Quartararo is starting to come under a lot of pressure

Three Grands Prix ago, reigning champion and leader of the MotoGP World Championship since the fifth GP Fabio Quartararo enjoyed a 34-point lead over Aleix Espargaró, 61 points over Johann Zarco and distanced himself from Ducati’s natural leader, the world runner-up Pecco Bagnaia 91 points. But because of his mistake at Assen and the difficult races at Silverstone, both won by Bagnaia, the course of the world championship seems to have changed dramatically.

The Frenchman entered the Red Bull Ring paddock with a 22-point lead over Aleix Espargaró and Pecco Bagnaia climbed to third place in the provisional MotoGP World Championship classification for the first time and was 49 points behind, in two races he cut of 42 in Anything short of a Ducati winning the Austrian GP this weekend would be a big surprise.

Not even changing the layout of the circuit for safety and with a new chicane at the start of T1 does not change the status of the favorite Ducati with any of its riders, from Bagnaia himself, who is already leading the chapter of victories of year with four, passing the second in the ranking Bastianini, with three, Jorge Martín where the Italian from Gresini certainly plays the second place in the official box in this GP, Jack Miller, with two podiums in the last three GGPPs or even Johann Zarco who missed a great opportunity at Silverstone to inaugurate his record of MotoGP victories.

Six out of 8 Ducatist victories

Since the Red Bull Ring returned to the calendar in 2016, Iannone (2016), Dovizioso (2017, 2019 and 2020), Lorenzo (2018), Oliveira (2010, in the second round), Jorge Martín (2021) and Brad Binder ( 2021 in second date). There were 6 wins for Ducati and two for KTM.

Quartararo hasn’t had a bad number at the Red Bull Ring since he climbed to third place in two races, last year’s Styrian GP behind Martín and Mir and in his rookie year at the 2019 Austrian GP behind Dovizioso and Marc Márquez . It was questioned whether this introduction of the chicane between the previous turns 1 and 3 to force them to make two very slow turns after the very fast straight Fabio Quartararo; “First of all, we will see how the safety issue is in that chicane, because it seems to be more dangerous than before the modification. In any case, the change made on the track will not help me, because the third corner is a point where I can brake too late”.

Aprilia continues to push

Another factory that wants to keep the pressure on Quartararo is Aprilia. Aleix Espargaró heroically saved the furniture for his mistake in the form of a crash in Saturday’s FP4 at Silverstone that handed the Frenchman a point, but on his way home it was discovered he had run with a broken heel on his right foot and had to take it calmly without hitting the road with his bike between Grands Prix. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that Maverick Viñales is ready for the next step, winning races with Aprilia after two consecutive podiums and becoming the fifth rider in history to win premier class races with three different brands . after Hailwood, Lawson, Mamola and Capirossi.

The reappearance of Marc Márquez, street dress

KTM racing at home and after a difficult season for Mattighoffen, although he took advantage of the anglers from a difficult weekend in Mandalika with Oliveira’s win, they are expected to at least fight. Suzuki also wanted more at the Red Bull Ring, but it was completely ‘annus horribilis’ as it was announced after the Jerez GP that Japan had taken over its competitions on two wheels for 2023 another GP was unknown and the Honda without Marc Márquez is the exception to Honda at the Red Bull Ring, here it puts all its quixotic extras to try to beat Ducati. The one from Cervera will reappear this weekend in the Austrian paddock to give a mass press conference and to hold a series of important technical meetings with the Japanese.