By Donovan Fourie | Guest Contributor | MotoGP Analyst
Return to the Red Bull Ring
After an agonising month away, MotoGP returns to racing this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The circuit is located near the town of Spielberg and is surrounded by hills and mountains, making it your stereotypical Austrian setting.
A Track Transformed
The circuit was first built in 1969, which was strange because in those days, most circuits were closed-off roads. Originally, it was a fast, flowing circuit to such an extent that Formula One drivers kept killing themselves there. Eventually, in 1996, the circuit overcompensated for its speed problem and hired circuit designer Hermann Tilke, a man with an unhealthy obsession with hairpins, to redesign it. And he went to town, removing all the fast corners and replacing them with a series of first-gear hairpins requiring the vehicles to come to a near halt to negotiate them. Essentially, the Red Bull Ring became a square with a little infield section.
In 2022, the circuit was made even slower for motorcycles after a frightfully near collision took place during the 2021 MotoGP race. Frankie Morbidelli and Johann Zarco made contact at 280km/h, sending both of them off track and tumbling. The debris from the collision tumbled right over the section of track after the turn three hairpin, miraculously missing Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi by mere millimetres. With that, another tight chicane was installed on what was previously a flat out, slipstreaming piece of the track.
Ducati’s Stronghold and Binder’s 2021 Heroics
On to modern times – the circuit is unique because it is one that Marc Marquez has raced on since its reintroduction into the MotoGP calendar in 2016, and is yet to win on. He will this weekend, though.
The Red Bull Ring is a famously pro-Ducati circuit with the Italian manufacturer having won every single race since 2016 apart from the 2021 MotoGP race when a brave fellow by the name of Brad Binder chose not to follow everyone into the pits to swap for wet tyres after the heavens opened with three laps to go. Everyone thought he was nuts because slick tyres famously do not mix with a wet circuit, yet Binder managed to keep it together and take a famous win.
Binder’s 2025 Challenge and KTM’s Home Advantage
Whether we will see a repeat of this performance by the South African is left to be seen. Up until this point, Binder has been struggling to come to terms with the 2025 KTM MotoGP bike that has seen a design shift from previous models, and now favours a smoother, more wheel-in-line style that isn’t Binder in any way. It’s possible that during the break, he has done some soul searching and returns to the circuit with a new frame of mind or perhaps a technical solution for his problems.
Where KTM does have an advantage is the fact that Red Bull Ring is its home GP, and the Austrian manufacturer has probably logged more laps on this circuit than any other manufacturer.
Favourites and Predictions
The downside is that Ducati is looking strong this year, particularly in the hands of Marc Marquez. It seems likely it will maintain its dominance of the Red Bull Ring, which means that any upsets from the likes of KTM will be all the more sensational.
If anyone is going to challenge the Ducati, it will most likely be someone on a KTM. We’ve seen huge strides from the likes of Marco Bezzecchi on the Aprilia and a few good charges from Fabio Quartararo on the Yamaha, but both these motorcycles better suit a more flowing type of circuit. The going should be tough for them at Red Bull.
Equally, we have seen form from Johann Zarco on the Honda, but the Japanese manufacturer seems to have hit a bit of a development ceiling as the championship moved to the midway mark. Also, Red Bull Ring requires decent horsepower to pull out of the tight corners and onto the straights, something Honda is famously lacking.
Marquez will very likely win this weekend. If not, it will be a major upset. Won’t that be fun?