This weekend marks the eleventh round of the MotoGP championship in Austria, a venue on the Grand Prix calendar since 2016 which has never since escaped a Ducati. Certainly, but last year, a shower during the first Moto2 free practice session revealed an unwelcoming bitumen for motorcycles. The Red Bull Ring therefore has a weakness and the drivers remember this episode very well. Especially since the weather forecast is not very good in Styria on Friday and Saturday...
A worrying scenario. We will indeed recall that, last year, during FP1 of Moto2, no less than nine riders were on the ground in thirty minutes. Six in turn 1 and three in turn 3. However, before approaching turn 1, the drivers arrive from the straight and find themselves facing a wall placed a little further away before entering the curve...
The subject is serious and it is clearly stated by Cal Crutchlow : " if it rains, there will be discussions and probably a petition because if it's the same as last year, you have to imagine that we will reach 300 km/h before braking for turn 1. If we fall there and slide like Moto2 last year, imagine what can happen ».
The LCR pilot insists on crash.net : " we brake much harder than the Moto2. The wall is not that far away. There were a few of us who were determined not to run in the event of rain last year. So we'll see what happens this time. They told us they had worked on the asphalt. But we'll see that in the rain with the Moto2, because the Moto3 don't brake like us ».
The Englishman ends with this general impression: “ I don't like this circuit, it's that simple. I know at least 20 drivers who agree with me. For motorcycles, it's not the best track in the world ».
