The MotoGP season is heating up, and the eleventh leg of the schedule is set to take place this weekend in Austria. Fabio Quartararo is currently the leader in the standings, but will the Frenchman be able to win a fifth race of the season in Austria?
Event Information & Records
The Austrian Grand Prix has been a mainstay on the MotoGP calendar since the 2016 season. It was previously on the calendar between 1971 and 1997, before it was scrapped due to poor attendance records. However, it made its long awaited return to the MotoGP world in 2016, and has been staged at the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, ever since.
Giacomo Agostini and Angel Nieto are the two most successful riders in the history of the Austrian Grand Prix, as they have both won on eight occasions during their career. Meanwhile, Honda are by far the most successful manufacturer, as the brand have had the winner on 24 occasions in the past. Since returning in 2016, the race has been dominated by Italian drivers.
Andrea Dovizioso has won on three occasions, including in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2019. Meanwhile, Andrea Iannone won the race in 2016. Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo won the race in 2018. All drivers won for the same manufacturer, as Ducati has won every race since it returned.
Austrian Grand Prix Preview 2021
Fabio Quartararo is certainly the rider that would appeal most to BetXchange customers this weekend. The Frenchman is storming the Riders’ Standings this season, as he has won four Grand Prix’s already. His most recent success came in the Dutch TT a couple of weeks ago.
He has finished in the top three on all but three occasions this season, with his last non-podium finish coming at the Catalan Grand Prix, where he finished sixth. Miguel Oliveira won that race, which was his only Grand Prix success this season. He was most recently forced to retire in the Styrian Grand Prix.
Jorge Martin was the eventual winner of that race in Bulgaria, which was his first success of the season. Prior to that win, he had finished on the podium just once, with that coming in his third in the Doha Grand Prix. However, the manufacturer could be an important factor this weekend, as we have mentioned the dominance that Ducati has achieved.
The leading Ducati riders in the standings are currently Johann Zarco, Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller. Miller’s season started strongly, with wins in Spain and France. However, he has retired in the last two races. Bagnaia has finished second on two occasions already this season, and was eleventh in the recent Styrian Grand Prix.
Austrian Grand Prix Prediction
We will side with another of the riders with a Ducati bike for the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. Johann Zarco has been in fine form throughout the season, and is currently second in the standings. His wait for a first win this season has been a long one, but the fact that he has finished second on four occasions does show that he is knocking on the door.
Pick: Johann Zarco at BetXchange.
