MotoGP riders reflect on the ups and downs of the Austrian GP

MotoGP 2022 – Round 13 – Red Bull Ring
CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“It was a great weekend. We weren’t very fast, but after FP4, we found a solution that allowed us to be competitive in qualifying and consistent in the race. In order not to risk problems, we made maybe one tyre choice that wasn’t quite right, and in the last laps, I suffered a little, but in the end, we made it. I’m very happy and can’t wait to get back on track in a fortnight for my home race at Misano”.

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It‘s a shame that I didn‘t do a good first lap. But, anyway, I feel that we got the best result possible for us today. We were missing a little bit for the win, but I‘m super happy about my race. I feel like we fought off our main competitors all weekend, and especially in the race I fought like a lion. I was on 100% risk today over 28 laps. But I was super focused. I made a few mistakes and lost the front so many times, but my reaction time and concentration were really good today. I feel proud of myself! And even with Pecco finishing in front of us, this has given me a boost of energy for the next races.”

Jack Miller – P3

“I’ve got to say, that one feels pretty satisfying. Not just because it’s a third podium for me in the last four races, but because we had great pace again here in Austria and I was able to make the most of it. I’m up to fifth in the championship now too, so getting back towards where I finished last year. It was a tense race, I was every lap in the top three with no chance to rest at all, I began it attacking and ended it defending – and finished where I started again, just like Silverstone. Definitely pretty content with that. 

“I got up to second past Enea (Bastianini) pretty early, and then tried to put a little move on (teammate) Pecco (Bagnaia) soon after, because I felt I could maybe help tow the two of us clear of the others. But then he found something I didn’t have and pulled away, so I had my tongue hanging out of my mouth trying to stay with him! He’s riding really well at the moment, for sure. It was worth trying the move, I couldn’t quite pull it off, and then he was able to put the hammer down. Fair play to him.

“Once Pecco had things under control, I was just trying to stay where I was. For 20 straight laps I was second – it was (Jorge) Martin behind me at first, then Fabio (Quartararo). Fabio got me at the chicane with about four laps left and made me look a bit silly, and I was fighting like crazy to keep the podium, which wasn’t easy because I’d pretty much run out of everything at that stage! I was struggling in the left-hand corners, mostly. Martin had a go at the first corner on the last lap, and I was kind of lucky to get away with that one when he crashed beside me. I know I braked deep, so I don’t know where he was planning on going because he braked later than me! I don’t know if he wanted to stay on the track or not… anyway, it made the rest of my last lap a bit more chilled, so it all worked out.

“Since we had the test after the race in Barcelona and we found something on the bike to unlock the speed I knew was there, we’ve been there or thereabouts. I’ve been able to challenge for the podium at each of the last four races and I’ve managed to get three of them, so it’s been great. The team has been in great form, it’s cool to be a part of, so I’m excited about the races we have coming up. 

“It’s nice to talk about the race because – I’m sure you all saw – we spent a lot of the weekend talking about other stuff which I guess I should mention. First one was the chicane here they put in after Turn 1, basically cutting that straight that went up to Turn 3 in half. It was better for the safety and the racing, so there’s no real negatives from where I sit. It was a nice addition to the track, added another element to it.

“The chicane itself… it comes up on you pretty quickly and there’s a lot of different camber changes going in, so the bike moves around a lot. The bumps on the way out spice it up. And it made Turn 3 better for passing too. At less speed you’ve got more margin to be able to stop the bike… if you brake one second later at 350km/h you’re going off the end of the track, so one second later at, say, 200km/h is a big difference. It’s a safer alternative and if that means we can keep racing at tracks like this place, then I’m all for it. 

“The other big talking point – yeah, the bigger one – that came up was the news about us doing sprint races next year, a bit like Formula One do at some tracks, but we’ll have one every weekend. We didn’t know too much about it before this weekend and there’s obviously a bit to be finalised still, but I figure we may as well try it… switch it up and see what people think. Why not? A sprint race would throw an extra element in, you’d have half-points to chase, you’d want to risk more as a rider and not worry about tyres or fuel… I actually don’t mind it at all. I’m sure you fans want to see it, so let’s give it a crack.

“For us riders… I mean, when I have a weekend off from racing motorcycles, I want to go racing motorcycles. When you think about it, we have this build-up over four or five days at every weekend to race just once… I think change is good. The fact that the championship is willing to try a big step outside of what’s been the regular way of doing things, I take my hat off to them. It’s a gamble, but I think it’s a positive one.  Misano is next, so hopefully we keep this podium run going in a couple of weeks.”

Luca Marini – P4

“A difficult, strange and complicated weekend for everyone where we worked very well. The feeling with the bike was not easy to manage: it felt like being on a roller coaster, one session was ok, the other a disaster. We made a perfect tire choice and the work with the Team was also very good. An aspect that makes me proud because it is the first year that I have worked with this group of guys in MotoGP. I set a good start, the first laps were not perfect, the riders with the soft tire were able to push straight away while I had to wait and the gap was too big then. We are growing, we have great potential and we can be competitive and fight for the podium in the next races, also in Misano, our home GP.”

Johann Zarco – P5

“Highs and lows, a few too many mistakes did not allow me to finish in the top three, but all in all I can be satisfied of this weekend. The sensations are positive, the feeling is great, at Misano we’ll try again.”

Aleix Espargaro – P6

“Despite the fact that the result might lead to think otherwise, I am very happy with my performance. We knew we’d have difficulties on some tracks but in a long championship like this one, we can’t lose our heads. It is important to always achieve the best possible result and, to be honest, we couldn’t have done any better today. Our package struggles on the stop-and-go sections. Fortunately, this is a track with unique characteristics, so there will be more Sundays where we’ll be able to get back to our true level.”

Brad Binder – P7

“I didn’t get a great start from 12th and the inside. I kept my head down and charged as hard as I could from the beginning until the end. I was really happy with everything was working and the bike was great but we were just missing a bit of competitiveness today. I had some front vibration in the last five laps and it almost ruined my race because I was afraid that something was going to happen so at the end of the day I’m grateful to make it home. We’ll keep working.”

Alex Rins – P8

“This race was one we marked on the calendar as being a tough one for us. I got into ninth place behind Zarco and I had a stronger rhythm than him, but I found it very hard to overtake him on the brakes. I was also losing a bit on the drive out of the corners. In the end I got eighth, but we took a lot of information and data today, the feedback is going to be really important for the next rounds. Misano is next up and that place suits us better! I wish Joan the best after his scary crash.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P9

“A great race: I got off a good start and I was really strong, I’m happy! I managed the rear tire very well, I didn’t stress it too much and I made a difference in the final laps. A great job by the whole Team: the entire crew, the Ducati guys and Vale who supports us from home. We go to Misano ready to give our best.”

Jorge Martín – P10

“I tried for the podium, I made a mistake but I had to try. It was a very positive weekend, I went very strong all the time and the race was incredible. Too bad about the crash but I had to try.”

Fabio DiGiannantonio – P11

“All in all we did a good race and scored some points. The weekend as a whole was a positive one, especially if we look at where we were on Friday: we worked in the right direction and it was clear in the race. I was hoping to do a little better, but we need to build on this result for the rest of the season.”

Miguel Oliveira – P12

“A difficult race and I gave my best to try and recover some positions but had some issues with the rear tyre which made it tough to change the style, get close to some of the other guys and then overtake. We did all we could but the weekend was super-nice and it is always cool to come here to the Red Bull Ring and ride in front of the KTM fans. We got some points but we’re not that satisfied with the result and we’ll go to Misano chasing some more.”

Maverick Vinales – P13

“In the early laps I had fun and was making up positions, but unfortunately the rear tyre dropped significantly. We made the wrong choice and paid the price for it, but at the same time, we learned a lot. I managed to improve my braking throughout the weekend. These are positive aspects that we’ll take with us to the upcoming races. We had grown accustomed to doing well over recent weekends, but it’s also true that sometimes you have to struggle!”

Álex Márquez – P14

“It was a long race, starting from the back was not easy, but I made a really good start, a good first corner and first lap, and I was able to push from the beginning. I did the pace that I had in the free practices, no more, no less, just trying to be there, save tyres and be there at the end. Ok, we are really far back, but starting from the back, we can be quite happy about our work, but not our result. We need to keep going like this and keep improving. It was a really difficult Saturday for us, but Sunday was better and thanks to the team for all their work.” 

Andrea Dovizioso – P15

“As always, at the beginning of the race, I’m not able to gain position and always losing positions. On the start it was good but in the corners, when you are that behind it’s a gamble and I lose a lot of positions. After 5 laps, I went out of the track in turn 1 and lost even more so my race changed, and I had to start to recover. My pace in the middle of the race was exactly the same as during practise. But, when you are that behind, it’s hard to gain anything. In the end, we took one point and this is a positive.” 

Pol Espargaro – P16

“Today we had a very difficult race honestly, we struggled with traction and stopping the bike and also a bit of arm pump. All of these issues contribute to not riding in the best way and this was the result today. We need to keep our spirit up and focus on our work. Misano next week is a very different circuit so we hope that we can enjoy the weekend like we did there last year. There are still many races left this year so we have to persist.”

Stefan Bradl – P17

“It was an average race for us, I didn’t make the best start, but I recovered a bit in the following laps. I am happy with what we did on track, but the final result is pretty frustrating at the moment, but this just shows we need to keep working. We are looking forward to the future, working for that and learning what we can in the moment. It’s been a tough weekend, but we need to keep on going.”

Raul Fernandez – P18

“After this morning’s warm-up, I had higher expectations for the race because I had a good rhythm. The position is not ideal but I am happy because I gave my maximum, felt good, and enjoyed myself on the bike today. We had good settingsand I was able to get some good laps. We will continue working hard for the next race, but in the meantime, thank you to all the KTM fans who came to support us.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P19

“At the start, I got off the line extremely well, making up five positions, and that’s a positive thing, also because we’re trying out some upgrades for the start. Unfortunately, however, I began to struggle with my injured shoulder from the beginning and I had to slow down. It’s a pity because without that physical problem, we could have battled for points. In any case, finishing the race was important in order to complete all the work on the schedule and, from this point of view, we are satisfied because we gathered a lot of useful data to continue improving the RS-GP. It was fantastic to ride in the race with the spectacular celebratory livery for Aprilia’s thirtieth world-title anniversary.”

Remy Gardner – P20

“I am disappointed with the crash today because I felt that we have done something good here. When I restarted, my times were not so bad but it was obviously a bit too late. It is not the weekend I would have wanted here in Austria, but we will keep working hard and keep positive.”

Franco Morbidelli – P21

“It was an unfortunate crash. I was catching up, I was feeling good. I was aiming to arrive at the two rivals ahead of me and Miguel. We caught up with them during the race. My pace was really decent. But unfortunately, when I overtook Miguel, I went outside the track in Turn 6, and then I made Turn 7 with a really wide line. When I arrived at the next left corner, my tyre was probably a bit dirty or something, because as soon as I turned the bike left, the front just washed out from under me. It’s a pity, but we made positive progress this weekend – definitely. I was able to extract better potential from the bike and be faster generally. That’s positive. We got to keep going like that. We’ll see in Misano if we can replicate that good feeling or maybe make it even a bit better.”

Enea Bastianini – DNF

“Too bad, because we had a great pace at the beginning and maybe Martin shouldn’t have overtaken me. When I passed him back at the exit of turn nine I ended up with on the kerb and the rim broke. This is definitely the DNF we didn’t need, especially because we had the pace to win or at least to get on the podium.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“I made a good start; I was able to gain some positions and put myself in the front group, but then at Turn 4 I lost the rear on corner entry and I suffered a very big crash. I feel lucky because it could’ve been a lot worse, it was a scary one. At the moment the checks show some fractures and fragments around my talus bone – the fracture doesn’t look big but the fragments could be a problem. Tomorrow I’ll go for some further tests, such as an MRI scan to check the ligament situation. After that, I should know more about my recovery time and I can plan my comeback.”

Darryn Binder – DNF

“So, Austria weekend is done and dusted but it was a bittersweet ending to what could have been a good weekend. Unfortunately, I crashed out just before halfway of the race. I had an amazing start and I really felt like I had quite a good pace. I was running amongst the points and feeling good. Unfortunately, in the place that i least expected it, I lost the front in corner 9 in lap 13. I’m really disappointed to end the weekend like this as it has been such a good weekend and I was getting stronger in each session, I felt really good in the race today and it’s a pity to end like this. Anyway, we take the positive and move on to Misano and try again.”

Takaaki Nakagami – DNF

“It was a tough race. I couldn’t make a good start and I dropped some positions at the beginning of the race. I was behind Álex, my team-mate, and I had some trouble with the front tyre, maybe because of the pressure, so the feeling was really difficult to stop the bike. I wasn’t able to adapt and I lost the front end at the entry to turn seven and our race was over. I’m really disappointed and want to apologise to all my team. I have no injuries which is good, so we’ll keep continuing to push heading into the next race in Misano.”

Team Managers

Luigi Dall’Igna – Ducati Corse General Manager

“I am really happy with today’s result. Pecco took another incredible win, and I want to thank him for his third consecutive success! Jack also had another great race; having them both on the podium is extraordinary. I’m proud of all the Ducati Corse staff, and I thank them for their work.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Fabio‘s race was incredible! It is well deserved because his riding is just on another level than anybody else‘s in this championship at the moment. He is making the most of our package and putting in overtaking maneuvers that others hadn‘t even considered but suit our strengths, like the one in the chicane when he took second place. He rode fast, consistent, and smart. It‘s a shame that we came just a bit short here, because in our biased opinion, Fabio was the strongest rider on track today. But anyway, leaving this track with an increased championship lead is like a victory to us. Franky‘s race can be looked at in two ways. Of course, we are disappointed for him to not be able to score some points after a decent race from P16. But on the other hand, we rather see a rider push hard and make an occasional mistake than finish every race without pushing. Today, he had solid pace and was able to overtake, so we will take that as a positive with us to Misano in two weeks‘ time.”

Pablo Nieto – Mooney VR46 Racing Team Manager

“A great race and what a double recovery! Luca achieved his best career result in the Top class and brought the whole Team to the parc fermè as first classified among the private teams. A good moment for all the guys of the Team, Ducati and our partners. Marco was also very impressive, once again in the Top10, first rookie, and still a great recovery from the back of the group after the start. We are very satisfied and we go to Misano ready to have fun!”

Livio Suppo – Suzuki Team Manager

“Unfortunately Joan crashed and this time it was a very big one. Considering the force of the fall, Joan is feeling lucky, and we are also really glad and thankful that his injuries weren’t more severe. Let’s see what the checks show in the next days; we wish him all the best for a quick recovery. Alex rode a good race and even though the final position wasn’t excellent, he showed nice pace on a track that he has struggled at in the past.”

Ken Kawauchi  – Suzuki Technical Manager

“It was a tough race for us. As usual, we had confidence in our race pace, but unfortunately Joan wasn’t able to show his performance at all when he suffered a big crash on the first lap. I hope he can recover quickly from his injury, and we wish him the best. Alex’s pace wasn’t as high as we expected, but he managed to get a Top 10 finish with eighth. Let’s begin working for the next race in Misano.”

Razlan Razali – WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Principal

“Well, it seems like forever since we last took home a point, and we managed to score a championship point this weekend with Andrea and we’re happy with that. For Darryn Binder, he had a fantastic start, he was in a good position but unfortunately he crashed out. Until that crash, we had a very good weekend. But at least we earned a point and we look forward to Misano for Andrea’s final race and for Darryn to continue his progress.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Manager

“So race is done and finish, luckily it stayed dry and was a bit tricky as everybody was ready for rain. But it was a good condition and we were clear on the tyre choice. Darryn had a fantastic start again at the beginning of the race, he jumped many places and running a long time in 13th. Unfortunately, behind Franco (Morbidelli) halfway of the race, he lost the rear turning in 9 and broke the front grip and crashed. Luckily rider is okay and damaged is not too much. It’s a pity he crashed as we could have had some good points.

“Andrea struggled in the beginning of the race to stop the bike, but I’m happy at least he finished the race and had a point. He has been finishing 16th once or twice which is not good if you’re just out of the points. At least having a point for the team is important. Of course, the 30 second gap behind the winner is not where we want to be but we have to be realistic that this is at the moment the situation. Hopefully in Misano in his last GP, we can have both in the points.”

Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“Brad’s commitment was incredible today and he was able to catch and recover some positions after the start. He had the same pace as the front guys from mid-race distance and we need to check and analyze why we are missing time in the first section of the race. We need to go deep into this matter because we are lacking something in terms of the setting. The riders and everyone are fully committed because Miguel also made a fantastic push today. Every GP we are learning more so we’ll look ahead to Misano because I feel we are closer and closer to narrowing the gap to where we want to be. I also just want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the passionate KTM fans that came here this weekend. There was a big and supportive crowd today especially, and it’s part of what makes the Red Bull Ring GP a really nice event for us.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Today was obviously not the outcome we were expecting in our manufacturer’s home race. KTM has always provided the show here at the Red Bull Ring, so we were hoping that at least one of our riders could be in the points.

“Unfortunately, the start was tough and Remy Gardner crashed in the early laps. I would like to thank him a lot for rejoining the race and finishing it in front of KTM’s fans and management. Thank you Remy for your sportsmanship, and thank you for your team who has worked hard all weekend.

“Raul Fernandez’ lap times were up and down was all race long. Sometimes, he was close to the Top 15 guys, but he was inconsistent which prevented him from finishing in the points, meaning that Tech3 KTM Factory Racing crossed the line without any points at all.

“This is the end of a very busy weekend for us. Of course, it was with a lot of excitement that the Tech3 team announced its partnership with GASGAS next season, but on the other hand, the results have been disappointing.

“I would like to make a special mention for all the KTM fans who came to support us, as well as Mr. Stefan Pierer and Mr. Hubert Trunkenpolz for their visit, their incredible support and their never give-up attitude.  Let’s hope that we will be able to score points at the next round, in Misano.”

MotoGP Race Results

MotoGP Championship Points Standings