The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team gear up for another week of MotoGP racing action. This time the crew will be competing at the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, held at the Spielberg circuit in Austria.
Fabio Quartararo arrives in Austria in 11th place in the championship. Though the Spielberg circuit isn‘t considered a ’Yamaha track‘, the Frenchman scored multiple premier class podiums there. He secured third place in Austria on his YZR-M1 in 2019, repeated the feat in the 2021 Styrian GP, and took a second place in Spielberg last year. Franco Morbidelli is right behind his teammate in the overall classifications ahead of this weekend‘s Austrian GP. The Italian feels he and his crew will be able to make up for last year‘s NC score at the Spielberg circuit and is aiming for solid points. Though the stop-start nature of this track will offer an extra challenge this weekend, he will give it his best shot.
The Spielberg circuit was constructed in 1969 and was rebuilt in 1996 to the track‘s current layout. It hosted two Austrian GPs in the 90s and staged its return to MotoGP Grand Prix racing after nineteen years in 2016. It has been a fixture on the MotoGP calendar since, even hosting two consecutive GPs (Austrian GP and Styrian GP) in 2020 and 2021. The track has a special character, with only ten turns in total (three left and eight right, chicane included) and multiple long straights, the longest measuring 626m. The circuit‘s design puts the emphasis on top speed, acceleration and braking stability, offering the riders plenty of opportunities to fully open the throttle.
In this week‘s MotoGP eSport video, Lorenzo Daretti explains exactly what techniques are required at this rather unique circuit, that is not as easy as it looks.