Category Archives: MotoGP

Hat-trick hero: Bagnaia beats Quartararo by 0.4s in Austria

It’s three wins in a row for the Italian as Quartararo runs him close at the Red Bull Ring

For the first time in his career Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is a hat-trick hero after leading from start to finish in a tense CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. In the end, Pecco’s win advantage was just 0.4s to World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) who produces a phenomenal ride to finish P2 ahead of third place Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). 

Three in a row for Pecco, Quartararo sublime

In front of 92,000 jubilant fans the lights went out for the MotoGP™ race and it was Bagnaia who grabbed the holeshot from Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Miller slotted into P3 with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) holding station in P4. Quartararo got a decent start but at the end of the first lap, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) passed the Frenchman to demote the Championship leader to P6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), meanwhile, didn’t get a good getaway after his holeshot device didn’t engage but the number 41 recovered to P7 at the beginning of the second lap. Elsewhere, Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) crashed out at Turn 4 on the first lap and it was later confirmed the 2020 World Champion suffered ligament damage in his foot.

Mir suffers ankle injury after major highside

The leading Ducati quartet quickly found themselves over a second clear of Viñales, who had stretched his advantage over Quartararo to half a second. It wasn’t line astern in the lead group though. Miller overtook Bastianini at Turn 3 and Martin then had a successful bite at the cherry, only for Bastianini to snap back at Turn 1 on Lap 5. Viñales then made a mistake down at Turn 4, the Spaniard dropped behind Aleix Espargaro and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing), before drama unfolded further up the road.

Bastianini looked like he had a problem going into Turn 3. Zarco did an excellent job of taking avoiding action as the Italian slowed right down through no fault of his own, before the polesitter then ran straight into the gravel a few seconds later at Turn 4. Was there an issue? It certainly looked like it as Bastianini was then forced to retire.

This saw Bagnaia and Miller open a one second advantage over Martin, Quartararo was a further 1.3s away in P4 with Espargaro and Viñales P5 and P6. Martin was digging deep and on Lap 11 of 28, the Spaniard was right with his Ducati stablemates. Quartararo was still 1.4s behind the third of the GP22s and had main title rival Espargaro 1.1s adrift, as Bagnaia set a personal best lap to gain a 0.6s lead over Miller.

WATCH: A. Espargaro suffers lights out shocker in Austria

On Lap 14, Quartararo set his personal best lap of the race and the reigning Champion was now 0.6s behind Martin. The latter made a mistake at the chicane with 12 laps to go and was forced to give the position up to Quartararo, but did Martin then have a problem? He raised his hand coming out of Turn 4 to signal he might have but he was back at full speed soon enough.

The situation with eight laps to go was this: Bagnaia boasted a 0.9s lead over teammate Miller, who was now hearing Quartararo’s YZR-M1 swarming all over the back of his GP22 tail. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) picked off Aleix Espargaro for P5, and Espargaro was coming under pressure from Zarco and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Martin was still in P4, 0.6s away from Quartararo. That 0.6s gap soon became 0.3s with Martin now the fastest rider on track.

With four laps to go, a sensational move at Turn 2B saw Quartararo carve his way past Miller up into P2. Miller just held off Martin for P3 as Quartararo saw Bagnaia 1.5s up the road at the beginning of Lap 26 of 28. Starting Lap 27, Quartararo had clawed 0.2s back and starting the last lap, it was under a second!

Martin, up the inside of Miller, crashed unhurt at Turn 1 which gave Miller an easy ride home to P3. But could Quartararo do anything to stop Bagnaia from winning? No, not quite, although he wasn’t far away. Pecco took victory by just 0.4s to make it a hat-trick and reduce the gap to the Frenchman to 44 points, with Miller on the podium again in P3.

Aleix Espargaro grinds out a P6

Fourth place for Marini is the Italian’s best result in the premier class to date, he eventually held off Zarco in fifth by less than half a second. 2.4s further behind was Aleix Espargaro who sees his disadvantage to Quartararo grow to 32 points heading to Misano, but on a tough weekend for the Spaniard, it could have been worse from P9 on the grid.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) gave KTM a P7 on their home patch, it was another solid Sunday rider for the South African, as he and Rins were separated by a tenth on the line. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) claimed P9 ahead of Martin in 10th, the latter able to remount after his last lap tumble at Turn 1.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Viñales, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) rounded out the points positions at the Red Bull Ring.

Next up: Misano!

The title race pendulum is definitely swinging towards Bagnaia at this moment in time, and coming up next is the Italian’s home race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli – a track he knows like the back of his hand. Quartararo though extends his lead, but the Frenchman, Espargaro and Bagnaia are now split by just 44 points. Game on. 

Top 10:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.492
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 2.163
4. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 8.348
5. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 8.821
6. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 11.287
7. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 11.642
8. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 11.780
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 16.987
10. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 17.144

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Ogura wins after final-lap intra-team battle

Ogura takes over the Championship lead despite fellow Honda Team Asia rider Chantra’s last-minute challenge

Ai Ogura has moved into the Moto2™ World Championship lead with victory in the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, even if Idemitsu Honda Team Asia team-mate Somkiat Chantra seemingly ignored team orders and attacked on the final lap. Chantra went down the inside at Turn 9, the second-last corner of the race, but Ogura re-passed him immediately at Turn 10 to collect 25 crucial points. There was similar drama in the battle for the final podium place, Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) passing Pedro Acosta for third at Turn 10 also. Acosta therefore finished fourth on his return from a broken femur, one position up on now former Championship-leading Red Bull KTM Ajo team-mate Augusto Fernandez.

Ogura settles into the lead as Fernandez loses ground

Ogura made a good start from pole position and took a clear lead to the first corner, while Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) wrested second place from Fernandez at Turn 2a. Fernandez came under further attack in the opening stages, shuffled all the way back to eighth when Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) went past at Turn 3 on Lap 2. Ahead, Chantra ran in third, from Dixon, Acosta, and Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team).

Lopez overtook Ogura for the lead later that lap at Turn 9, but handed it back when he ran wide on Lap 4 at Turn 4. The Spaniard also ceded second place exactly two laps later when Chantra came in hot under brakes, making contact on his way through as he barely kept control of his bike. Meanwhile, Vietti had taken fifth spot from Acosta after an error from #51 on Lap 5 at Turn 5.

Housemates, teammates, best mates: Ogura & Chantra’s bond

Dixon has his hands full

On Lap 7, Dixon ran long at both Turns 3 and 4, dropping all the way back to eighth position and hence promoting Fernandez back to seventh. The Briton’s first ‘moment’ also gave Vietti a look at Lopez, but those two drifted to 1.5 seconds behind the leading Honda Team Asia duo before the VR46 pilot assumed third spot when the Speed Up rider ran wide at Turn 4 on Lap 10.

Acosta passed Lopez for fourth on Lap 13 but when they both had messy runs through the chicane on Lap 14, bottling up the pack, Fernandez capitalised with a double pass up the hill at Turn 3 to take up fifth spot, from Canet, Dixon, and Lopez. However, the KTM Ajo rider lost that spot to Canet on Lap 15 and was back to seventh when Dixon made a move at the chicane on Lap 16.

Disaster for Vietti

Meanwhile, Vietti had been racking up fastest laps to catch up to second-placed Chantra. He looked likely to go past eventually until disaster struck on lap 17, when he crashed at Turn 3. The incident handed Chantra a five-second buffer over third place and while Vietti remounted, last of the 26 still running, he would eventually retreat to pit lane and retire.

Team orders? What team orders?

With Ogura first and Fernandez sixth after the Vietti crash, the race leader was in the live World Championship lead by two points. While Chantra was latched onto his rear wheel with more than half a dozen laps to go, Honda Team Asia was clearly thinking big picture, as evidenced by a pitboard message to the man in second place of ‘P2 OK’.

Whether he saw that or not, Chantra decided that P2 was not particularly OK. He went for a pass on the 25th and final lap at Turn 9 and briefly got ahead, only for Ogura to come back down his inside at the last right-hander. They flashed across the finish line just 0.173 seconds apart, but that was not the end of the drama.

More last-corner action

Dixon and Fernandez had got back up to fourth and fifth respetively, ahead of Canet, by the time they started the last lap, but the former was not done yet. Dixon made one unsuccessful attempt to pass Acosta midway through the final tour, but then got the job done at Turn 10 to snatch the final podium place.

How the rest finished

The rest of the points finishers in 11th through 15th respectively were Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP), Cameron Beaubier (American Racing), Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team), and Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), while Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) and Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) were among the nine DNFs. They had been eighth and ninth when Dalla Porta was slow off Turn 3 on Lap 18 and Arbolino, with nowhere to go, crashed into him. As for Vietti, he is still third in the standings, but is now 27 points off top spot.

The title fight could barely be closer, and there is still so much left to play out this season! Catch Round 14, the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, on September 2-4.

Moto2™ Race Top 10:

1. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia)
2. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.173
3. Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 7.854
4. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 7.960
5. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 8.037
6. Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) + 9.401
7. Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) + 12.995
8. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) + 18.254
9. Albert Arenas (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 20.661
10. Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) + 22.227

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Sasaki stuns in Spielberg to win despite double Long Lap

The Japanese rider produces a phenomenal comeback ride to win in Austria as Suzuki and Muñoz complete the podium

Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) produced a stunning comeback ride to win the Moto3™ CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich despite having a double Long Lap penalty to contend with. The Japanese star eventually beat compatriot Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) by less than a tenth as the podium fight came down to the final lap, with rookie sensation David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) completing the podium in Austria. 

A stunner from Sasaki

As the lights went out on race day at the Red Bull Ring it was Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Deniz Öncü who grabbed the holeshot from third on the grid, as Sasaki also got the better of polesitter Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Sasaki took the lead on Lap 1 and then dived in to take the first of his two Long Lap penalties, the second came a couple of laps later – P24 was the result for the Japanese rider.

After a two-for-one deal at Turn 1, Muñoz briefly led but as always, the lightweight class battle was frantic. Izan Guevara (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) led for the first time on Lap 6, with teammate and World Championship leader Sergio Garcia making his way up into the top three at the same time.

By Lap 9, Sasaki had picked his way back up into the top 10 – a 1:41.029 was eight tenths faster than race leader Guevara and the number 71 was carving his way to the front like a hot knife through butter. Another fastest lap of the Grand Prix was set and soon, Sasaki was up to P5. A lap later, that was P3. A couple of corners after that, it was P2 and yes, you guessed it, Sasaki was back leading the race with 11 laps to go.

With seven laps to go, Sasaki and Suzuki had opened up a slight advantage as Öncü, Garcia, Guevara and Muñoz scrapped away behind, as Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed unhurt at Turn 3. Meanwhile, Öncü and Muñoz got their heads down and reeled in Sasaki and Suzuki.

With three to go, the top four were 0.9s ahead of Garcia in fifth who had Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI), Guevara and Holdgado for close company. Heading onto the final lap, Sasaki led Suzuki, Öncü and Muñoz. It was a four rider scrap for victory, as Muñoz picked off Öncü at Turn 3. Sasaki was able to edge out a couple of bike lengths on the chasing trio, and despite their best efforts, no one was able to better Sasaki who crossed the line 0.064s ahead of Suzuki – who was the only Honda rider in the top 11 – to spectacularly win in Austria after a double Long Lap penalty. Muñoz, from P16 on the grid, completed the podium behind Sasaki and Suzuki, with Öncü forced to settle for P4.

The top 10, Garcia extends Championship lead

Garcia, with a fifth place finish, extends his lead over Guevara in the standings to five points as sixth place Moreira placed himself between the top two in the title race – Guevara takes home a P7. Holgado slipped to P8 by the chequered flag, the reigning Moto3™ Junior World Champion had a four second margin to ninth place John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max), while Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) completed the top 10.

After winning the British GP, Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) was the second best Honda finisher in P12 and slips to 49 points behind Garcia in the Championship.

Next up for the Moto3™ riders is a trip to Misano! Sasaki has closed the gap to 55 points to Garcia, will that be cut more in a couple of weeks’ time?

Top 10:
1. Ayumu Sasaki (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max)
2. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) + 0.064
3. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) + 0.292
4. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) + 0.344
5. Sergio Garcia (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) + 2.453
6. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets – MSI) + 2.636
7. Izan Guevara (AutoSolar GASGAS Aspar Team) + 3.074
8. Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 3.109
9. John McPhee (Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max) + 7.474
10. Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) + 7.713

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Quartararo quickest in wet/dry Austria Warm Up

As far as the timesheet looks after WUP, Quartararo finished half a second clear of the field. The Frenchman struggled initially to stay in track limits but, when he did, he clocked a 1:30.054 and then a 1:29.800 on consecutive laps – a good omen for the man starting on the middle of Row 2. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was the best of the rest on a 1:30.315, from Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) on a 1:30.346, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) on a 1:30.412, and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on a 1:30.462, while pole-sitter Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was classified 16th on a 1:31.043. Miller had a brief excursion through the gravel at the new Turn 2a/Turn 2b chicane, but the session was otherwise essentially incident-free.

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Bagnaia hunting maiden hat-trick hero accolade

1. Bastianini has qualified on pole for the first time in MotoGP™ becoming the seventh different polesitter since the opening race of the season in Qatar, which is already one more than last year. The last time there were seven different polesitters in a single MotoGP™ season was in 2020, and the all-time record is eight.

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Granado wins as Casadei crashes out the lead on final lap

The Brazilian was handed a crucial victory at the Red Bull Ring to close the gap to Aegerter in the World Cup standings

Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) emerged victorious from a dramatic Race 1 in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich as Mattia Casadei (Pons Racing 40) crashed out of the lead on the final lap. The Brazilian eventually beat main title rival Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) by 1.2s with Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) picking up the final podium spot in third.

Granado wins a dramatic encounter

It was a fast and dramatic start at the Red Bull Ring as Casadei grabbed the holeshot ahead of polesitter Granado, as we saw Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE™) crash on the exit of Turn 1. Thankfully both Ferrari and his bike weren’t collected by the field, and soon after at Turn 2B, Bradley Smith (WithU GRT RNF MotoE™ Team) went down. The British rider was able to walk away but took a trip to the medical centre after suffering from left ankle pain. 

Casadei got his head down and built up a 1.1s lead over the chasing pack, as Granado picked off Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) for P2 at Turn 2 on Lap 2. Cup leader Aegerter then passed Zannoni for P3 at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 4, the Swiss rider had 2.2s to bridge to race leader Casadei – who in turn was being hunted down by Granado.

By the end of Lap 4, Granado had reeled Casadei right in. On Lap 5, the Brazilian had one bite at the cherry that didn’t work on Casadei and on Lap 6 at Turn 1, a second one came. But that didn’t work either, and Granado was out of shape and wide, costing him time.

Heading onto the final lap, Casadei boasted a 0.6s lead and half a lap later it was up to 0.8s. It looked like it was going to be a comfortable cruise to victory for the Italian but at the penultimate corner, he was down. A mistake two corners from home saw a win slip away from Casadei, meaning Granado would cross the line as Race 1 winner by 1.2s over Aegerter.

The top 10 in Race 1

Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) claimed P4 in what was an intense battle for the top five. The Japanese star managed to fend off Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) by a couple of tenths who in turn beat teammate Alex Escrig by 0.030s, the latter claiming P6 ahead of Zannoni – who was out of the saddle on the penultimate lap at Turn 3 – and reigning Cup winner Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40). Octo Pramac MotoE™ teammates Xavi Fores and Kevin Manfredi rounded out the top 10.

The gap between Aegerter and Granado has been cut to 26.5 points in the overall standings with just three races to go. Race 2 comes your way on Sunday at 15:30 local time (GMT+2). 

Top 10:
1. Eric Granado (LCR E-Team)
2. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) + 1.271
3. Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) + 1.797
4. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE™) + 3.369
5. Hector Garzo (Tech3 E-Racing) + 3.589
6. Alex Escrig (Tech3 E-Racing) + 3.619
7. Kevin Zannoni (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) + 3.904
8. Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) + 4.634
9. Xavi Fores (Octo Pramac MotoE™) + 11.745
10. Kevin Manfredi (Octo Pramac MotoE™) + 11.911

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Ogura picks up Spielberg Moto2™ pole

Persistence pays off for the Japanese rider in Q2 at the Red Bull Ring

Idemitsu Honda Team Asia’s Ai Ogura has claimed the Moto2™ pole position at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. The Japanese rider eventually clocked a 1:33.933 in Q2 at the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg to finish the session just 0.048 seconds up on CAG Speed Up’s Alonso Lopez. World Championship leader Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) also earned a spot on the front row for Sunday afternoon’s race.

Ogura gets there in the end

Lopez was the early pace-setter in Q2 and the 20-year-old Spaniard was back on top when he set a 1:33.981 on his third flying lap. Ogura soon took up second position, albeit at more than two tenths of a second off the pace, and he continued to be a threat. The man who has been linked to a MotoGP™ ride with LCR Honda Idemitsu was setting a succession of ‘red’ first and second sectors, but was struggling to improve over the course of the whole lap.

Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) capitalised somewhat by moving into second position on a 1:34.104 with less than three minutes to go, before Ogura finally strung all four sectors together well enough to clock a 1:34.001. Having closed the gap to Lopez, the Saitama-born pilot then completely overcame it when he punched out a 1:33.933 just before the chequered flag. For Ogura, who is second in the World Championship, it is a second career Moto2™ pole, but Lopez’s reward is a still commendable front row start. Fernandez, meanwhile, earned third with an even later 1:34.101.

How the rest of the grid looks

Dixon was therefore classified fourth, with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) fifth at just a single thousandth of a second slower again. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who is back in the saddle after breaking a femur in a motocross training crash, took an impressive sixth with a late 1:34.126, while Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was seventh on a 1:34.170.

Rounding out the top 10 were Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Albert Arenas (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team), and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team), while Q1 fast man Cameron Beaubier (American Racing) would be classified 11th after a mid-session spill at Turn 1. Fermin Aldeguer (CAG Speed Up) came from Q1 but was at one point fastest in Q2 before being shuffled back to 12th in the final classification, with Aron Canet (Flexbox HP40) finishing 13th after he also crashed at Turn 1. The rest of the Q2 classification was Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2™), Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40), and Barry Baltus (RW Racing GP).

Back in Q1, Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and then Jeremy Alcoba (Liqui Moly Intact GP) both improved after the chequered flag. However, Alcoba was still 0.084 seconds shy of the top four and Roberts 0.120 seconds outside the cut-off, with those two set to start 19th and 20th respectively. Also on Row 7 will be debutant Senna Agius, who is riding this weekend as an injury replacement for Sam Lowes at the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team. Niccolo Antonelli (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) walked away from a crash at Turn 2a and would be classified 11th in Q1 and therefore 25th on the starting grid.

Ogura has the opportunity to not only get his second Moto2™ race win, but also to close the gap to and potentially even pass Fernandez in the World Championship. Can he do it? After the morning Warm Up, the race itself gets underway on Sunday at 12:20 (GMT +2)!

Moto2™ Q2 Top 10:
1. Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) – 1:33.933
2. Alonso Lopez (CAG Speed Up) + 0.048
3. Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.168
4. Jake Dixon (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.171
5. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) + 0.172
6. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) + 0.193
7. Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 0.237
8. Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) + 0.312
9. Albert Arenas (Zinia GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.321
10. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Italtrans Racing Team) + 0.324

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Bastianini leaves it late to snatch pole from Bagnaia

It’s a maiden premier class pole for the Beast; Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro settling for second and third row starts

For the first time in his MotoGP™ career, Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) will launch from pole position after leaving it late to snatch Q2 top spot from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in a fantastic CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich Q2. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completes the front row of the grid as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) have to settle for second and third row starts respectively.

Aleix Espargaro battles through Q1

For the first time since the Americas GP, Aleix Espargaro found himself in Q1 and with both Quartararo and Bagnaia looking in fine form, progression into Q2 was all that mattered. And it was the title-chasing Spaniard who set the first couple of benchmarks, with younger brother Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) slotting into P2 just 0.045s behind.

Luca Marini’s (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) best effort on his first run put him third as the top three sat 0.068s apart with seven minutes of Q1 left. Drama then unfolded at Turn 2B as both Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) crash in quick succession, thankfully both riders were ok, as Aleix Espargaro improved his lap by a couple of tenths to strengthen his grip on a Q2 spot. But it wasn’t over.

Marini was on a flyer as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) pounced to P2, but Marini lost time in the second half of the lap and couldn’t beat his Ducati counterpart to the second promotion spot. With no one else threatening the top two, Aleix Espargaro was safe and joining him in Q2 was Italian GP polesitter Di Giannantonio.

The Beast leaves it late to bag a maiden pole position

Miller slammed in the first benchmark – a 1:29.164 – but the pace was upped on the second flying laps. Espargaro went top with a 1:29.032 before Miller bounced back to set a 1:28.898, the fastest lap of the weekend so far. Espargaro’s lap was then cancelled so the Spaniard dropped to P5 behind Bastianini, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), with Quartararo and Bagnaia P6 and P12 respectively – the latter yet to set a time after running wide at the new Turn 2 chicane.

Pecco was the first rider to emerge on a fresh set of soft Michelin rear rubber and pounced straight up to P2 to make it a factory Ducati 1-2, 0.101s splitting Miller and Pecco. The in-form Italian was then at the summit of the times by 0.102s after a storming second effort, with Quartararo only able to grab P5. That soon turned into P6 as Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) went P5.

As the clock ticked down. a beast was on the prowl. And sure enough, Bastianini was able to beat Bagnaia’s time by 0.024s to claim his first premier class pole position to front a Ducati armada at the spearhead of the grid. 

Quartararo and Espargaro with work to do

2021 Red Bull Ring race winner Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) will start from P4 ahead of reigning World Champion Quartararo, who is once again the first non-Ducati rider in the standings. Zarco will start sixth alongside his compatriot, with a trio of Spaniards making up the third – including Aleix Espargaro. Viñales and Mir finished 7th and 8th in Q2 with Espargaro’s lap time cancellation for exceeding track limits at Turn 8 causing him to start from 9th.

Di Giannantonio, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completed the Q2 running order in P10, P11 and P12 with just 0.7s covering the top 12.

With 0.4s splitting polesitter Bastianini to 9th place Aleix Espargaro, and so much on the line, the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) is simply unmissable! 

Top 10:
1. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) – 1:28.772
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.024
3. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 0.109
4. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.186
5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.231
6. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 0.274
7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 0.363
8. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 0.483
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 0.483
10. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 0.564

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Bastianini sets pace in FP4 as Bagnaia takes a tumble

World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) claimed fourth on a 1:29.868, ahead of two more Ducati riders in Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing). Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), who is going into Q1, finished FP4 in 10th position, while Andrea Dovizioso (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team) was classified 18th after a late front-end lose at Turn 1 – rider okay. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull IKTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, found himself riding back through the paddock after a possible technical problem – but he had already done enough to claim ninth on the timesheet.

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