Winners and losers from MotoGP's Austrian Grand Prix

MotoGP’s return from the summer break was an intriguing one. One factory brought a handy set of updates; another reached its nadir for the season. A double world champion continued to battle while a star rookie returned from the doldrums. The racing entertained, with at least three challengers squaring up to Marc Marquez across the weekend. But one thing that didn’t change was the name of the man who passed the chequered flag first…

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Jure Makovec / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Winner: Marc Marquez

Yet another imperious weekend for the Spaniard isn’t always a noteworthy matter these days. But racking up a sixth consecutive sprint and grand prix ‘double’ at a venue where he had never won is worthy of mention – particularly from the second row of the grid following a fall in qualifying.

While shadowing his brother and then passing him to win the sprint was something Marc could probably have done in his sleep, he did have to sweat just a little more for his latest Sunday victory. First, Marco Bezzecchi had the temerity to fight back – albeit briefly – when Marquez passed the Aprilia for the lead at two-thirds distance. Then there was the late assault from Fermin Aldeguer, which Marc admitted had him worried. Not that you’d ever have known it watching trackside, as Marquez kept things inch-perfect to shut the door on victory.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Loser: Francesco Bagnaia

Watching Bagnaia at the moment is starting to feel a little cruel. It’s not just that every apparent breakthrough or glimmer of hope seems to end with him unravelling on the circuit. It’s also because it’s tough not to jump to the conclusion that these experiences have him mentally shot to pieces.

The latest escapade was a case in point. It looked good at first, as he beat team-mate Marquez to seal a front-row start. But then there was a mysterious tyre issue that led to him pulling in and retiring from last place. On Sunday, he looked set for a respectable third before turning into a mobile soft target and getting bullied down to eighth place. He topped it all off by demanding answers from Ducati… while the victory champagne was still wet on Marquez’s overalls. Under the circumstances, his blaming of the bike is becoming an increasingly tough line to swallow.

Fermin Aldeguer, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Winner: Fermin Aldeguer

Austria saw the re-emergence of the rookie we had come to know in the early part of the year. Four straight visits to Q1 had been central to a dip in results heading into the Austrian round, but this time Aldeguer got up to speed earlier in the weekend and booked direct passage into Q2. He took advantage to qualify sixth.

Poor getaways highlighted that he needs to work on his starts, but he certainly showed that recovering from them is a strength. Getting back up to sixth by the end of the sprint was a taster of what was to come in the longer Sunday race, when his tyre preservation skills were on full display. Despite dropping to ninth early on, he took a leaf out of the Marc Marquez book and nursed his rubber while going fast. That translated into a charge all the way up to second place – the best result of his young MotoGP career.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Loser: VR46 Ducati

It’s only two races ago that Fabio Di Giannantonio was in podium contention at the German Grand Prix. But it must feel like a lifetime for the crew at VR46 after a second straight round of misery.

After Di Giannantonio was nowhere at Brno, at least the yellow team was back up to a full crew of riders as Franco Morbidelli returned from his Sachsenring injury. But while each had his moments in Austria, neither could build a solid weekend.

Di Giannantonio was again nowhere in qualifying – 15th to be precise – but Morbidelli lined up a solid eighth. The good qualifier, however, had two of his all too frequent trips back through the pack on the first laps of the races. He finished 14th and 11th on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Meanwhile, the man who struggled in qualifying came through nicely in the sprint to finish eighth. But then his Sunday ended early when his engine caught fire.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Winner: KTM

Following the emergence of hope at the Czech Grand Prix before the summer break, KTM’s home race showed that it had not been a fluke. The Austrian crew turned up with aero updates that really worked – to the point where factory rider Pedro Acosta was actually happy with life. He praised the improvements made to the bike’s turning and underlined the tyre life benefits these would bring over race distances.

While stop-go Spielberg may not be the best track to showcase this step in performance, the uptick in results was still evident. Disregarding the injured Maverick Vinales (who ultimately withdrew from the event), all three KTMs made it into Q2. While Acosta and team-mate Brad Binder pushed too hard, Tech3’s Enea Bastianini lined up fifth on the grid. Acosta led the charge in the races, however, grabbing a sprint bronze medal and taking fourth in the grand prix.

Miguel Oliveira, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Jure Makovec / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Loser: Yamaha

It’s easy to forget that Yamaha’s progress was really being talked up at the start of the year, when the factory’s Fabio Quartararo was not only taking pole positions but also finished on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix. Fast forward from April to August, and we find all four Yamahas occupying the final four spots in the Austrian Grand Prix.

It was a nightmare weekend that also saw the entire quartet failing to make Q2. Practice was embarrassing for the Japanese marque too, with Pramac’s Jack Miller riding around the track with a sick engine that – despite denials – may have chucked down a slippery fluid on the track. Because moments later, fellow Yamahas Quartararo and Miguel Oliveira (Pramac) crashed at exactly the same spot. Not the kind of teamwork you want.

The good news is that Spielberg has always been a troublesome track for Yamaha. The hot temperatures and generally lower grip than previous years didn’t help either. But the current project does not appear to be moving forward, and the temptation to plan the new V4’s race debut soon must be growing in Iwata.

Joan Mir, Honda HRC

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Winner: Joan Mir

After spending most of the pre-summer getting knocked off the road by other riders, Joan Mir quietly strung together a solid weekend in Austria. The factory Honda man was arguably alone in giving the manufacturer something to smile about in Styria. He made it directly into Q2 and qualified 10th, then secured a finish in the sprint – albeit a modest 13th.

But Sunday was the real highlight for the 2020 world champion, as he not only stayed out of trouble but finished sixth in the grand prix. This was his best result of the season, and it came in a race without major attrition. He was truly in the thick of the fight – racing situations had not been his friend earlier in the year – and he crossed the line just 10 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez.