Метка: Austrian GP

Morbidelli to join mentor Rossi’s VR46 MotoGP team in 2025

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


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 the GP24 bike that he currently rides at Pramac, with only his future team-mate di Giannantonio getting access to the factory GP25 after he landed a factory contract directly with Ducati earlier this month.

Morbidelli will take the place currently occupied by three-time grand prix winner Marco Bezzecchi, who will partner points leader Jorge Martin at Aprilia in 2025-26.

«What a beautiful story!» said Morbidelli. «I am very happy to announce that I have signed with the VR46 Racing Team for the 2025 season. I will definitely feel at home here, I really want to do well and repay, with good results, this trust both for myself and for all the crew.

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«I want to go back in the years and rejoice again with the whole group. A heartfelt thanks to the entire VR46 Riders Academy and to my management. Vale, Carlo, Uccio, Albi and Gianluca. Friends, but also key figures in the VR46 reality. I can’t wait to start this new adventure together.»

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team, Alessio Salucci, Team Director VR46 Racing Team, Pablo Nieto, Team Manager VR46 Racing Team

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team, Alessio Salucci, Team Director VR46 Racing Team, Pablo Nieto, Team Manager VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Media VR46

Morbidelli has struggled for performance since leaving Yamaha to join Ducati’s stable at the start of this year, with a major training crash in January preventing him from taking part in pre-season testing and putting him on the back foot in 2024.

An improved form in recent races, including a fifth-place result in the German Grand Prix, has allowed him to recover to 12th place in the championship and equal the points tally of Bezzecchi, the rider he is replacing at VR46.

Bezzecchi himself has been comfortably outperformed by team-mate di Giannantonio in 2024, scoring 61 points compared to 104 for his countryman.

VR46 itself sits fifth in the standings, ahead of KTM’s factory team but two spots behind fellow Ducati satellite team Gresini.

Alessio Salucci, Team Director of VR46 said: «I am really happy to be able to confirm that Franco will race with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in 2025.

«Franco was the first rider to enter the VR46 Riders Academy, we have known him [for] years, we have seen him grow in Tavullia and today, with great satisfaction, we can say that he will join the crew starting from the next season. He is a rider of great talent, we can’t wait to welcome him and let him enjoy the family and home atmosphere that distinguishes us.

«He will continue to race with a Ducati, a Desmosedici GP24, and we are sure he will be able to fight with the group of the strongest guys. Once again, I can only thank Ducati for the support both in human and technical terms and all our partners, Pertamina Lubricants among all, who support this incredible project.»

The announcement all but confirms that Fermin Aldeguer will race for Gresini in 2025, joining Alex Marquez.



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Martin tops FP1 as Acosta suffers major crash

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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 his GasGas-branded KTM at high speed on the run down to Turn 4.

Although the Spaniard was able to walk away unscathed from the incident, his bike heavily smashed the barriers before bouncing back on track, spewing debris on the racing line and prompting race control to deploy the red flag.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 crash

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The session resumed after a short break with under 3m30s left on the clock, but no rider at the front was able to improve their lap time, leaving Martin at the top of the order ahead of team-mate Franco Morbidelli.

Championship leader Martin had gone quickest just seconds before the red flag was deployed for Acosta’s crash, a 1m29.654s putting him two tenths clear of long-time pacesetter Morbidelli and eventually securing him the top spot.

KTM riders set the early pace in practice, with Acosta laying the initial marker with a 1m30.876s before factory rider Brad Binder streaked clear with a 1m30.236s.

KTM wildcard Pol Espargaro then broke the 1m30s barrier to move the goalposts, lapping the Austrian circuit in 1m29.933s on an experimental version of the RC16.

With 15 minutes on the board, Morbidelli ended KTM’s stranglehold on the top spot in the timesheets, courtesy of a 1m29.872s effort on his Ducati GP24.

The Italian’s time remained unbeaten until the five minutes of the session when Martin put on a set of soft tyres, with the red flag preventing any further improvements.

Behind the Pramac duo, Espargaro finished third for KTM based on his early-session pace, with Francesco Bagnaia taking fourth on the factory Ducati.

Binder took fifth spot, while Acosta was able to keep sixth place despite his late shunt.

Maverick Vinales led Aprilia in seventh place on a day when his team-mate Aleix Espargaro suffered two crashes in the space of 15 minutes, both at the tricky Turn 2 chicane that caught out a number of riders.

Eighth place went to the VR46 of Fabio di Giannantonio, while Joan Mir was a surprise ninth on his Honda ahead of the Gresini of Alex Marquez.

His team-mate and elder brother Marc Marquez lost his best lap due to track limits and was classified 18th, although the red flag meant the times were largely unrepresentative.

The top Yamaha rider was the returning Alex Rins in 13th with a best effort of 1m30.482s, one spot clear of team-mate and 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo.

MotoGP Austrian GP — FP1 results



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«Strange» Ducati GP24 has moved clear of GP23 despite no upgrades

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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.

This has seemingly left Gresini and VR46 riders at a disadvantage in recent races, with Marc Marquez slipping to fourth in the standings after picking up just a single podium finish since the Italian Grand Prix in June.

It is understood that Ducati has gained a better understanding of the new rear tyre introduced by Michelin this year, but only the GP24 is built in a way to take full advantage of it.

However, Bagnaia reiterated his claim that the two bike specifications aren’t as different as it appears to the outside world, a belief also held by his title rival Martin.

The two-time MotoGP world champion in fact expressed his surprise that GP23 hasn’t been a match to the latest-spec Ducati since the French GP three months ago despite receiving a number of new parts during that period.

“About everything I’m going to say, they won’t listen to me, because everyone has their own idea and I don’t care about anything,” he told Spanish broadcaster DAZN.

“I have tested both bikes, and there is nothing like the GP22 [which Ducati raced in 2022]. It was the most balanced bike of all.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“It’s a bit strange that, until Le Mans, the GP23 was always fighting for the victory, and from then until now we have always been far ahead, and without any improvement.

“We haven’t had any evolution since the tests. And yet the GP23 has had two or three evolutions since the beginning of the year.

“But in the end, they are very similar. I know nobody will listen to me, but this is the reality.”

The apparent advantage now enjoyed by riders on the GP24 bike has left Marquez virtually out of the title fight, with Bagnaia and Martin now locked in a duel and Bastianini having an outside shot in third.

At the halfway stage of the season, just three points separate the leading two, while Bastianini has to make up a deficit of 49 points to challenge for the championship.

Bagnaia said he needs to raise his game in half-distance sprint races, where Martin has had an edge so far with four wins to the Italian’s two, in order to seal a third consecutive title in MotoGP.

“I see it as a ‘Pecco against the rest’, as always, not a ‘Pecco against Pecco’,” he said. “In the end, it’s like starting from scratch again, because three points is nothing.

“So it will be important to do well, not to crash again. In the sprints, I’ve been unlucky and made mistakes. It will be important to always finish.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“Martin is always very competitive in the short races and in the end he gets a lot of points over me [on Saturdays].”

Bagnaia will be joined by six-time MotoGP world champion Marquez in the factory Ducati team next year, giving the Italian marque the best line-up on the grid but also potential headaches that come from managing two alpha personalities.

Bagnaia said Marquez’s signing could be a major boost for Ducati, but warned that the two of them locking horns could also spell disaster for the manufacturer.

“It can be good because we are both intelligent, and we can maintain this [internal] climate of serenity, and fight on the track,” he said.

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“It can be a disaster, because when you put two roosters in the same [chicken coop], it can be a disaster.

“But I pull more because we are two smart people. The most important thing is the results. I want to beat him, and he wants to beat me. That’s out of the question.

“But off the track, we will have to work together. We will have one less GP25 next year, and less data, so it will be important to work in the same direction.”



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“Not fair” that Miller and Morbidelli will stay in MotoGP next year

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says it’s «not fair» that Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli will remain on next year’s MotoGP grid despite their current form, when teams could hire young riders in their place.

Espargaro, a veteran of 243 starts, believes MotoGP teams should be giving opportunities to those coming through the ranks instead of signing underperforming riders in the premier class.

His comments follow speculation that Miller has secured a reprieve at Yamaha’s new satellite team Pramac next year after being dropped by KTM in the wake of his poor results with the Austrian marque this year.

Miller will effectively take the place of Morbidelli, who is expected to find a berth at his mentor Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team next year despite his own lacklustre results in 2024.

The Italian is going through a torrid campaign on what is the best bike on the grid after missing all of pre-season testing due to a training injury, but will continue in MotoGP next year thanks to his long association with seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi.

Espargaro made a rare comment about fellow riders on the eve of this weekend’s Austrian GP, saying it’s sad that a lot of talented youngsters in Moto2 will miss out on a MotoGP seat next year because teams are opting for the likes of Miller and Morbidelli and not giving a newcomers a shot.

Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing

Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I’m not going to comment on that [Miller] because I would get into trouble,” he said initially, before adding: “If I tell you what I think about that and someone else who will end up in VR46, it will be wrong.

“I get on well with Jack, we are neighbours and he has just become a father. I know he likes motorbikes much more than me. I’m very happy that he can still be here. But there’s a much worse case.

“The case of Morbidelli is worse than that of Miller. There is nothing wrong with Morbidelli staying in MotoGP, but when you have a winning bike for so many years in a row, and your team-mates [Fabio Quartararo] beat you every time, in every race and every time trial, it doesn’t seem fair to me that you don’t give the opportunity to the young riders.

“When you have had many winning bikes and you don’t show anything, and they keep giving you options, then you see an Alonso Lopez [in Moto2] who is biting his lips to go up.”

Espargaro will call time on his glittering career as a racer at the end of this season, having already propelled Aprilia from a distant backmarker to a multiple race-winning force in MotoGP.

He will take up the role of test rider at Honda next year, freeing up a seat within the Aprilia fold as a result and leading to a domino effect elsewhere.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Espargaro said one of the reasons he decided to quit MotoGP was to open up space for young riders who are still in Moto2 and have a lot of potential to succeed at the top level in the coming years.

“That’s why I’ve decided to take a step aside next year, because I have the feeling that I’m not at 1000% like these guys can be,” he said. “I don’t have that desire to race anymore, and it doesn’t seem fair to me to stay here.”

One team that has opted for youth over experience is Aprilia’s own satellite squad Trackhouse, which has signed Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura to partner incumbent Raul Fernandez.

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Espargaro hailed team boss Davide Brivio for showing faith in Ogura, who currently sits second in the standings behind team-mate Sergio Garcia, instead of looking elsewhere on the current grid.

“For a team manager like Brivio to take a gamble with someone like Ogura is ‘chapeau’ [well done],” he said.

“I think Ogura is very good; he is aggressive, he works on his own. I think it’s a great signing, it’s the best thing Trackhouse could do.”



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Honda brings new MotoGP engine, but riders remain pessimistic for Austrian GP

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Honda has introduced a new engine configuration for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, but the riders have warned that it won’t bring an immediate step in performance.

The Japanese manufacturer has been hard at work to dig itself out of its lowest-ever phase in MotoGP, with a number of updates planned in the coming races in Europe.

The first significant upgrade is a new engine specification that LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami and HRC duo Luca Marini and Joan Mir are trialling at Spielberg, possibly with some variations between them.

Johann Zarco, who has previously gone for a different approach with a motor that is more powerful but harder to ride, will remain on the same bike that he raced with at Silverstone to gather more data.

From the outside, the new package is a welcome boost for HRC as it has been much slower in bringing in new components than Yamaha, another manufacturer that has been given extensive freedom to develop the bike in the middle of the season as part of MotoGP’s new concession system.

But Marini doesn’t think there is much speed to gain from the improved engine, even as he praised HRC for bringing in updates to the track for the second half of the campaign.

“’New engine’ is a big, big word, I will say [it is] a little upgrade,” he said.

“Because in terms of performance we saw after the Silverstone race, Taka’s performance [with a different spec] looks a little bit better but still not the same as the other engines [and] is a little bit more difficult to ride.

“We are getting closer to the other engine, but still not enough.

Luca Marini, Repsol Honda Team

Luca Marini, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“But I will say good job that they made this upgrade. It’s part of the process. It is important to keep pushing, keep working, even small upgrades are something good. I’m just happy for this.

“We will see but it will not change our performance on track.”

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Marini’s team-mate Mir was more optimistic about the ultimate potential of the upgraded engine, but also suggested that it wouldn’t immediately transform Honda’s fortunes in MotoGP.

“This weekend we have a different engine configuration, this is something great,” he said. “It’s a quite neat, fresh configuration.

‘It will not be a configuration that you put on track and straight away it is fast.

“So it’s something that will [require] some time to understand, some time to put the electronics side correctly, maybe the set-up.

“It will be a bit of work behind but it’s nice to have some new big things to try to understand if it’s the [right] direction or not, if it’s better, with more top speed or not, we have to see.”

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Honda’s stable of four riders have opted for different engine configurations in the past, with there being some disagreement over what the best way forward is for the marque.

Mir hopes that the engine upgrade a number of Honda riders will be running on their RC213Vs this weekend will give a definitive answer as to what direction to take going forward.

“It’s not an engine that I didn’t try before, it’s a configuration I didn’t try before. The engine is not new, it’s the configuration,” he clarified.

“It makes sense after all the struggle we have been through, especially at the beginning of the season.

“We realised the direction in that area was not the right one and we came back so it’s a little bit the direction we wanted to do when we came back. Those two steps that we want to do.

“We don’t expect two steps. it’s just to understand if it’s the direction we have to continue, that we will use.”

Additional reporting by Lorenza D’Adderio and Gerald Dirnbeck



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Silverstone MotoGP disaster “woke up people” at Aprilia

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Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales says a disastrous run for him and team-mate Aleix Espargaro in MotoGP’s British Grand Prix “woke up people” at the Italian marque.

The Silverstone weekend highlighted Aprilia’s struggles in race trim as Vinales dropped from eighth to 13th at the finish with heavy tyre degradation and Espargaro likewise slumped to sixth behind a quintet of Ducatis after starting from pole.

The result was particularly a disappointment for Aprilia as the 5.9km circuit usually plays into the strengths of the RS-GP, with Espargaro famously winning last year’s race despite stern opposition from Ducati.

The Noale factory has had a little under two weeks to analyse what went wrong in Britain this year and try to understand why it is struggling to replicate its early season form.

Vinales claims that Aprilia remains a potent challenger in qualifying and sprint on softer tyres, as vindicated by Espargaro’s pole at Silverstone, but its pace in grands prix is now becoming a serious cause for worry.

“Obviously Silverstone started some alarms because it is a track where usually we should be on the podium,” said the Spaniard.

“So being that [far] at the back and with a lot of problems takes you a bit under consideration if you are approaching the weekend in a correct way or treating the tyres in the correct way.

“It seems the bike is very different to last year, and somehow in the beginning of this season, I don’t know if because of the tarmac or however, it was much easier to take out the maximum performance in the race.

“Now it seems complicated because in quali we are very fast, in sprint race we defend ourselves, but on Sunday it’s hard to be competitive.

“So we need to understand why, because in the first few races we have been very competitive on the Sunday of the weekend.”

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Aprilia remains the only manufacturer to beat Ducati in 2024 after the opening 10 rounds of the season, courtesy of Vinales’ success in the US Grand Prix back in April.

Since then the Borgo Panigale marque has pulled away from the opposition, particularly with the latest-specification GP24, leaving even podiums as an unlikely outcome for rivals.

Vinales hopes this weekend’s Austrian GP will start to provide some answers about its loss in form and help the factory return to the front later in the year.

“From my point of view, especially from my side, I become less competitive because I was able to win races [previously], even though they were [against] the Ducati ’24,” said Vinales, who also won the sprint race prior to his double triumph in Austin.

“For sure, Silverstone woke up a little bit the people because it was a race where we should be in a really good position and it was one of the worst weekends of the season so far, so we need to understand.

“I think Austria is a good track to start to understand. Everyone is working, is positive and we will try to be back where we started the season.”

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Michelin has introduced a new tyre specification in MotoGP this year, which has been key to riders breaking lap records at a wide variety of circuits, with Aprilia also able to benefit from the new rubber.

But while the GP24 is able to extract more and more pace out of the new rear tyre with every round, the RS-GP has struggled in this regard — contributing to its decline in performance.

Espargaro said that even though Aprilia has made a massive step forward compared to last year, he is baffled that he wasn’t able to convert pole positions into strong results at both Barcelona and Silverstone.

“This is why we are a little bit in shock, because we don’t understand why [we drop so far behind Ducatis],” he said.

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“We are fast, the bike is competitive, but we don’t understand why we can’t match at races like Barcelona and Silverstone where I felt I was strongest [but] I arrived with 10 seconds in the race. It’s difficult really to understand.

“I was very very strong, very fast in terms of speed but the maximum we could reach was sixth. And I was a lot faster in the race than the rest of the Aprilias, the KTMs, the Yamahas, the Hondas, but we were very far [from the front].

He added: “I don’t think there is just one thing [that is making the difference], but they stop the bike better than us and they are able to do the pick up without destroying the tyre.

“We have to ride a little bit more with the throttle, which is good in terms of pure speed on pole position with the soft tyre, but with tyre consumption it’s not the best. We are seeing on race day it’s difficult to match.”

Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova and Gerald Dirnbeck



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Quartararo now wants experienced Pramac MotoGP line-up after advocating youngsters

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Fabio Quartararo believes it would be better for Yamaha to sign two experienced riders for its Pramac satellite team next year as the marque “doesn’t have time” to turn around its fortunes in MotoGP.

Quartararo’s comments mark a stark change in his approach after he had publicly backed Moto2 frontrunner Tony Arbolino last month for the second seat at Pramac.

The 2021 champion was also in favour of signing one-time grand prix winner Fabio di Giannantonio, a rider who is currently in only his third season in the premier class, before the Italian locked in a deal directly with Ducati to continue at VR46 in 2025.

“It’s difficult to say [about the line-up] but in the end we don’t have time [to fix the bike],” Quartararo said on the eve of this weekend’s Austrian GP.

“We have to improve fast and it’s true that with two experienced riders things can go faster.

“With a young rider, of course, it’s great for the future, like [Fermin] Aldeguer. He is going to a factory [Ducati] where the bike is already working and he is good to build for the future.

“Right now, it’s true that we need an experienced rider, and it also depends how long the contract is for the riders.

“Both options are really good. I don’t want to enter this [decision process] because at the end, to have a young rider or experienced rider, you can find positives in both ways.

“But it’s true that with the amount of time we have, having two experienced [riders] is not too bad also.”

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: KTM Images

Pramac had initially been looking for a youngster to partner Trackhouse ace Miguel Oliveira next year, but has since changed its heart and is closing on a deal with KTM outcast Jack Miller.

Both Oliveira and Miller are 29-years-old and have raced for multiple manufacturers in the past, bringing with them a ton of experience as Pramac prepares to end a two-decade partnership with Ducati and join forces with Yamaha.

Yamaha is also looking for a second rider to strengthen its test team, particularly at a time when Cal Crutchlow is unable to fulfill his duties due to a longer-than-expected injury recovery period.

One rider who has emerged as a serious contender in recent weeks is Augusto Fernandez, who doesn’t have a seat in MotoGP in 2025 after being dropped by the KTM group along with Miller.

Quartararo, who is able to have some indirect influence on Yamaha’s decision-making due to his status as the 2021 champion, admitted that he has put forward Fernandez’s name as a test rider.

“It’s already [been a] few months that I’m pushing to have a test rider that has been on the MotoGP bike really recently,” he said.

“Like Augusto is clearly one rider that I pushed since few months ago and I think he is young.

“If he is riding fast, for sure he will do some wildcards next year with Yamaha. For sure if he is riding fast he will have the ability to come back also in the championship [as a full-time rider].

“I think this is really important to find a rider who wants to come back and give some proper information.”

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Former KTM technical director Sterlacchini in advanced talks with Honda

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Former KTM technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini is in negotiations with Honda to join its MotoGP ranks, Motorsport.com understands.

Sterlacchini spent 17 years at Ducati, rising to the role of MotoGP technical director before signing with KTM in June 2021 to lead its engineering department.

In July the Austrian brand announced it had been unable to reach an agreement to renew Sterlacchini’s contract and he will leave KTM this year.

“The distance from his home, which is quite far from here [Austria], was an element to take into account, but I don’t want to use it as a main excuse,” Pit Beirer, KTM motorsport director, said last month. “We couldn’t agree on certain things about how to continue, and that’s the reason we agreed to part ways.”

Motorsport.com understands that Sterlacchini is in negotiations with Honda to become part of the HRC structure, but if a deal is agreed he will not join until November due to his KTM arrangement.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

It is not the only option on the table for the Italian, who is weighing up remaining in MotoGP or focusing on a new role outside of racing.

The negotiations with Sterlacchini show Honda’s latest willingness to open up to hiring and following the methodologies of European engineers and move away from its Japanese focus.

Last year HRC’s top management held talks with Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna, to try to get the services of the engineer who has transformed the Italian manufacturer into the dominant force in MotoGP in recent years.

HRC’s most recent major engineering addition was Ken Kawauchi, who was recruited from Suzuki after the Hamamatsu manufacturer closed its MotoGP division at the end of 2022.

Considering Honda’s drift this season, the manufacturer sits bottom of the MotoGP constructors’ table, and from comments made by factory riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, it does not seem that Kawauchi’s arrival has provided the expected turnaround in performance.

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2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more

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Pramac’s Jorge Martin wrest back the lead in the championship at Silverstone a fortnight ago, but only sits three points clear of factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.

British GP winner Enea Bastianini is now up to third in the standings, 49 points of Martin. The next few rounds will give a clear indication as to whether he can mount a serious title challenge.

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings

Session

GMT

BST 

CEST

ET

PT

AEST

JST

IST

FP1

08:45

09:45

10:45

04:45

01:45

18:45

17:45

14:15

FP2

13:00

14:00

 15:00

09:00

06:00

23:00

22:00

 18:30

FP3

08:10

 09:10 10:10

04:10

01:10

 18:10

17:10

 13:40

Qualifying

08:50

 09:50 10:50

04:50

01:50

18:50

17:50

 14:20

Sprint

13:00

 14:00 15:00

09:00

06:00

23:00

22:00

18:30

Warm up

07:40

08:40

 09:40

03:40

 00:40

17:40

16:40

13:10

Race

12:00

13:00

14:00

08:00

 05:00

22:00

21:00

 17:30

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in the UK and Portugal

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 10:45 — 11:30 BST
  • Free Practice 2: 15:00 — 16:00 BST

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 10:10 — 10:40 BST
  • Qualifying: 10:50 — 11:30 BST
  • Sprint: 15:00 BST

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Warm up: 09:40 — 09:50 BST
  • Race: 13:00 BST

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Europe 

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 11:45 — 12:30 CEST
  • Free Practice 2: 16:00 — 17:00 CEST

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 11:10 — 11:40 CEST
  • Qualifying: 11:50 — 12:30 CEST
  • Sprint: 16:00 CEST

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Warm up: 10:40 — 10:50 CEST
  • Race: 14:00 CEST

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in the US

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1:  05:45 — 06:30 ET / 01:45 — 02:30 PT
  • Free Practice 2:  10:00 — 11:00 ET / 06:00 — 07:00 PT

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 05:10 — 05:40 ET / 02:10 — 02:40 PT
  • Qualifying: 05:50 — 06:30 ET / 02:50 — 03:30 PT
  • Sprint: 10:00 ET / 07:00 PT

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Warm-up: 04:40 — 04:50 ET / 01:40 — 01:50 PT
  • Race:  08:00 ET / 05:00 PT

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Australia

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 19:45 — 20:30 AEST

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 2: 00:00 — 01:00 AEST
  • Free Practice 3: 19:10 — 19:40 AEST
  • Qualifying: 19:50 — 20:30 AEST

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Sprint: 00:00 AEST
  • Warm-up: 18:40 — 18:50 AEST
  • Race: 22:00 AEST

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in Japan

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 18:45 — 19:30 JST 
  • Free Practice 2: 23:00 — 00:00 JST 

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 18:10 — 18:40 JST 
  • Qualifying: 18:50 — 19:30 JST
  • Sprint: 23:00 JST

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Warm-up: 17:40 — 17:50 JST
  • Race: 21:00 JST

2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix session timings in India

Friday 16th August 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 15:15 — 16:00 IST 
  • Free Practice 2: 19:30 — 20:30 IST

Saturday 17th August 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 14:40 — 15:10 IST 
  • Qualifying: 15:20 — 16:00 IST
  • Sprint: 19:30 IST

Sunday 18th August 2024

  • Warm-up: 14:10 — 14:20 IST
  • Race: 17:30 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the MotoGP schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

Can I stream the Austrian MotoGP?

MotoGP has its own on-demand streaming service, offering live broadcast of practice, qualifying and the Sprint, as well as highlights. The MotoGP Video pass is available for an annual fee of 139.99 euros. Several local broadcasters also stream MotoGP races on their official websites.



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