LIVE MotoGP Red Bull Ring 1 FP2: Miller ahead of Lecuona and Oliveira… for nothing!

Article updated live until 15:00 p.m.

Arriving at the Red Bull Ring, formerly A1-Ring, the statistics are clear: Ducati has always won there, at least since the return of the world championship in 2016 to the Austrian track, after an 18-year hiatus!

Andrea Iannone won his first MotoGP victory there in 2016, before Andrea Dovisiozo reissues the success of Borgo Panigale in 2017, Jorge Lorenzo did the same the following year, then “DesmoDovi” again last season.

In total, 4 consecutive victories for the official Ducati, which still seem distant to us given the current performances of the GP20s...

So, will we have to count on a Johann zarco very lively at the moment to complete the glorious transalpine series?

In this area, the unpredictable weather forecast for the whole week could well serve as a judge of the peace and offer us surprises.

We will also carefully monitor the performance of fabio quartararo, current leader of the championship but inexplicably in difficulty during the last Grand Prix in Brno.

Marc Márquez being still at home, convalescing, and replaced by Stefan bradl, all hopes are high for many drivers, while Honda is experiencing one of its most difficult periods in the premier category.

We think in particular of those of KTM, who remain on a victory last Sunday and who have just had a brief day of testing in Brno, in “trying a lot of things and working on the engine which is already very good, as well as the electronics which are already in use here at Spielberg »

On the pneumatic side, the new Michelin rear tire architecture which has improved grip and performance since the start of the season will not be used at Spielberg. Apart from the two real left turns and a very fast left curve, the seven right turns generate a lot of stress and thermal stress on the French tires, and to respond to these enormous constraints, Michelin offers a specific rear tire construction, designed especially for these conditions.

Michele Pirro came to replace Francis Bagnaia at Pramac, the unfortunate Italian driver still convalescing since his fall in FP1 at Brno.

We see that the weather conditions have changed drastically for the first time this season, with threatening skies and temperatures of only 24° in the air and barely more on the ground, but a track which has dried since the rain which welcomed the paddock yesterday in Austria.

This morning, in anticipation of weather likely to deteriorate at any moment, Pol Espargaró, Andrea Dovizioso, Takaaki Nakagami, Álex Rins, Franco Morbidelli, Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira, Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo provisionally pre-qualified for Q2.

Massimo Meregalli explained this morning the difficulty encountered by the Yamahas on this particular circuit: “This track is not good for our bikes, but anyway I wasn't expecting such a difficult start. We started from a configuration more or less similar to that of last year. The track is not yet rubberized enough, but I hope the weather will hold even during FP2. In Brno, Viñales decided to start with an already broken-in tire and, this time, it did not pay off. It had no grip when braking or accelerating, right from the start. He may have tried to compensate something during acceleration, but it was too harsh and the tire temperature became too high. »

While waiting to see any progress from Iwata's bikes, the conditions deteriorated further with a brief little downpour which just fell on part of the Austrian circuit at the end of FP2 for Moto3. Not much, but enough so that the MotoGP riders don't rush when the track opens...

Just before the opening of the session, Pol Espargaro will feel the asphalt himself with his hand to judge the grip…

Here are the references available as the 22 pilots prepare for this second 45-minute session, with 23° in the air and 40° on the ground:

MotoGP™ Austria 1	2019	2020
FP1	1'24.033 Andrea Dovizioso (See here)	1'24.193 Pol Espargaró (See here)
FP2	1'23.916 Marc Márquez (See here)	1'26.475 Jack Miller (See here)
FP3	1'23.251 Marc Márquez (See here)
FP4	1'23.983 Maverick Viñales (See here)
Q1	1'23.829 Cal Crutchlow (See here)
Q2	1'23.027 Marc Márquez (See here)
warm up	1'28.803 Franco Morbidelli (See here)
Course	Dovizioso, Marquez, Quartararo (See here)
All time lap record	1'23.027 Marc Márquez (2019)

When the red lights go out, the situation is complex: barely a few drops fall to the ground in the pitlane, which tend to evaporate. But no one is rushing...

Joan Mir and Miguel Oliveira are the only ones to take the track, on rain tires, and we then see that the track is very wet at the bottom of the circuit. It is therefore divided into two very distinct parts, which hardly allows for work.

Consequently, Joan mir returns to his box without having registered a time while Miguel Oliveira continues its momentum and gives us an indication, in 1'39.484.

As a reminder, Pol Espargaró, Andrea Dovizioso, Takaaki Nakagami, Álex Rins, Franco Morbidelli, Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira, Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo are currently pre-qualified for Q2, and have no reason to take risks...

In turn, Alex Marquez goes to discover the condition of the track but does not record any time and returns after two laps. Silence falls on the circuit…

This lack of action on the track allows us to discuss the negotiations currently taking place at Ducati. According to Davide Tardozzi, the Bologna firm is expected to make a decision on its 2021 drivers by the end of the month. Rightly or wrongly, the names most frequently mentioned are, in order, Jorge Lorenzo, Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco. The latter could, however, end up at Pramac with a factory motorcycle…

Halfway through the session, Aleix Espargaró will see for himself the state of the track, but it is always very contrasting with half dry and half wet.

A quarter of an hour before the checkered flag drops, Johann zarco do the same.

We are also preparing the motorcycle Fabio Quartararo, but he doesn't seem very motivated to drive in these conditions which, in any case, don't allow any work.

Johann zarco achieves the best time in 1'34.271 while Miguel Oliveira, Takaaki Nakagami and Bradley Smith take their turn.

Seven minutes from the end of the session, Valentino Rossi, Jack Miller and Alex Marquez go on slicks… As a result, Cal Crutchlow, Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales and Michele Pirro do the same.

In 1'31.280, Alex Marquez first shows that slicks are faster than wet tires with only four minutes left in the session.

Jack Miller then took the lead in 1'30.838 before making a jump in 1'28.856.

The Pramac driver concluded this almost sterile session in 1'26.475, ahead of the two Tech3 team drivers, Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira.

Pilots practice flag to flag…

FP2 classification of the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring:

FP1/FP2 classification of the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring:

Credit rankings: MotoGP.com