Martin’s long lap penalty in Austrian MotoGP sprint ‘not necessary’
Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia thinks the long lap penalty his MotoGP title rival Jorge Martin received for going off track and cutting a chicane in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint was ‘not necessary’. Bagnaia and Martin were engaged in a tough duel on the second lap at Spielberg when the Pramac rider couldn’t stop his bike […]
Marquez «too optimistic» as Austria MotoGP sprint crash costs “easy podium”
Marc Marquez has admitted he gave away an “easy podium” by being “too optimistic” and crashing out of the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix sprint race. Gresini rider Marquez was running second behind race leader Francesco Bagnaia on lap 10 of 14 when he tucked the front heading into the uphill Turn 3, barely hanging on […]
Martin calls for review of MotoGP long lap penalty rule after Austria sprint
Pramac rider Jorge Martin has called for a rethink of MotoGP’s long lap rule after being hit with a penalty for cutting the chicane in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint. Polesitter Martin was leading the half-distance race at Spielberg on Saturday when he overshot the tricky Turn 2 and had to take to the escape […]
Martin smashes lap record and beats Bagnaia to crucial pole
Jorge Martin obliterated the Spielberg lap record to take pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, beating pre-qualifying favourite Francesco Bagnaia. Nursing a cut on his left thumb after a bizarre mishap in the shower on Saturday night, championship leader Martin pulled off a stunning 1m27.748s effort in the 15-minute pole shootout to deny the […]
Acosta explains scary high-speed crash in Austria MotoGP practice
Pedro Acosta has denied that his high-speed shunt in first practice for the Austrian Grand Prix was due to damage to his KTM, explaining that unusually cold tyres were the real cause. Acosta lost control of his bike going into the Turn 4 right-hander in the final stages of the session at Spielberg, crashing for […]
Marquez no longer lagging far behind Bagnaia, Martin in MotoGP
Gresini’s Marc Marquez says he is no longer two or three steps behind MotoGP title contenders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin after displaying strong pace in Friday practice for the Austrian GP. On the short 10-corner Spielberg circuit, Marquez posted a time of 1m28.858s on his Ducati GP23 bike in second practice to finish fourth-fastest, […]
Morbidelli to join mentor Rossi’s VR46 MotoGP team in 2025
VR46 has recruited Pramac rider Franco Morbidelli to partner Fabio di Giannantonio in MotoGP next year. As has been widely expected, VR46 and Morbidelli have agreed to a one-year deal that will see the 2020 championship runner-up race for the team owned by his mentor and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. The 29-year-old will continue with […]
Martin tops FP1 as Acosta suffers major crash
Jorge Martin led a 1-2 for Pramac in the opening practice for the Austrian Grand Prix after a late red flag caused by Pedro Acosta. Having suffered a relatively low-speed fall at the chicane just minutes before, Tech3 rider Acosta was involved in another incident in the closing stages of the session, losing control of […]
«Strange» Ducati GP24 has moved clear of GP23 despite no upgrades
Francesco Bagnaia feels it’s strange that Ducati’s new GP24 has pulled so clear of last year’s GP23 in recent MotoGP races despite not receiving any upgrades. The GP24 runners monopolised the podium spots in three of the last four rounds, aided by Enea Bastianini finding his mojo again on the second of the factory Ducatis. […]