CHENNAI: At the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria, every driver will be looking for improvements and is set for another unpredictable MotoGP weekend. That is the opinion of the drivers who presented themselves to the media in the press conference before the event. The Austrian GP race winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) is supported by World Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP). (The entire event from the BMW M Grand Prix of Styria will be LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport HD with the qualifying race on August 22, 2020 (Saturday) from 4:00 p.m. IST followed by the final race on the 23rd (Sunday) from 2:15 p.m. IST Both qualifying and the main race can be streamed LIVE in the Discovery Plus application from Saturday 4:50 pm IST and on Sunday at 3:30 pm IST also LIVE.)
The drivers may be attacking the same piece of asphalt this weekend, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see the same result. Dovizioso beat Mir by 1.3 seconds on Sunday, but the Italian does not believe that he will regain the upper hand at the Styrian GP. Dovizioso has a bright head on his shoulders and knows that other riders and teams will make progress with the data collected from the Austrian GP – including himself and Ducati.
“We try something new in every race. You can understand many things more than the practice lessons, so it is normal for everyone. I think we showed really good speed in the race, but I still don’t feel good in the middle of the corner and at the exit, ”said Dovizioso when asked if he would try different settings to gain more speed around the Red Bull Ring.
“We have to get better, and above all because we can bring that to bear on upcoming tracks. Some contestants will be stronger this week because they couldn’t get the result last time and therefore will be hungry and like everyone else saw things in the race. The weather is sure to decide. I think it will be hot tomorrow and Sunday maybe not that much, but I think it will be another weekend. ”
One of those who want to be stronger is Quartararo. With an eighth place less than a week ago, Dovizioso reduced the gap to the leading duo in the title fight to 11 points. The 21-year-old explained how he thinks the title race is wide open.
“For me it is wide open, but to have a second race in Austria again. Andrea is super fast here and of course he is one of the main contenders on all the next tracks, but there are a lot of manufacturers. I think the top 5 were four manufacturers so everyone’s there and I think it’s pretty much fun. We’ll try to do our best this weekend, we had good pace last weekend, so we want to work a little better and fight with the guys on the podium, ”said the Frenchman.
One to watch out for this weekend is Binder. The South African described the opening day of the Austrian GP as “a complete mess” as the Czech GP winner had a hard time getting used to the Red Bull Ring with his RC16. However, Binder found something during the warm-up and after starting from P17, the KTM star landed on P4 in the race. After Binder learned a lot from last weekend, he is confident that he will be able to get started in Styria right from the start.
“Gosh, Friday was a complete mess. I think I spent more time on the access roads, ”joked Binder. “But I kind of expected it because every time I hit a new track it was super difficult to find all the markings, to stop the bike from wheeling and where and how to do it right. The weather and not driving in some sessions didn’t help either, as it was difficult to take the steps forward. Saturday wasn’t a good 17th place in qualifying, but on Sunday morning I felt a lot better and took a small step compared to what I did in qualifying. For the race, I knew that it would be very difficult to start that far back.
“After I got off to a good start, I just tried to hack my way through and see what the other guys were up to. I’ve gained a lot in these two races, and fourth place was definitely a shock. I think when I was 8th I didn’t overtake anyone again … so it sure was a strange race. The good thing is that now after this race we really know what points I need to improve and I expect to do a better job this time around. ”
But the number 33 knows that he will be an improved binder in Styria, but the competition will also improve from last weekend. “I think the most important thing is that I can really use the laps in a meaningful way. If I’m on the right track I will have a good base to work on and we can try to improve from there.
“Last Friday it was chaos when I drove 10 clean laps all day. But that’s the way it is for everyone after a race. I assume that everyone has found something, has seen where they need to improve and I am looking forward to a good race in Austria. ”