Moto2 Austria FP1: Ai Ogura hurts and no injury for Beaubier

Bezzecchi triumphed last week at the Red Bull Ring in the Styrian Grand Prix. Will the one who is finalizing the last details for his rise to MotoGP double the stakes this weekend on the same track which this time hosts the Austrian Grand Prix? The two Ajo drivers leading the championship, Remy Gardner and Raúl Fernández, do not see it that way…

Remy gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), respectively fourth and seventh in the Michelin Styrian Grand Prix, saw their Championship lead reduced significantly after achieving third overall Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46). Thanks to this success at Spielberg, the Italian now stands at nine units of Raul Fernandez and 44 behind the Australian leader. Very comfortable throughout the weekend, the representative of Sky Racing Team VR46 will try to ride this good dynamic to secure a second victory on this same track, where he excelled in 2020.

Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2), rewarded with a second place last week, moved up to sixth place. The Spaniard is only one point behind Fabio DiGiannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) and 26 on Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), who missed out during this first race at the Red Bull Ring.

Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia), ranked fifth at the same Styrian Grand Prix, for its part makes an entry into the Top 10, since it is now ninth, only six lengths behindAugusto Fernandez (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), freshly credited with a podium. The two men will seek to get closer to Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), currently seventh.

Victim of a fall last week, the Los Angeles pilot Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) sees itself dislodged by Xavi Verge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in the top 10. But the American, who is having a complicated year despite two fourth places, will be keen to get back on track in this second half of the season.

What will this FP1 of the Austrian Grand Prix have in store for us? Before answering this question, here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

Moto2™ Red Bull Ring	Styria 2021	Austria 2021
FP1	1'29.115 Marco Bezzecchi	1'28.887 Ai Ogura
FP2	1'29.244 Remy Gardner
FP3	1'28.680 Remy Gardner
Q1	1'29.202 Fabio Di Giannantonio
Q2	1'28.668 Remy Gardner
Warm up	1'39.026 Sam Lowes
Course	Bezzecchi, Canet, A. Fernández
All time lap record	1'28.501 Jorge Martin 2020

 

26.1° and 32.6° on the track are the conditions offered to drivers happy to operate under the blue Austrian sky for the 40 minutes of testing.

 

 

Beaubier falls at turn 1 and almost gets hit by Drive et Canet. But fortunately everything is going well... Schrötter has the first reference in 1'28.988.

 

 

The German's performance is still relevant mid-session. Bezzecchi, Raúl Fernández, Chantra et Dallas Port close the top 5 Remy Gardner. Augusto Fernandez, Sam Lowes, Ogura et Arbolino are in the top 10.

 

 

Ai Ogura wakes up the peloton as the last ten minutes begin. His 1'28.887 puts him in command. Sam Lowes also goes back to fourth.

 

 

The last five minutes are spent chasing the clock decently. Augusto Fernandez touch Courses in full trajectory in slow motion, but here too, luck is essential... Under the checkered flag, Ogura keeps his lead Augusto Fernandez, Schrötter, Bezzecchi et Dalla Porta. Sam Lowes, Canet, Raúl Fernández, Chantra et Arenas deprive Gardner of the top 10.

 

 

FP1 ranking Austrian Moto2 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring: 

Credit ranking: MotoGP.com