keeps getting the job done and often in style. Three races remain in 2021 and his advantage is only seven points, but his consistency has been rock solid so far and he has to remain the favourite heading into the Red Bull Ring.

Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) is now the man on the chase, the Spaniard making up good ground at Assen to move into second. At Assen he also got his elbows out, as promised, and there seemed to be a switch from focusing on consistency above all else to laying a little more on the line. Can he keep that going? He may have to try if he’s to defend the crown, because Zaccone has been watertight so far.

Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), meanwhile, arrives with the opposite conundrum. After a crash at Assen that’s sent him down to fourth and 17 points down, he can no longer wait for a mistake from his rivals and will need to go on the attack. Will that risk vs reward pay off? He’s not won a race so far this year, but now would be a good time to do it.

And then there’s Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing), who is the opposite again. The Brazilian is now ahead of Aegerter in the standings, although equal on points, with two wins to his name. Two bouts of bad luck join them on his rap sheet, but when it comes together – like it did at Assen – Granado is hard to beat. When he’s needed to, he’s also found the perfect bounce back this season, including that spectacular final corner ballet against Zaccone in France, when the opposite outcome could have seriously dented his charge for the Cup. Can he bring the magic and avoid the bad luck again in Austria? He is one of those who raced here in 2019…

Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) is another and rekindled his solid points hauls at Assen, but he’ll be looking to move up as he’s now ten points off Granado and Aegerter, and only a single point ahead of Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team). Pons had a tougher visit to the TT Circuit Assen and will be aiming for more in Austria.

Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE), meanwhile, got more at the Dutch GP. After a tougher start to the year the Italian took his best 2021 finish yet at Assen in fourth, and was the top Red Bull Ring finisher on the current grid back in 2019. He’s consistent as ever too, with a top ten finish in every race this season – something that only Zaccone, Torres and Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) can join in claiming.

Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing), Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) and Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) are waiting in the wings to fight it out for that top ten – as a minimum – too, and all three are covered by just eight points in the standings, with time left to make up some good ground. Mathematically, the 2021 Cup remains anyone’s to win… but the clock is ticking and crunch time is coming as we head into the penultimate round.

MotoE Championship Points

2021

Bitci Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Schedule (AEST)

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar

(Subject to change)