Mir and Marini prepare for Austrian GP
Into the Austrian hills for the Repsol Honda Team as round 11 beckons, Joan Mir and Luca Marini out to draw on past successes at the 4.35-kilometre-long circuit.
Returning to the MotoGP World Championship calendar in 2016, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg has produced its fair share of racing spectacles. Characterised by hard braking and heavy acceleration, the track presents unique demands.
Feeling generally strong at stop-and-go circuits, Joan Mir is out to get over the rash of falls and bad luck which have hidden his form in recent rounds. The Austrian track has been a boon for the #36 in the past, claiming his first World Championship win there in 2016 and taking a debut premier class podium at the track during his 2020 title run. As always, the objective for the weekend will be to make forward progress and continue improving the Repsol Honda Team RC213V.
On the other side of the garage, Luca Marini lands in Austria with ever-improving form. Although the final result on Sunday was disappointing, Marini was able to put together a consistent weekend in Silverstone and cement his progress. Like his teammate, the #10 has achieved two podiums in Austria, both in Moto2, and taken three top five finishes in his last three premier class appearances at the circuit.
The Austrian GP marks the official start of the second half of the MotoGP World Championship season, starting an intense run of nine races across Europe and Asia in the next two months.
Joan Mir
“I am looking forward to seeing how we can improve in Austria after a run of weekends where we haven’t been able to deliver on our potential properly. Spielberg is a very particular circuit and usually I am very good under hard braking and hopefully we can find something to help on corner exit to stay with the others. It’s an important period coming up to work on things for the end of the season. I earned my first World Championship win there in 2016 in Moto3.”
Luca Marini
“Our previous weekend in Silverstone showed the progress we have been making with the bike, everything is coming together better and better and I am able to improve and make progress during the weekend. The results are not what we want of course but we’re building and working. I think in Austria we will be able to make another step at a track which is very different to the rest, it’s all about braking and acceleration so we will need to focus a lot on these areas.”
Location Information
The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is located beautifully in the Murtal-region of Styria, Austria. The circuit was originally built in 1969, then known as the Österreichring. In 1996 it was rebuilt with the track-layout it still had when, in 2011, it was reopened as the Red Bull Ring and… read more.
| Length | 4.3 km / 2.68 miles |
| Width | 13 metres |
| Left corners | 3 |
| Right corners | 7 |
| Longest straight | 626 m / 2053.81 ft |
| Constructed | 1969 |
| Modified | 1996 |
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Steiermark, Austria - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m27.748s (178.3 Km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Lap | 1m29.519s (174.8 Km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Time | 42'11.173 (173.1 Km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| 2024 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2024 Sprint Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
