Just one day after informing the world he would not ride for Ducati next season, Andrea Dovizioso took victory on his GP20 at the Red Bull Ring in a race that was re-started after an horrific crash.
Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco got tangled up at 200mph on the run into turn three. Both riders were halted by the gravel trap but the Petronas Yamaha went through the air fence and got as close to Valentino Rossi’s head as he would ever want while the Avintia Ducati flew across the track in many pieces behind him and towards team-mate Maverick Vinales.
Both riders were taken to the medical centre but have no major injuries in one of the scariest crashes in MotoGP history.
On-board with Rossi
At the re-start, Pol Espargaro got away well but Miller came flying up the inside from third, the Aussie ran wide but was able to use the drive down the long straight to hold his advantage.Pol was through at T3 but Miller – who had gambled on a soft-soft tyre option – was trying to pull the pin from the off.
The Australian took the lead at Turn 6 and immediately got the hammer down. Meanwhile, the opening lap on the restart was a horror show for Viñales who slipped to last place –with a mechanical or electric issue on his YZR-M1. From the back of the grid after running off track in the first part, Quartararo had started making up places but for the two Yamahas and top two in the Championship, this was now all about damage limitation.
By Lap 3, Miller was nearly a second up the road from Pol Espargaro, Dovizioso, the two Suzukis and Oliveira. Mir and Alex Rins were looking very strong after making great starts on their GSX-RRs, and the duo – along with Dovizioso – were swarming Pol Espargaro. Lap 4 saw Miller’s lead creep up to over a second but on the next lap, Dovizioso set the fastest lap of the race.
Just behind the Italian, Espargaro had his hands full with the two Suzukis. The trio were exchanging positions like there was no tomorrow and they were losing time on Dovizioso, with Rins eventually making a move stick and the 42 was off chasing Dovizioso.
On Lap 7, Rins set the fastest lap. Further back, Quartararo was P13 and Viñales was still out the points. On the next lap, Miller’s lead was down to just 0.4 as Dovizioso and Rins reeled in the Pramac Racing star, with Pol Espargaro, Mir and Oliveira now over a second off the podium scrap.
Espargaro looked like he was getting impatient as a potential race win was slowly slipping from his grasp, a couple of mistakes crept in and on Lap 9, catastrophe struck for KTM at their home race. At Turn 4, Espargaro and Oliveira were both down. The aftermath showed Oliveira absolutely livid, kicking his chair about the place.
Back on track, Miller’s advantage was no more. Dovizioso and Rins were right on the tail of the GP20, with Mir clawing back the gap after the two KTMs crashed. At Turn 6, Rins was almost down as the front of his machine tucked, but the Spaniard saved it. Then, a change for the lead.
Dovizioso carved past Miller into Turn 1 and at Turn 9 later in the lap, Rins followed the red Bologna bullet through. Rins really was on a charge but his race then prematurely ended at Turn 6. A repeat slip of the front tyre couldn’t be saved this time as Rins swept up the inside of Dovizioso, but 42 was out of the race as a four-way battle for the race win became a three-way battle. Dovizioso vs Miller vs Mir, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) over two seconds back in fourth as the South African produced another fine Sunday ride.
So, seven laps to go in Spielberg. Nothing between the leading three, Rossi and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) were chasing Binder with Championship leaders Quartararo and Viñales 8th and 13th, Viñales was the fastest man on track too. With five laps to go, Dovi started edging clear of Miller and Mir as Miller started to look like he was struggling with his soft Michelin tyres. With four laps to go, Dovizioso had pulled 0.9 seconds clear as Miller held firm in second. Mir was climbing all over the back of the Desmosedici but the superior Ducati grunt allowed Miller to hold the sophomore off.
Coming onto the last lap, barring a mistake, the race was Dovi’s. Miller was scrapping away and defending as hard as he could to make it a Ducati 1-2 – and it looked like he was going to be able to do it. But, Miller thought Mir was closer to him heading into the penultimate Turn 9 and Miller’s defensive line took him wide on the exit. Mir used the normal, sweeping line – something the Suzuki is fantastic at – and Mir was through. Dovi took the chequered flag to claim his third Red Bull Ring victory, Mir secures his first MotoGP podium with Miller settling for third.
Binder, after qualifying 17th, finishes P4 at KTM’s home race on his first visit to the Red Bull Ring on a MotoGP™ machine. Another great ride for the South African. Fifth went the way of Rossi who came out after the scare of his life like nothing had happened – true testament to just how superhuman all these guys are. The Doctor finished as the lead Yamaha rider in Austria, with Nakagami picking up a solid P6 just behind as the leading Honda rider.
Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) crossed the line seventh to finish just 0.036 ahead of Quartararo. It was a great damaged limitation job done by the 21-year-old who salvages seventh, but it’s not the result he’d have been looking for. 1.5 seconds behind Quartararo was Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3) who secures his best premier class result in P9. A top job by the rookie who will have a significant boost of confidence heading into the Styrian GP next weekend.
Viñales also did well to recover to P10 after his issues in the restarted race. It’s not what either Viñales or Quartararo would have been looking for from the front row but considering what unfolded, it was the best they could do. Quartararo’s gap has been closed down to 11 points with Dovizioso overtaking Viñales in the championship as the Frenchman and Spaniard will be hoping for better fortunes in seven days’ time.
Completing the points was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Michele Pirro (Pramac Racing), Bradley Smith (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Repsol Honda Team’s Alex Marquez and Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol).
