This is part two of a four-part series in which I take a look back at the year that was in MotoGP. Part One revolved around the events between Qatar and Brno, with parts three and four still to come. Today’s article will cover the details of the two double headers in Austria and Misano. Enjoy!
High speeds, high stakes
Few circuits on the modern MotoGP calendar can claim to have even close to the speeds reached at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. Built primarily for racing F1 cars, the circuit has been on the calendar since 2016 and has featured some action-packed races, and a lot of silverware for the Ducati factory. As the manufacturer with the consistently highest horsepower machines on the grid, the Italian brand have seen a slew of success here over the years, and given the struggle for form they witnessed in the Brno grand prix, this was seen as an opportunity for many of their riders to get back in the championship groove.
None more so than Dovizioso. After a podium in Jerez and a reasonable sixth place in Andalusia, the factory Ducati man suffered a lapse in form in Brno to finish eleventh. In addition to this, it was announced on the eve of the race in Austria that Dovi would cut ties with Ducati at the conclusion of the 2020 season. An unhappy union at the best of times, this was not exactly a massive shock, but it did leave Dovizioso with no solid plans for 2021. Would this spur him on to greater results, or push him out of championship contention?
There were no shortage of surprises come qualifying. On a track that they were supposed to struggle at, Yamaha put all four of their bikes into Q2, albeit with Rossi having to step up through Q1. Vinales would take his first pole of the season, Miller and Dovi took up second and fourth for Ducati, and the Suzukis surprised everyone by putting Joan Mir on the second row in sixth. The big news? KTM’s Brad Binder, race winner last time out, had a miserable session and ended up in seventeenth, way back on the sixth row of the grid. It seemed no matter what the result, this was going to be a unique and rather interesting Austrian grand prix.
And interesting it was, though not necessarily for the reasons one would hope. A strong start for KTM’s Pol Espargaro saw him swapping blows with the Ducati challengers of Dovi and Miller out front, while the pack behind scrambled for positions. Then, disaster struck in the form of Zarco and Morbidelli coming together on the fast uphill to turn 3. The two riders came off fast and hard, and their bikes continued forwards into the oncoming riders, nearly wiping out both Rossi and Vinales in the process. The race was red flagged and the riders pitted, nerves and adrenaline high, as the marshals attempted to rapidly clear the circuit.
The race restarted with most riders on fresh rubber, and we were finally able to see what the field were capable of. Pol Espargaro struggled due to not having enough spare tires for the restart, and ended up in the gravel with a rather frustrated Miguel Oliveira for company. Rins and Mir came on strong and showed the pace of the Suzuki, but Rins also crashed after narrowly taking the lead. In the end, it would all come down to Andrea Dovizioso holding off attacks from both Miller and Mir to secure his first win of the season. Mir took his first podium in second, Binder made a stellar recovery to fourth, and the championship leader Quartararo ended up in eighth, helped in no small part by the number of DNFs. Things were starting to get interesting in the championship battle.
Seeing red
The goal for race two in the Austrian mountains was simple: avoid any incidents as nasty as the one we saw a week prior. The air fence that Zarco’s bike destroyed had been repaired and extended, and the riders seemed confident they would be able to make an entire race distance in one go this time. Zarco would face a pitlane start as punishment for causing the crash, and a very courageous Morbidelli kept up the pace during practice and qualifying despite his narrow avoidance of serious injury days before.
The real surprise package was Joan Mir. The Suzuki sophomore finished FP3 as the fastest man on circuit, showing the potential of the Suzuki and reinforcing his strong finish the previous weekend. He would go on to qualify P4, but Zarco’s penalty meant he was shuffled up to his first ever front row start. He had several quick KTMs and the constant threat of the Ducatis on Austrian soil, but was it finally time for the Majorcan to stamp his authority on a MotoGP race?
The initial answer appeared to be yes. After an early dogfight featuring Miller, Nakagami and the younger Espargaro brother, Mir made his way to the front of the pack and began to tear away. His pace was fast, and consistent, and as he pushed his advantage the riders behind him continued to swap blows, which only aided his escape. Unfortunately, things just refused to go right for Mir, as the red flags came out for the second time in a week. The reason this time? Maverick Vinales’ brakes failed and his bike went straight into an air fence before bursting into flame. Once again, we were getting a showdown in two parts.
Mir didn’t get the start he wanted in the restart, and soon found himself mired down in fourth behind Espargaro, Miller and Oliveira. Espargaro was desperate for his first win, Miller was out for redemption, and Oliveira stayed on their tails in the hopes that he might pick up the pieces if it all went to hell. The final lap was breathtaking: Espargaro and Miller swapped overtakes multiple times, with Miller’s final assault coming on the final corner. It looked to be in the books, but the Aussie ran wide, and an unexpected Oliveira swooped in and stole the win on the line.
In a season of firsts, this was a big one. Portugal took their first premier class win, and the Tech 3 team also bagged their first win after 20 long years. Quartararo’s poor form meant the title chase closed back up, and unlikely faces were in the mix, including Miller, Mir, Pol Espargaro and now Oliveira. Who was going to win the 2020 championship?
Samba time in Misano
After a week off to breathe and regather our thoughts, the paddock travelled to Misano for another double header. The home turf of the Doctor himself, Valentino Rossi, and the training ground of his VR46 Academy, it was a welcome return to classic battlegrounds after the lunacy of the Austrian highlands. Plenty of riders were itching to get their seasons back on track, least of all Pecco Bagnaia, who returned to the field after an injury in the Czech Republic forced him out of the races in Brno and Austria. The hope was that his training in the VR46 Academy would give him a much needed leg-up in the coming races.
Once again, however, it was the Yamahas that ruled the roost in free practice and qualifying. The single lap pace of the Yamaha riders was relatively unthreatened all season, and this time out they locked out the top four spots on the grid. Pramac Ducati showed their potency by placing their riders fifth and sixth, leagues ahead of most of the other Ducati riders, and once again the Suzukis faired decently taking seventh and eighth. The prediction was a runaway win for one of the Yamaha riders, but there was competition in the front few rows that would hopefully spice things up somewhat.
Those hopes were dashed on the first lap. Franco Morbidelli, in the fashion he threatened in the Brno grand prix, disappeared out the front and pushed his advantage relentlessly, while the riders behind him squabbled for positions. His teammate was not nearly as fortunate; Quartararo crashed out on the third lap of the race, all but ensuring he would lose the championship lead by the end of the race. Rossi and Bagnaia stayed in the hunt in second and third, but there were two Suzuki riders posting fast lap times behind them. First Rins, then Mir scythed their way through the pack, both with the intent of stealing the podium spots from the Italians on their home soil.
Bagnaia’s defence was solid, but Rossi’s wasn’t. Mir made an incredible pass up the inside of the wily old Italian on the final lap of the race to clinch third, though Morbidelli remained untouchable. The VR46 Academy had an incredible day, with two graduates on the podium (Morbidelli in first and Bagnaia in second), and Mir’s second podium brought him right back into championship contention. In a most shocking twist, Andrea Dovizioso somehow walked away from the weekend as the championship leader despite only finishing seventh. One question reigned supreme at the end of all this: did anyone want to win the 2020 world championship?
Return of the Mack
One week later and we were back in San Marino for another bout. With five winners from six races, and the championship lead swinging drastically in the last race, it was time for someone to stamp their authority on this year’s title charge. Dovizioso could do it in theory, but the circuit was not a favourable one for the Ducatis. Quartararo needed to get back on the podium, as he hadn’t tasted champagne since the second race in Jerez. Then there was the chase pack, including Miller, Mir and Vinales. And it was still very much anyone’s game.
Bagnaia got the bookies’ attention with his pace across the weekend. He topped the time sheets in both FP3 and FP4, and then planted his bike firmly in the middle of the second row to give himself a great shot come Sunday. The Yamahas were strong again in qualifying, but this time around other manufacturers had caught up, Miller in P2, Pol Espargaro in P4, Binder in a surprising P6 – and that’s not even to mention the threat of Bagnaia in P5. It seemed like it could be anyone’s game on Sunday afternoon.
Bagnaia lived up to his promise when the lights went out, taking the lead from Vinales in the early stages and bolting much like Morbidelli did the week before. Vinales gave chase, while behind him Mir began another arduous task of battling through the pack to attempt back-to-back podiums despite his poor qualifying. Quartararo remained in the podium tussle for the first time in a long while, but he found himself in fierce competition with Pol Espargaro for third. Rossi and Binder crashed out early on, and Miller was forced to retire after catching Quartararo’s tearaway in the air filter of his bike.
Then, tragedy struck. Bagnaia lost the front of his bike and crashed out of what looked like a sure-fire win for the young Italian, gifting the lead to Vinales in the process. Maverick needed no further assistance, pushing to stay ahead of the riders behind him as Mir finally made his way back into the fray. Vinales had just enough to hold on for the win; Espargaro and Quartararo did not, as Mir battled past both of them using the silky smooth passing of the Suzuki to steal second place. Quartararo crossed the line in third, but was penalised for abusing track limits in his desperate battle with Espargaro and dropped back to fourth.
And so we found ourselves in a peculiar position. Seven races done, and the top four riders were split by just four points. Dovizioso, Vinales, Quartararo and Mir – all of them still very much in the title fight. And that wasn’t even to mention the slew of riders behind them who could still conceivably take over with a strong finish. Miller, Morbidelli, Rins, Espargaro, Oliveira, even Nakagami. No matter what the second half of the season contained, it couldn’t possibly be more frantic and unpredictable than the first half. Right?
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