Well, where should we start? How about the fact that Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) won the Austrian MotoGP round a day after he announced that he will be staying with the team for 2021? Or how about the drama-filled race full of crashes and incidents? One thing is for sure, this weekend will be the talk of the town for the next few years as one of the most sensational races in MotoGP’s history.
Let’s start with the championship leaders, Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). With a clear advantage to further extend their leads in the championship, the Sunday’s race proved to be a tough one for both Yamaha riders. Both riders managed to salvage a few points after finishing the race in P8 and P10, respectively.
Going back to Ducati, Andrea Dovizioso may have just proved a point to his Italian squad after both parties failed to come to a conclusion regarding his contract going into 2021. By winning possibly the toughest race of the season, Ducati might just offer him to stay another season IF the price is right. If there’s ever leverage to use, it would one when he raised that first-place trophy on the highest step of the podium, while the Italian national anthem is playing.
Spielberg is @AndreaDovizioso's territory! 😎#50DucatiWins | #AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/YHETWnejto
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 16, 2020
The other Ducati rider which already confirmed his seat in the Ducati factory team for 2021 made the race even sweeter as Jack Miller crossed the chequered flag in P3. After a tough battle (and perhaps poor tyre choice after the restart of the race), his second-place podium finish was snatched away by Team Suzuki Ecstar’s rookie, Joan Mir.
Perhaps the luckiest rider of all has to be Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) who almost got decapitated from the incident behind him between Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT).
The two clashed at one of the fastest parts of the track, which resulted in two runaway bikes catapulting just inches from the nine-time world champion. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. Rossi finished the race in P4 ahead of KTM’s rookie, Brad Binder.
The home race of KTM proved to be a tough one, especially for Red Bull KTM’s Pol Espargaro. A strong performance saw him fighting for the top spot and even leading the race before the horrific incident that resulted in the red flag being waved. Clearly upset, he was determined to show what the KTM RC16 is made of.
That was before he got into another unfortunate incident with another KTM rider, Miguel Oliveira. Just like last week, Espargaro went wide which opened the doors to Oliveira but not being aware of his surroundings, Espargaro drastically brought his bike into the racing line before the two clashed and ended their efforts for the weekend.
The Red Bull Ring showcased one hell of a race this weekend. It’s definitely sensational to watch but to put things into perspective, these riders will have to go through it all over again at the same track next weekend for the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria. AND IT’S ONLY THE FOURTH RACE OF THE SEASON.
