Spielberg (Austria) (AFP)
After having triumphed in the last three editions, the Ducati will have to show this weekend in Austria that they are able to beat Marc Marquez and his Honda to keep a small chance to beat them at the world championship.
Andrea Dovizioso, winner of the Spielberg circuit in 2017, is 63 points behind Marquez, the winner of the last two races, while there are still 9 events on the calendar. A new victory of the five-time Spanish world champion would further mortgage the chances of the Italian to fill the gap.
"The Red Bull Ring is a very good track for us and the results of the last few years prove it, but I always say that each race is specific and last year Marquez finished in front of me and I am sure that this year it will be just as competitive, "says" Dovi "who, at age 33, still runs after his first title in the queen category.
- Last chance for Ducati? -
Borgo Panigale's machines are not far from Honda. 2nd (Dovizioso) and 3rd (Jack Miller) last Sunday in the Czech Republic, they suffer from a lack of agility in turn that their speed peak can not compensate. But the Austrian circuit of 4.3 km long is fast and the record of 316.5 km / h of top speed that belongs to them since 2017 could be beaten.
Marquez, for his part, recalls that the layout of the Austrian Alps also requires a lot of braking, one of the strengths of his Honda. He will still be supported by German Stefan Bradl, his usual teammate and compatriot Jorge Lorenzo - last year's winner in Austria on Ducati - still recovering from his injuries suffered in Assen in June. It must, in principle, return to track at the end of August at Silverstone.
Twice second in 2017 and 2018, Marquez has never won on the new Austrian track that made its return to the calendar in 2016. A victory would also be a first for Honda.
- MotoE back -
Yamaha and Suzuki could also play the spoilsport.
The brand's tuned-up motorcycles have shown good progress in their 2020 configuration during the tests held in Brno on Monday after the Grand Prix by trumping the top three places with Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli in the order.
The official team (Vinales and Valentino Rossi) is still a little behind the Yamaha-SRT customer team (Quartararo and Morbidelli) and the French "rookie" could still shine in Spielberg.
"It's a track that has always been good for me in Moto2 and Moto3 and I really like driving there," says the young Nice. "We know that other machines have a little more power and the Spielberg offers a lot of straight lines but I approach the weekend very calmly and with the priority of not making stupid mistakes," he adds.
At Suzuki, Alex Rins, currently fourth in the championship behind Marquez, Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci (Ducati), finished fourth in Brno last Sunday and will be eager to return to the top of the pack. Joan Mir, his usual teammate, however, had to withdraw after his injuries suffered in the free practice of Brno Monday and there will be only one Suzuki to start in Austria.
In Moto2, Alex Marquez, Marc's younger brother, has two wins in a row and has outscored Switzerland's Thomas Lüthi in the championship after his fall in Brno. In Moto3, the fight remains fierce between the Spaniard Aron Canet and the Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta who are only separated by three points.
Note that MotoE motorcycles make their return to Austria after their initial appearance at Sachsenring in early July.
The start of the MotoGP race will be held on Sunday at 14:00 (12:00 GMT).
© 2019 AFP