Looking forward to MotoGP

“The final attacks in Spielberg are legendary!”

Marquez and Dovizioso fought a duel in the final corner in 2019

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Stefan Bradl swaps his TV microphone for a MotoGP motorcycle again at the Red Bull Ring. The Bavarian knows how Spielberg has managed to capture the hearts of the paddock and why brains are needed above all in Austria.

When Stefan Bradl talks about the upcoming MotoGP race in Spielberg, he quickly goes into raptures: "The whole setting at the Red Bull Ring is second to none. It's not for nothing that the race has already won the Grand Prix of the Year award several times."

Bradl has been supporting ServusTV as an expert for years

(Bild: ServusTV/Daphne Seberich)

The Styrian circuit is not actually a classic motorcycle circuit like Assen or Mugello: "The Ring was not built for motorcycle racing, but the riders still like the track." Also because since its comeback on the MotoGP calendar (it was briefly raced at the A1 Ring in 1995 and '96), there has always been a quick response to criticism, safety concerns or hair-raising accidents with modifications. "They have always adapted to the new circumstances, but have always been able to maintain the historic flair."

Spielberg requires brains
Physically, Spielberg is not one of the most demanding tracks in MotoGP: "But fuel consumption and tire wear are big issues here. And it's one of the worst tracks in terms of stress on the brakes. You have to ride with a lot of brains, it's not as easy here as it looks on paper." 

MotoGP winners in Spielberg

2023 - Bagnaia (Ducati)
2022 - Bagnaia (Ducati)
2021 - Binder (KTM) / Martin (Ducati)
2020 - Dovizioso (Ducati) / Oliveira (KTM)
2019 - Dovizioso (Ducati)
2018 - Lorenzo (Ducati)
2017 - Dovizioso (Ducati)
2016 - Iannone (Ducati)

The 34-year-old Bradl - who has only been a part-time racer as a test rider at Honda for years - is allowed to take on this challenge once again this year. He gets a wildcard. "I'm delighted to be able to ride here again. For me as a Bavarian, it's my second home race."

No end to the Ducati dominance
Ducati has always dominated the sport in Spielberg. The Italians have won eight of the ten races since the Red Bull Ring reopened, and everything points to a ninth victory: The red racers have only "lost" one race of the season this year. However, several Ducatisti are battling it out for victories, so there is no chance of boredom.

Particularly piquant: World Championship leader Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, who recently won at Silverstone, will be shown the door by Ducati at the end of the season. Neither of them will give in in the duels with defending champion and brand colleague Francesco Bagnaia: "That's the other side of the coin when you are so successful as a manufacturer. It will be exciting because Martin and Bastianini say: I have absolutely nothing to lose, every further victory is good for me."

Duel until the last corner
Perhaps in the end it will all come down to a duel in the last corner, of which there have been several in recent years. "The final attacks in Spielberg are legendary! There have been some classics," says Bradl. The Red Bull Ring has also won the hearts of fans by storm with scenes like this. Over 170,000 are expected to make the pilgrimage to Spielberg again this year.