The first of two Austrian MotoGP™ races saw victory for Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) at the Red Bull Ring in the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich.
The changing weather conditions throughout the weekend made it possible to test the MICHELIN Power Slicks and MICHELIN Power Rains tire ranges in several types of situations, from wet to drying to dry and very hot today for the race with 50°C on the track, the highest temperature of the weekend. At the start of this 28-lap long event, Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was on pole, but Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took the best start to lead on the first lap. The race was getting underway but a spectacular accident between two riders, Johann Zarco (Esponsorama Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) – both uninjured – caused a red flag and a new start in the order of the classification. This second race was reduced to 20 laps and once again, Miller got the best start to lead the first few laps, before Dovizioso took the lead and held it to the finish line, making the most of its Michelin tires. He won his third victory at the Red Bull Ring and is the 50the Grand Prix victory at Ducati. More importantly, it is the third manufacturer to win with Michelin on three different circuits this season, following the success of Yamaha in Spain and KTM in the Czech Republic last week.
As the race progressed, the battle for the podium intensified until the last lap where Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) benefited from all the grip of his MICHELIN Power Slicks to overtake Miller in the fast curves of the last sector and sign his first podium, while Miller, third, wins the First Independent Rider classification. Winner last week, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) finished fourth. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished fifth ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda). Seventh place went to Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), eighth to Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) which allows him to keep the lead in the Drivers' championship. Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) finished ninth ahead of Viñales who completes the top ten.
With unpredictable weather conditions all weekend, the records could not be broken because the drivers did not have enough dry driving to push their Michelin tires to the performance limits, but Dovizioso set the record of max speed at 320,4 km/h. Five of the six tires offered by Michelin were used in the second race, with Dovizioso opting for a medium front and a soft rear. Mir had taken two mediums and Miller had chosen a soft front and rear. These three tire configurations are found on the final podium, while the fourth Binder had selected a hard front and a medium rear. Thus, five different rubbers coexist in the top-4.
Michelin and the MotoGP paddock remain in Austria and everyone will meet at the Red Bull Ring next weekend for the first BMW M Grand Prix von Styria.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team:
« I managed to manage my tires and I'm very happy. The feeling was very good, especially with the front and I was able to brake very hard, we made good progress in this area. There was a drop in performance, but I was able to control things and manage the consistency until the end, it was enough to win. »
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
« The weekend was not easy due to the weather. When we thought we could benefit from optimal conditions, it started to rain. Or it rained so much at night that the track was still wet in the morning. The drivers never had the opportunity to adjust their machines to exploit the full potential of our tires on this circuit. The positive side is that we were able to collect a lot of data on how the tires behave when conditions change quickly. The track temperature increased for the race and with the risk of rain limited, there were many changes on the grid as drivers and teams made their tire decisions. The race was expected to be close, but the accident caused a new start, fortunately no one was injured, and we were able to restart for a shorter race. Over the 20 laps, the tires performed very well for all manufacturers. It's very positive to have five brands in the top six places, which proves that our tires work for everyone. It's also good to see five of the six tire specifications used in the race. It was tricky on the last two circuits because of the extreme heat and the lack of grip in Brno, but this weekend the choices were wider because the conditions were more or less expected. We now have three winners on three different circuits, we'll see what happens next week right here in Austria. »
