The fight for the MotoGP World Championship is getting more heated. The Silverstone round has once again overturned the balance, with Jorge Martin who has regained the world championship lead, even if with just three points of margin over a Pecco Bagnaia who paid above all for the fall that occurred in the Sprint on Saturday.
In Great Britain, however, a third protagonist seems to have signed up to fight for the title: Enea Bastianini, in fact, returned to victory, but he did it in style, placing a sensational double that brought him back to 49 lengths from “Martinator”. Saturday’s victory, among other things, was his first ever victory in a Sprint.
Now we head to the Red Bull Ring, on a track that has generally always smiled on Ducati: since MotoGP returned to Austria in 2016, in fact, the Reds have almost always won, with the exception of two successes branded KTM with Miguel Oliveira in 2020 (even if in that case it was run under the title of Styrian GP) and with Brad Binder in 2021.
The fast Austrian track, therefore, could further heat up the battle, with Marc Marquez also surely wanting to try a few more attacks before giving up. Especially if we consider that the eight-time world champion is still looking for his first win since he got on the Ducati.
On their home track, however, the KTMs will also try to fight hard, perhaps to hunt for a Sunday success that they have been missing since the 2022 Thailand GP. The recent drop in performance of the RC16s will certainly not help, but the goal will at least be to compete with Aprilia as the second force on a track that has never really suited the characteristics of the RS-GP.
Below, you can find the full schedule for the weekend, as well as the TV and Motorsport.com LIVE coverage.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
MotoGP 2024: Austrian Grand Prix schedule
After the trip across the Channel to Silverstone, where MotoGP raced before Moto2 on Sunday, the Red Bull Ring returns to the traditional continental format, which also includes the return to the track of the MotoE protagonists. This means that the MotoGP Sprint will start at 3pm on Saturday, while the long race will be at 4pm on Sunday.
Friday 16th August
FP1 MotoE: 8:30-8:45
FP1 Moto3: 9:00-9:35
FP1 Moto2: 9:50-10:30
FP1 MotoGP: 10:45-11:30
FP2 MotoE: 12:25-12:40
FP2 Moto3: 13:15-13:50
FP2 Moto2: 2.05pm-2.45pm
FP2 MotoGP: 15:00-16:00
MotoE Qualifying: 17:05-17:35
Saturday 17th August
FP3 Moto3: 8:40-9:10
FP3 Moto2: 9:25-9:55
P MotoGP: 10:10-10:40
MotoGP Qualifying: 10:50-11:30
MotoE Race 1: 12:15
Moto3 Qualifying: 12:50-13:30
Moto2 Qualifying: 13:45-14:25
MotoGP Sprint: 3:00 PM
MotoE Race 2: 16:10
Sunday 18th August
MotoGP Warm Up: 9:40-9:50
Moto3 Race: 11:00
Moto2 Race: 12:15
MotoGP Race: 2:00 PM
MotoGP 2024: How can I watch the Austrian Grand Prix?
Sky Sport MotoGP HD (Sky channel 208) and Now: Full live coverage of all the weekend sessions and MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races. Also live coverage of MotoE Race 1 on Saturday and delayed coverage of Race 2 at 17:10.
TV8 HD (channel 8 of digital terrestrial): Live coverage of the qualifying sessions of the three classes, the MotoGP Sprint and Race 1 of the MotoE on Saturday. Delayed coverage of the races of the three classes (Moto3 at 14:00; Moto2 at 15:20; MotoGP at 17:00) and Race 2 of the MotoE (13:15) on Sunday.
MotoGP 2024: Motorsport.com’s LIVE coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix
Saturday 17th August
MotoGP Qualifying: from 10:20 am
MotoGP Sprint: from 2.30pm
Sunday 18th August
MotoGP Race: from 1.30pm
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
MotoGP 2024: Discover the Red Bull Ring
The Red Bull Ring is one of the most unusual circuits on the MotoGP calendar, being one of the shortest, measuring just 4.3 kilometres in length. This means that the premier class race takes place over almost 30 laps.
The circuit has hosted MotoGP on two occasions: in 1996 and 1997, when it replaced the Salzburgring, and since 2016, taking advantage of its return to the international scene thanks to Red Bull. However, the memory of the terrible accident of the 2020 edition, in which Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales avoided tragedy, has marked this second stage, forcing the installation of a chicane on the second straight of the circuit, after the first corner.
As the Red Bull Ring is a very short circuit, the Austrian Grand Prix races will be among the longest in terms of laps of the 2024 season. The MotoGP long race on Sunday will be 28 laps, while the Sprint on Saturday will be half that, with 14 laps. Additionally, Moto2 will be 23 laps and Moto3 20 laps, both on Sunday.
| Circuit length |
4.3 km |
|
Circuit width |
12 meters |
| Curve | 11 (8 on the right and 3 on the left) |
| Longest straight |
810 meters |
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