2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round 11 – Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich
Red Bull Ring – Spielberg
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“It was a really tight race. I tried to get in the lead from the start as I knew I had a good pace, while trying to manage a pace that was slightly faster than Martín’s. When I saw that he slowed down a little, I tried to keep the same rhythm for another four-five laps in order to bring my lead to at least 1.5seconds. From then on it was a lot easier as in the final laps: the grip level had dropped a lot and the rear was spinning picking up the bike on corner exit and it was overall hard to manage the situation, as you never know what can happen. I’m extremely happy because this is the third consecutive year for us winning at Spielberg and I’d like to thank Ducati and the Academy for the work we do together every day.”
Jorge Martin – P2
“I mean, overall, with everything that happened during the weekend. I have to be happy for sure. Anyway, I’m frustrated because I feel we are super strong that nothing is missing to win races, but still Pecco is doing that result now. I mean, it’s just five points. It’s not it’s not important. The important thing is that if I make I make a bad result and it’s a second. So for sure, this is important. And my moment will come. I think we need to change a bit. The strategy, as you can see, have really a really good confidence at the beginning of the race with the full tank and is able to keep that first position. And I think after three to three, four laps, if you are in first, you have 90 per cent of the win done. So afterwards, I tried to fight back at the end when when my front tyre was refreshing a bit, but it was impossible to close that big gap. And I did my best.”
Enea Bastianini – P3
“This third-place finish is in line with my expectations heading into the race. This morning, as well as in the race, I still lacked a bit of feeling with the front-end – which is crucial at this track – despite the steps forward we made during warmup. I tried to be aggressive and to not lose touch with Pecco (Bagnaia) and Jorge (Martín), but I was losing between two and three tenths of a second each lap. I tried to avoid any unnecessary risk and to ride past the limit. I can still be happy with third place, as we improved lap after lap this weekend.”
Marc Marquez – P4
“Yeah, today was not the day. I mean, somebody said that today is not the day and yeah, it’s a shame because the feeling during all weekend was sweet. It was really good. I mean, I enjoyed with the bike and I was fast. All the practice, I was fast in all the sessions, all the laps, but just I missed and I did mistakes on the sprint and main race. Yesterday, the speed was there. Today, again, the speed was there. We learned from the mistake from yesterday, but it’s true that we had a technical problem on the before the race. Then the team thinks in a very good way, but with that and everything was even difficult a bit to concentrate. But yeah, then didn’t engage with the front device. I started a bit less performance and on that first corner, I was in the middle of the group. I said, okay, it will be calm. And then let’s see how we went out from the first corner. And then there was a big contact with Morbidelli that both of us went out of the racetrack and from that point started my comeback and then we arrived on that court position. When I was going in on the box, my mechanics just started to run to Michelin because they had a big problem with the valve, with the valve of the tyre. And then they changed the tyre from one rim to another rim. But for that reason, we didn’t have enough time to put in a correct temperature the tyre. But they did an incredible job. I was more concentrated on the front tyre than putting the device and all these things. So it was a mix of things. But the most important is that our performance this weekend was good and I enjoyed it a lot. But I know that if I want to fight with top guys, I need to have a perfect weekend. Having a perfect weekend, then I will have some chance. But yeah, my target is trying to be on that podium and we will try again in Aragon.”
Brad Binder – P5
“I can’t ask for more from today. I gave my best from beginning to the end and tried to not make mistakes and set my own rhythm without murdering the tire! We managed to get home with it in quite a good state. Top five; I wanted a bit more for the home Grand Prix but we figured some good things out this weekend so let’s keep building from here. I think we’ll be OK in Aragon and I’m hoping for a good result.”
Marco Bezzecchi – P6
“I’m happy! A good race with lots of overtakings. The ones on Aleix (Espargaro) and Jack (Miller) gave me fun. I started well, I pushed to be able to get closer to the Top5. I had a good feeling when braking and I fully exploit it. We are getting closer, Vale gave me a lot of advice and yesterday’s work with the M paid off. Today I managed to be more precise in braking, a crucial aspect on this track. Then towards the end the front tire dropped a bit, mostly due to the temperature and I had to give up to be able to preserve the rear. So many beautiful emotions, I can’t wait to get back at work.”
Maverick Vinales – P7
“It was a defensive race. I tried to squeeze out as much as possible. On this circuit, in particular, I struggle with braking. It was hard to stop the bike. To be honest, I think it is a good result and I earned important points anyway. There are some areas where the bike was very strong and we know that there are things we need to improve, like braking.”
Aleix Espargaro – P9
“From the start of the race I had complications with braking. Being inside the scrum, the temperature rose and consequently had an impact on braking efficiency, it is something we need to work on. We were expecting a complicated weekend, but we were still competitive. We’re taking home a fourth spot on the grid, a podium in the sprint race, and some important points in the long race.”
Alex Marquez – P10
“Things didn’t go as hoped already from Friday and there’ll be a lot of work to do to be back on the type of form showed in Silverstone. Starting from the middle of the pack made the job difficult to find the right pace, so I focused on finishing the race and score some important points for the championship. Things will be different in Aragon.”
Pol Espargaro – P11
“I hoped to be a bit faster this weekend because we’d had such good pace in the tests but there were factors like the extra rubber on track and also the racing situations to deal with and the front tire pressure. For the race I’m not too satisfied but for my ‘normal’ job we were able to learn more about the bike – that is at a very high level – and the vulnerabilities and where we can improve. We still have more testing work to do at other circuits and then hand the bike over to the factory riders to see that they think.”
Miguel Oliveira – P12
“I had a decent start, more or less, but not as good as yesterday. But, in turn 3 I was overtaken by Marc (Marquez) – in ‘Marc style’ – and ended up going backwards. I lost a lot places because of that and then I was just stuck and stayed behind the guys in front as it took me two to three laps to overtake each rider. The front tire pressure went to the roof and every time I got a little bit of clean air, I was super-fast. I think I had some of the best pace compared to the other Aprilia guys but the opening laps, after a good start were bad and that cost me quite a lot in terms of the result.”
Pedro Acosta – P13
“It is difficult to explain what went wrong today, it was a really tough race. We had some issues that we weren’t expecting, but it is difficult to explain yet what happened. Let’s analyse everything, try to understand what we can improve. This round is going to be tough for all of us involved to swallow, because we had higher expectations, but the whole Pierer Mobility group is pushing hard for our MotoGP project, so I know that we will be at the front sooner or later. The test team is going for two days in Misano next week, so let’s wait and see what we can find, and hopefully we will be arriving in Aragon with fresh ideas!”
Takaaki Nakagami – P14
“I’ve had fun on the bike. It was a tough race, but I felt good and knew I wanted to get the maximum with our package. We’ve done a good job this weekend, and I must thank the team for its commitment and effort. We’ll try again in the next race!”
Augusto Fernandez – P15
“Austria is always a tough race as we have to manage a lot of the drop of the rear tyre, and basically survive through. I was able to do most of the race with Pedro Acosta as he struggled too today, and it was quite interesting. Overall I am happy to finish in the points in the end after we were able to be a bit more competitive than the rest of the weekend.”
Alex Rins – P16
“It was a really, really tough Race. It was so hard to finish the Race. First of all, because of the warm conditions, and second because I was struggling a bit with the bike. Less than yesterday, because we made a small improvement with the set-up, but it was still difficult to keep the rear tyre on the tarmac. When the rear lifts, we need to manage with the front brakes, so we experience some locking. But I‘m so proud of myself! I demonstrated that I can overcome difficult moments with work and consistency. So, I‘m looking forward to the private test in Misano. I‘m ready to work!”
Joan Mir – P17
“It was a really challenging race today and we did what we could with the situation in front of us. There are still some areas that we need to keep working on and a few of our issues were made more challenging at this track. But the important part is the information, and I am looking to the future for what is to come from HRC. Now is the moment to stay focused and keep working through our things.”
Fabio Quartararo – P18
“It was clearly a bit of a disastrous weekend for us. We expected more, especially from the Race today. We finished too far from the top guys, so we have to work hard, because we need it to change for the future.”
Jack Miller – P19
“Austria was a weekend of solid pace, good vibes, and decent running despite a small mishap on my end. It’s never a dull moment at the Austrian GP, that is for sure, with the Red Bull Ring always creating a wild weekend of MotoGP racing. Fortunately for us, we were pretty competitive from the get-go, and it was nice to have some confidence heading into the weekend.
“A couple of decent practice sessions where we gained a lot of data translated into P1 in Q1, which is always nice to be at the top of the times in any session, then we backed that up with P5 in Q2 when the big dogs were on the track. We felt we learned a lot throughout these sessions, it was a bit of a long way to do things with both quali sessions, but extra track time also can help you at times, and I felt like we maximised that side of things.
“The Sprint Race went pretty bloody well too I must say – to finish up there in P5 right with the boys was awesome as it’s been a minute since we’ve had that pace. To bank a solid result like that is crucial for points and momentum for the remainder of the season.
“In the Feature Race, not the ideal way we wanted that to pan out. Felt like we were in a good position again and the pace was strong, but just a small mistake on my behalf – not sure if I hit a bump or what – but it ultimately put me down.
“That was a real bummer to end the weekend like that, although there were a lot of positives to take away and all things considered I’m happy that we had a competitive bike throughout the weekend and a solid showing despite the crash. Aragón next, we’ll keep on with this trajectory, and keep the ball rolling for the next phase of the season.”
Lorenzo Savadori – P20
“All told, it was a positive weekend where we found some interesting aspects for the future. In the race, I had to test some upgrades that still need more kilometres to be fully assessed, but if it hadn’t been for that, my race pace was not bad and I would have been able to battle for points. This track has confirmed its status as a difficult one for us, where we’ll have to continue working, especially in conditions of high tyre wear, low grip, significant deceleration sections, and acceleration from low speeds. These are all areas we are focusing on currently and in view of the 2025 bike.”
Johann Zarco – P21
“I decided to stay on track, hoping for a wet race, but it didn’t rain, so I just took it as a session. To look at the bright side, we’ve worked well over the weekend, and I felt good on the bike in the previous practices. This is part of racing, and we’ll improve for the next races. Our team is already working to prevent such issues in the future, and we’re confident that we’ll bounce back stronger.”
Stefan Bradl – P22
“I enjoy racing here at the Red Bull Ring, it’s a second home GP for me and I really want to thank the fans for their support. Our weekend was about testing and collecting data, which we were able to do and it plays an important part of development. As a racer you always want to do more when you’re on track, but we need to be content with what we’ve done. Now we turn our eyes to the rest of the year and our test schedule.”
Raul Fernandez – DNF
“We had a mechanical problem from the middle to the end of the race which the team need to look at – but, this seems to be part of the game and I think, during the race, we made a really good step. I felt much better with the bike and could brake where I wanted. In the first part of the race, I saw that we have more or less the same pace as the factory boys because I saw a few reference points from them in different parts of the track and the gap was more or less the same. The issue occurred from halfway through the race and although I tried to end the race for the team, it was impossible. It was very disappointing to come back to the garage. To take the positives though; we know that this track is quite difficult with our bike and we still had a pretty good race until we hit trouble.”
Luca Marini – DNF
“Not too much to say about today. We had an issue with the bike that we need to explore deeper before the next race, I could feel it from the start of the race. Aside from this we have had a very good and important weekend here. When you have something like this on Sunday you have to take a step back and look at the whole weekend – which has been positive. Now we have a busy time period and a lot of work and races until the end of the year.”
Team Managers
Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager
“If a manual of instruction for the perfect race existed, the one put together by Pecco today would be rightfully in it. To be able to manage such a strong pace against a formidable opponent, while pulling away lap after lap and managing tyre consumption at the same time, is something very few riders are capable of. This happens only when the technical package, the team and the rider work perfectly together and they’re at their best in each situation, especially with a MotoGP field as competitive as this year’s. Enea also had an excellent performance, despite he wasn’t as comfortable as he was in Silverstone; when things don’t go as smooth and you still finish on the podium, you can’t be but happy. I’d like to thank the team, and everyone involved in the project back at home, for the excellent work.”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager
“Overall we have to take the good parts of the weekend. Today Brad was simply great. He didn’t make any mistakes and had a great start from the fourth row. He gave all he had. We know his race attitude and showed what he was able to do. We were happy to have Jack back near the top, despite the little crash. He had an outstanding qualifying and was 5th yesterday. He can still deliver some good results for the team. Pol did a great job and what he did this weekend was very useful for the team for the development. The result were also solid! Moving from the microphone to the handlebar is not easy at this level and it also means the competitiveness of the bike is encouraging. We are working strongly, and I want to thank all the fans at our home race and all of the company staff and management that came to cheer us around the track and in the garage. Our mission is to grab some different results now and be back.”
Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager
“A bittersweet GP: on one hand Fabio’s bad crash that forced him to abandon the race, on the other a weekend, but above all a very solid race by Marco who was able to always stay with the group of protagonists. It was needed, already in Silverstone the sensations were very good and here he further concretised and shortened the gap. He feels more at ease in riding and the performances are better. A pity for Fabio, we are waiting for the last medical checks in Italy and we expect him on the track as soon.”
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia
“We confirmed once again that we are competitive in qualifying and in the sprint race. Unfortunately, yet again in the long race, when the distance increases, tyre degradation arrives and we lose competitiveness. We knew that this was not one of the most favorable tracks for our bike, but we also encountered some excessive temperature issues. We certainly collected some important data to analyse in order to improve. All we can do is keep working, because the gap behind the others in the race is unacceptable.”
Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager
“It was probably one of the most difficult weekends of the season for the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team. We knew that not having any rider go through Q2 would make the whole weekend more difficult, and it is what happened. Pedro Acosta was starting from P14, and it is always difficult to approach the top 5 when you are that far. He did not have the speed he wanted in Austria, and it will be very frustrating for him. We have to focus on what are our weak points at the moment, and turn them into assets to turn things around. If we look at Brad Binder’s race, there is room for improvement for us, so we are going to work hard to try to fix our issues. Augusto Fernandez gave us a good fight today, was in P14 until the last lap, and then finally took a point in 15th. There are positives for him to take from today’s race, so let’s take them, and feed from them for the future.”
Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Team Manager
“On paper the results do not seem that good but I think this weekend has been positive in certain points – Miguel had two good races, with strong pace with the results were probably damaged by his starting position. But, he had the potential to have stronger results and with Raul, we had a problem in the main race. He could not use the tire towards the end and we are looking into that but he was in a good position, keeping the pace, so it is a pity. Again, we could have been better but I can see the positives during this weekend; Miguel with the potential to be comfortable in the top ten and Raul making progress on his 2024 bike – learning all the time. We keep going – on to the next one in Aragon!”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“It was a race day to forget. It’s been a mirror image of yesterday’s Sprint race. We didn’t expect such a difficult weekend. Álex did a good job in today’s heat, especially considering his condition. Fabio had a good start but was not able to defend his position, and the long-lap penalty ended his chances to fight for points. Other than that, there’s not much to say. We need to really understand what is causing this poor performance. We have the Aragon GP coming up in two weeks’ time, but first we have a private Misano test next week. We are going to evaluate different components and, if the results are good, we are aiming to bring the parts straight to Aragon.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin
“The riders particularly appreciated the special rear Michelin Power Slick tyres that we brought to Spielberg this weekend. Performance, consistency and resistance to high temperatures were the key elements to giving the public a great show and also achieving the new records recorded during the weekend. The Red Bull Ring is a stop and go circuit where the traction requirements on corner exits are very high, and also where braking is very violent, meaning the riders are constantly loading the front end when slowing down. This year, the average track temperatures were higher than usual, which presented an additional challenge for the tyres. I would also like to highlight the superb performance of the Michelin Power Slick tyres for MotoE. Two great races took place on Saturday and the lap times were consistently better than the record set in 2023. This is a great demonstration that Michelin has mastered the technology of renewable and recycled materials, and that their introduction combines perfectly with the safety and high performance required on track.”
MotoGP Red Bull Ring Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | F Bagnaia | Duc | 42m11.173 |
| 2 | J Martin | Duc | +3.232 |
| 3 | E Bastianini | Duc | +7.357 |
| 4 | M Marquez | Duc | +13.836 |
| 5 | B Binder | KTM | +18.620 |
| 6 | M Bezzecchi | Duc | +21.206 |
| 7 | M Viñales | Apr | +24.322 |
| 8 | F Morbidelli | Duc | +27.677 |
| 9 | A Espargaro | Apr | +28.829 |
| 10 | A Marquez | Duc | +30.268 |
| 11 | P Espargaro | KTM | +30.526 |
| 12 | M Oliveira | Apr | +30.702 |
| 13 | P Acosta | KTM | +33.736 |
| 14 | T Nakagami | Hon | +36.310 |
| 15 | A Fernandez | Yam | +36.522 |
| 16 | A Rins | Yam | +37.571 |
| 17 | J Mir | Hon | +40.432 |
| 18 | F Quartararo | Yam | +43.788 |
| 19 | J Miller | KTM | +44.134 |
| 20 | L Savadori | Apr | +44.576 |
| 21 | J Zarco | Hon | +54.126 |
| 22 | S Bradl | Hon | +54.923 |
| Not Classifed | |||
| DNF | R Fernandez | Apr | 1 lap |
| DNF | L Marini | Hon | 23 laps |
Red Bull Ring MotoGP Top Speeds Across Weekend
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Speed |
| 1 | L Savadori | Apr | 317.1 |
| 2 | P Espargaro | Ktm | 315.7 |
| 3 | J Zarco | Hon | 315.7 |
| 4 | F Morbidelli | Duc | 315.7 |
| 5 | B Binder | Ktm | 315.7 |
| 6 | F Bagnaia | Duc | 315.7 |
| 7 | J Martin | Duc | 314.4 |
| 8 | M Oliveira | Apr | 314.4 |
| 9 | P Acosta | Ktm | 314.4 |
| 10 | M Bezzecchi | Duc | 314.4 |
| 11 | S Bradl | Hon | 314.4 |
| 12 | E Bastianini | Duc | 314.4 |
| 13 | M Marquez | Duc | 313.0 |
| 14 | R Fernandez | Apr | 313.0 |
| 15 | J Miller | Ktm | 313.0 |
| 16 | A Fernandez | Ktm | 313.0 |
| 17 | A Rins | Yam | 313.0 |
| 18 | L Marini | Hon | 311.6 |
| 19 | A Espargaro | Apr | 311.6 |
| 20 | A Marquez | Duc | 311.6 |
| 21 | J Mir | Hon | 311.6 |
| 22 | F Quartararo | Yam | 310.3 |
| 23 | M Viñales | Apr | 310.3 |
| 24 | T Nakagami | Hon | 309.0 |
| 25 | F Giannantonio | Duc | 307.6 |
MotoGP Championship Standings
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bagnaia | 275 |
| 2 | Martin | 270 |
| 3 | Bastianini | 214 |
| 4 | Marquez | 192 |
| 5 | Viñales | 139 |
| 6 | Binder | 128 |
| 7 | Acosta | 125 |
| 8 | Espargaro | 113 |
| 9 | Di Giannantonio | 104 |
| 10 | Marquez | 98 |
| 11 | Bezzecchi | 73 |
| 12 | Morbidelli | 73 |
| 13 | Oliveira | 55 |
| 14 | Quartararo | 49 |
| 15 | Miller | 47 |
| 16 | Fernandez | 46 |
| 17 | Fernandez | 16 |
| 18 | Zarco | 14 |
| 19 | Mir | 13 |
| 20 | Nakagami | 13 |
| 21 | Rins | 8 |
| 22 | Pedrosa | 7 |
| 23 | Espargaro | 6 |
| 24 | Marini | 1 |
