Crash.net journalist Robert Jones runs through the rider ratings following the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring.
Francesco Bagnaia – 10
(Qualified 1st, finished 1st)
(Sprint race result – P1)
After securing pole position, Bagnaia made a superb start before going on to lead every lap of the sprint. Early pressure from Binder did nothing to dent his chances as the world champion eventually came over the line with a two second margin. In the Grand Prix, Bagnaia delivered another supreme performance as he again led every lap of the race. The world champion was as dominant as he’s ever been as he broke Binder’s hopes of a home win once again.
Brad Binder – 9
(Qualified 3rd, finished 2nd)
(Sprint race result – P2)
Competitive all weekend, Binder continued his impressive Saturday – topped FP2, qualified on the front row for just the second time in his MotoGP career and signed a contract extension with KTM until the end 2026 – by initially challenging Bagnaia in the sprint before collecting a P2 finish. Another very strong ride from the South African saw him push Bagnaia in the early stages of Sunday’s race before claiming a comfortable P2. Binder was very strong until tyre degradation played a huge role.
Marco Bezzecchi – 8.5
(Qualified 7th, finished 3rd)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
After an unfortunate sprint race where the Italian was taken out, Bezzecchi produced a fine display in the Grand Prix to eventually get the better of Alex Marquez’s stubborn defence. While it’s more points lost to Bagnaia, Bezzecchi bounced back from his Silverstone mistake in a big way.
Luca Marini – 8
(Qualified 6th, finished 4th)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
In contention for a podium in the sprint, Marini was shaping up to have one of his best results of the season before contact with Martin resulted in him crashing out at turn two. What appeared to be a racing incident was confirmed by race direction’s decision not to penalise Martin. Marini then fought hard in the Grand Prix to secure an impressive P4.
Alex Marquez – 8
(Qualified 5th, finished 5th)
(Sprint race result – P4)
After technical gremlins saw him retire from the British Grand Prix, Marquez was back in the mix as he claimed a very strong P4 in the sprint. Marquez was a contender for the podium in the main race until the final few laps.
Maverick Vinales – 6
(Qualified 2nd, finished 6th)
(Sprint race result – P8)
After a brilliant qualifying, Vinales saw all hopes of winning the sprint end when he tip-toed his way away at the start. Vinales started second but was quickly relegated to seventh on the run to turn one before being caught up in the turn one incident. Although Sunday’s race saw Vinales make a better launch off the line, the Aprilia rider was again mobbed into turn one which conditioned his race. A weekend that should have been much better ultimately ended in disappointment.
Jorge Martin – 5
(Qualified 12th, finished 7th)
(Sprint race result – P3)
Down in 12th to begin the sprint, Martin made a great start before a lunge to the inside compromised several riders. A clash that involved six other riders, three of which crashed, wasn’t the only controversial moment Martin suffered as he later clashed with Marini. An attempted overtake was made at turn two resulting in contact as Marini crashed out. For the Grand Prix, Martin was handed a Long Lap penalty for his role in the turn one clash before coming through to finish seventh. Despite two strong race results, a poor qualifying where he exceeded track limits three times and his two collisions brought his grade down quite considerably.
Fabio Quartararo – 6.5
(Qualified 9th, finished 8th)
(Sprint race result – P15)
After failing to score because of the incident in the sprint, Quartararo delivered a promising performance in the Grand Prix as he mixed it with riders who have been fighting at the front in recent rounds.
Aleix Espargaro – 5.5
(Qualified 11th, finished 9th)
(Sprint race result – P7)
Struggling to match his teammate all weekend in terms of pure pace, the sprint race saw Espargaro beat Maverick Vinales across the line by just 0.024s after the Spaniard produced a comeback from 18th spot after being caught up in a turn one melee. Espargaro came close to attacking brother Pol Espargaro for sixth but ultimately settled for P7. After winning two weeks ago, Espargaro’s struggles at the Red Bull Ring continued in the main race as he dropped a few positions as the race went on.
Enea Bastianini – 6
(Qualified 14th, finished 10th)
(Sprint race result – P13)
Bastianini’s struggles looked set to continue after a poor result in the sprint, however, the four-time race winner in 2022 showed better speed during the Grand Prix.
Franco Morbidelli – 6
(Qualified 15th, finished 11th)
(Sprint race result – P9)
Unable to make an impression in qualifying, Morbidelli showed much better race pace as he moved up the order in both races.
Marc Marquez – 5
(Qualified 18th, finished 12th)
(Sprint race result – P10)
A dreadful qualifying for Marquez didn’t stop the eight-time world champion from moving up the order in the sprint. Although he benefited from the lap one incident, Marquez showed decent speed aboard a struggling Honda. While 12th is not the result he would have wanted from the 28-lap race, Marquez did finish a Grand Prix for the first time this season.
Johann Zarco – 3
(Qualified 10th, finished 13th)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
Zarco was one of the three riders that crashed out of the sprint due to contact on the inside of turn one between Martin, Vinales and Quartararo. Zarco was another rider that made a decent start before having no answer for the riders around him during Sunday’s main event. Zarco has dipped in form over the last few rounds and Austria was no different.
Pol Espargaro – 7
(Qualified 13th, finished 14th)
(Sprint race result – P6)
Back to his best, Espargaro showed brilliant pace in the sprint as he remained close to Jack Miller, while also holding off both factory Aprilias for sixth. Espargaro was unable to produce the same level of performance in the Grand Prix as he struggled to keep touch with the battles ahead of him.
Augusto Fernandez – 4
(Qualified 22nd, finished 15th)
(Sprint race result – P17)
Fernandez managed to score on point in what was a tough weekend for the rookie.
Jack Miller – 5
(Qualified 4th, finished 16th)
(Sprint race result – P5)
Following a tough start to the weekend, Miller made a big turnaround on Saturday as he qualified fourth before claiming a top five in the sprint. The Australian was fast early on before losing touch with teammate Binder, which has been a trend in recent rounds. Sunday was a day to forget for Miller as he started the race well before running into problems very early on. A monumental slide down the order saw him finish the race scoreless.
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 3
(Qualified 20th, finished 17th)
(Sprint race result – P11)
Di Giannantonio’s hopes of remaining in MotoGP next season might have taken another hit after he failed to show anywhere near the same pace as teammate Marquez.
Takaaki Nakagami – 2.5
(Qualified 19th, finished 18th)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
Not for the first time this season, Nakagami endured a weekend to forget as he scored zero points for Honda.
Lorenzo Savadori – 4
(Qualified 23rd, finished 19th)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
Taking part in another wildcard for the Aprilia Racing outfit, Savadori did another solid job as he beat Iker Lecuona in the Grand Prix.
Iker Lecuona – 3
(Qualified 21st, finished 20th)
(Sprint race result – P16)
Lecuona had another quiet weekend as he looks to shown Honda that he can be a rider for them to consider in 2024.
Miguel Oliveira – 5
(Qualified 8th, DNF)
(Sprint race result – DNF)
In the sprint Oliveira was one of the riders caught up in the turn one incident as he crashed out due to the contact caused by Jorge Martin, Fabio Quartararo and Vinales. A double DNF followed for the Portuguese rider as he encountered a front wheel problem early in the Grand Prix.
Raul Fernandez – 2.5
(Qualified 17th, DNF)
(Sprint race result – P14)
Lacking competitiveness once again, Fernandez was 14th in the sprint before retiring from the Grand Prix.
Joan Mir – 3
(Qualified 16th, DNF)
(Sprint race result – P12)
It was yet another disastrous weekend for the 2020 world champion as he crashed out of yet another race, following his P12 result in the sprint.
Keyword: Austrian MotoGP Rider Ratings: Francesco Bagnaia the star performer but who disappointed in Austria?