After the Styrian GP, the Ducati Lenovo Team riders are ready to return to the track at the Red Bull Ring, near Zeltweg, for the eleventh round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship, the Austrian GP.
In last week’s Grand Prix, held at the same track and won by “rookie” Jorge Martin with the Desmosedici GP bike of the Pramac Racing Team, Pecco Bagnaia had been competitive both in practice and qualifying, but in the race, he could not reap the benefits of the good work done with his team. Bagnaia took an early lead starting from the front row, but the race was stopped after only a few laps due to a crash. At the restart, Pecco did not find the same conditions, finishing only eleventh. In the Austrian GP scheduled for this Sunday, the Italian rider hopes to fight for the victory again.
Jack Miller also returns to Austria determined to redeem himself after his crash in last Sunday’s race while fighting for third place. After the Styrian GP, the Australian rider occupies the fifth position in the overall standings, 14 points behind teammate Bagnaia, who is fourth, 58 points behind leader Quartararo. Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team are in second place in the manufacturer’s standings and the team standings.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 4th (114 points)
“Last week at the Red Bull Ring, we had a great opportunity, and I hope we can have another one this Sunday. In the first start, before the red flag, I had a really good feeling with the bike, and I felt I could fight for the win, but then I didn’t find the same conditions in Race 2. Now we have a good base from which to set the work of this weekend, and certainly, the experience of last Sunday will come in handy. The weather will once again be the real unknown factor, but we’ll try to be ready to face the race in any condition. I’m very determined to finish the Austrian GP well.”
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th (100 points)
“This weekend, we’ll race again at the Red Bull Ring, and it will be a chance for me to redeem myself after the crash I had here last Sunday. The podium was really within my reach: the team did a great job, and I felt really good on the bike, and when I crashed, I didn’t feel like I was asking too much from the front, although that was probably the case. These days, the team could analyse the data to understand what happened, and it will be an important reference to prepare in the best way for the Austrian GP. My goal is to finish this weekend on a high with a good result”.
Circuit information
Country: Austria
Name: Red Bull Ring
Best lap: Dovizioso (Ducati), 1:23.827 (185.4 km/h) – 2019
Circuit record: Martín (Ducati), 1:22.994 (187.3 km/h) – 2021
Top speed: Bagnaia (Ducati), 321.4 km/h – 2021
Track length: 4,3 km
Race distance: 28 laps (120.9 km)
Corners: 10 (3 left, 7 right)
2020 Results
Podium: 1° Dovizioso (Ducati), 2° Mir (Suzuki), 3° Miller (Ducati)
Pole Position: Viñales (Yamaha), 1:23.450 (186.2 km/h) – 2020
Fastest lap: Rins (Yamaha), 1:24.007 (186.2 km/h)
Rider Information
Jack Miller
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 43
GPs started: 164 (109 x MotoGP, 49 x Moto3, 6 x 125 cc)
First GP: Qatar 2015 (MotoGP), Qatar 2012 (Moto3), Germany 2011 (125 cc)
Wins: 9 (3 MotoGP + 6 Moto3)
First Win: Netherlands 2016 (MotoGP), Qatar 2014 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 9 (1 MotoGP + 8 Moto3)
First pole: Argentina 2018 (MotoGP), USA 2014 (Moto3)
World Titles: –
Francesco Bagnaia
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 63
GPs started: 144 (39 x MotoGP, 36 x Moto2, 69 x Moto3)
First GP: Qatar 2019 (MotoGP), Qatar 2017 (MotoGP), Qatar 2013 (MotoGP)
Wins: 10 (8 Moto2 + 2 Moto3)
First Win: Qatar 2018 (Moto2), Netherlands 2016 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 8 (1 MotoGP, 6 Moto2 + 1 Moto3)
First pole: France 2018 (Moto2), Britain 2016 (Moto3), Qatar 2021 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (Moto2, 2018)
Championship Information
Riders’ standings
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 4º (114 points)
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5º (100 points)
Manufacturers’ standings
Ducati – 2º (192 points)
Teams’ standings
Ducati Lenovo Team – 2º (214 points)
