MotoGP
MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix Review: Bagnaia shines in Spielberg
Bagnaia masters the Red Bull Ring to deliver yet another dominating weekend.
The Red Bull Ring in the Austrian mountains was the stage to the 11th Round of the 2024 FIM MotoGP world championship. Read about it all in DRC’s weekend Review for the 2024 MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix. Read the weekend preview here .
Bagnaia completes the Double
The Ducati domination continues. After missing out last time in Silverstone, Francesco Bagnaia was on top form as he scooped up both the Sprint and the Race victory at the Red Bull Ring. The Italian qualified second behind title-fight rival Jorge Martin, missing on pole by just one and a half tenths.
Pecco produced a fantastic hole-shot lights out on Saturday. He and Jorge Martin were then scrapping for the lead, after which Martin had to serve a Long Lap Penalty and settle for second in the sprint, Pecco finishing with a very comfortable margin.
Going into Sunday, both Bagnaia and Martin were tied on 250 points, with Pecco becoming the leader by the virtue of more race wins.
On Sunday, Bagnaia got a good start, and converted it into the lead at the end of Lap 1, completing the move and becoming the leader officially as He and Martin barreled into Turn 1 on the second lap. After which, he went on to inflate his lead eventually finishing a whopping 3.2 seconds ahead of Jorge. Bagnaia would go on to put in the fastest lap of the race. The speedy 1:29:519 also breaking the lap record in the process. This show of performance puts the reigning champion 5 points ahead of his nearest rival Martin.
Marquez has a topsy turvy weekend
Difficult, draining and rocky were the words to describe Marquez’s weekend in Austria. The Spaniard qualified third, half a second off pole. Although he was happy about the front row start, he was also dissatisfied with his lack of pace.
Come Saturday, he would maintain that third place, but as Jorge Martin served his long lap penalty, Marquez pounced and took second place. He had the pace to secure a silver medal in the sprint, but crashed out at turn 3.
Sunday didn’t bear much luck for the Spaniard either, as he collided with the Prima Pramac Ducati of Franko Morbidelli. The pair, who also collided in Sachsenring, saw Marquez coming off worse once again and dropping deep into the field. Marquez would then go on to make his way through the field, picking off places one after the other, to finally finish fourth.
One positive from his weekend was the great race pace he showed. He was able to keep up with Jorge Martin and even pull a gap on him. Qualifying pace needs to improve, however, as he tries to prove why he is the right choice for the Ducati ride next year.
Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha fail to deliver
Aprilia for the second weekend in a row, fail to deliver the goods after a promising start. Friday was frustrating for Aleix Espargaro, but he recovered to a third place finish in the sprint after Marquez crashed out. On the other factory Aprilia was Maveric Viñales, disappointed by a low P6 in Qualifying. The Trackhouse Aprilias were also disappointing, finishing 13th and 20th in Qualifying.
Things would only get difficult for Sunday. Both the factory Aprilias went backwards from the start, finishing P7 and P9. Oliveira on the Trackhouse Aprilia could only muster 12th. A growing concern for the Aprilia bikes is that they are loosing a lot of pace as the race goes on. After a decent start, every single Aprilia was overtaken as they sunk to the lower points paying positions.
Meanwhile, the Japanese manufacturers were once again starved for pickings. Honda and Yamaha combined managed to score only two points at the hands of Nakagami. Honda and Yamaha seem to be deep in the lower-midfield slump, and still have miles to return to the top competition.
Lukewarm home race for KTM
Celebrating the Austrian GP as their home grand prix, KTM had a weekend with very high peaks and the lowest of lows.
Pedro Acosta, who is the lead KTM rider in the championship, started with three different crashes on Friday. That, however would be the least of his troubles. The wonderkid was unable to recreate his magic that got him multiple podiums earlier in the year. He finished the race in 13th, scoring 3 points in a tumultuous weekend. His teammate Augusto Fernandes also struggled over the weekend, finishing with a single point.
The factory KTM team had a much better weekend though. The KTM hero Brad Binder made it to Q2, albeit in 12th place. His team-mate Jack Miller produced a blistering lap to start fifth come race-day, the Aussie still looking for a ride for next season. However, the talking point in qualifying was the Wildcard.
Pol Espargaro impressed and not only managed to get into Q2, but also out qualified Binder and started 10th. He would then finish 11th, in the points for KTM on Sunday.
Come raceday, Jack Miller went backwards, but still just. He was only overtaken by Marquez as he charged. However, that would all change as Miller crashed out of sixth at the turn two chicane. This was his first major points paying position since the last year, and will surely hamper his chances of getting a seat next season.
The Sunday man Brad Binder delivered a brilliant home race for KTM on the other side of the garage. He managed to climb up all the way from P12 to P5, and was set for a P4 finish had Marquez not charged past him. This now puts him 6th in the bigger scheme of things and he overtakes Pedro Acosta as the lead KTM in the championship.
Rider Market and Injury Updates
The MotoGP grid will be getting a new rookie next season. Trackhouse Racing have signed Moto2 rider Ai Ogura for two years starting 2025.
Congratulations are also in order for Frank Morbidelli, who joins Pertamina Enduro VR46 for the 2025 season and beyond. VR46 have also extended Fabio Di Gianntonio’s contract for another two years.
In other news, Diggia suffered a pretty heavy crash this weekend, which left him with a dislocated shoulder. He was not able to start either race and qualifying, and it is uncertain if he will recover for the next round.
Championship Standings
This is how the championship looks like after the Austrian Grand Prix:
The next round of the world championship will take place from Aug 30-Sep 1 at the Aragon circuit in Spain.
Follow DRC for more updates related to the world of motorsports.
MotoGP
Indian GP Dropped for 2026 – A Brewing Dispute Between Dorna and Organizers?
Desi Racing Co understands from its sources that a dispute has been ongoing between Dorna and the Indian organizers, a likely factor in the Indian GP being dropped from the 2026 calendar.
The Indian GP has been dropped from the MotoGP calendar for the third consecutive time, following its first and only appearance in 2023. Visa issues in 2023, extreme weather and operational challenges in 2024, and operational constraints in 2025 — What could have caused cancellation in 2026?
2023 – Visa Issues
As teams and riders traveled to India for the first Indian GP, held from September 22 to 24, 2023, at the Buddh International Circuit, many were unable to fly due to pending visa approvals, including riders such as Marc Marquez and Joan Mir. Over 500 visa applications were granted initially, but hundreds remained pending as the race weekend approached, prompting urgent logistical interventions.
Here’s a tweet from our page back in 2023, when Marc Márquez, Brad Binder, and Joan Mir had to delay their arrival in India due to visa issues.
Organizers at Fairstreet Sports, working with the Uttar Pradesh government, attributed the delays to a technical glitch caused by an agency handling visa applications, which initially delayed as many as 600 applications out of approximately 1,800 required for riders, staff, and officials. By Wednesday evening (Sept 20), most outstanding visas had been cleared, allowing riders and team personnel to begin arriving at the circuit in time for the first on-track sessions. Despite the initial chaos, the Indian GP went ahead as planned.
2024 – Unfavourable Weather and Operational Challenges
The Indian GP was initially scheduled for September 2024 at the Buddh International Circuit. However, high temperatures and humidity at the 2023 inaugural event (with ambient readings around 40 °C) caused severe discomfort for riders and staff, prompting calls to shorten race distances.
Indian GP Organisers judged that the September weather conditions were not safe or sustainable, and a mutual decision, involving Dorna, Fairstreet Sports, and the Uttar Pradesh government, led to the rescheduling of the race to March 2025. While reports were hinting at delayed payments by the promoter Fairstreet Sports, Fairstreet denied this was a factor, attributing the postponement solely to scheduling and weather-related concerns
2025 – Operational circumstances
Although the event had been tentatively shifted to March 2025, it was eventually dropped from the 2025 MotoGP calendar entirely due to broader operational constraints. Dorna confirmed in September 2024 that the race would serve only as a reserve event for 2025, with no available calendar slots later in the season, and targeting a full return in early 2026.
“Operational circumstances have obliged the event to be delayed from its initial slot near the start of the 2025 calendar. With no available dates towards the end of the season, MotoGP™ will therefore return to India in the early stages of 2026.” – MotoGP statement
The decision followed the signing of a new three-year contract directly with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, bypassing Fairstreet Sports. However, no new promoter was secured in time, and scheduling windows were tight, pushing the return further into 2026.
What happened to the 2026 race?
According to our sources, a dispute has been ongoing between Dorna and the Indian organizers over funding-related issues, which may have contributed to the race being dropped from the calendar. Additionally, we understand that charges have been filed against Pushkar Nath Srivastava, the Chief Operating Officer at FairStreet Sports. Among the key issues was a failure to raise sufficient funds, which appears to have been a primary trigger for the fallout. Currently, we don’t have the exact details of the matter.
Hosting a MotoGP race is a substantial financial commitment, involving substantial fees paid to Dorna, as well as costs for circuit upgrades, logistics, security, and hospitality. Here is the estimated cost of running MotoGP’s Indian Grand Prix, according to Invest UP’s tender in 2024:
What’s next for the Indian GP?
Despite a contract running until the end of 2027, the chances of the Indian GP returning to the MotoGP calendar are now minimal. The race has been dropped for 2024, 2025, and now 2026 as well. No local promoter has been confirmed, and ongoing logistical and financial issues remain unresolved. As it stands, a comeback before 2027 looks highly unlikely.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
MotoGP
MotoGP: Unstoppable Marquez Makes it 93 Wins for #93 in Mugello
Dominant Marc, Vintage Bagnaia and edge of the seat action, MotoGP delivered it all in Mugello.
MotoGP went from Marquez’s backyard in Aragon to Bagnaia’s backyard in Mugello, but the end result was the same: a complete domination by Marc Marquez. This weekend it was made more special as Marquez got his 93rd win in all classes of two-wheeler racing.
Read More: MotoGP Aragon: Marc Marquez Dominant at His Backyard
93 Wins for #93
Marc Marquez had another dominant weekend in MotoGP, taking yet another Pole, Sprint win, and Grand Prix win at Mugello. After a short winless streak of 4 races, Marc bounced back strong to have 2 dominant weekends in Aragon and in Mugello. In Mugello, however, it was not an easy ride.
During the Sprint race, Marquez had an issue with his bike just as the lights were about to go out, which resulted in Marc dropping places going into Turn 1. But Marc soon made up places, going up to P3 at the start of Lap 3. What commenced was a battle for victory between Marc, Bagnaia and Alex. On lap 4, Marc made the move for the lead, and it was smooth sailing for him afterwards as he converted his 100th GP pole to the sprint win.
The GP race on Sunday was a treat to the eyes. The opening laps in Mugello were some of the best we have seen this year in terms of racing. Marc was constantly challenged and overtaken for the lead by his teammate and brother, a proper edge-of-the-seat drama. Ultimately, Marc took the win with his brother following him in P2.
Vintage Bagnaia on Display in Mugello but in Vain
For the first time this year, we saw the Bagnaia we had been expecting to see from the start. When Marquez signed for Ducati, everyone was looking forward to Marquez vs Bagnaia, but that did not happen this year, until Mugello. Pecco was in his vintage mode, taking on Marquez toe to toe and more often than not coming out ahead of his teammate, although eventually it was Marquez who got the better of him. Pecco still had a decent weekend, a P3 in the sprint and narrowly missing out on the podium on Sunday after leading the race early on.
Another Solid Weekend from Alex Marquez
Alex Marquez got his 6th podium of the season and a fourth Marquez 1-2 of the year. Alex did briefly challenge for the win in both races in Mugello, but eventually lost out to Marc, just like everyone else. Currently sitting second in the standings, Alex is 40 points behind his older brother, and there is still a long season to go. Although there have been allegations made after Mugello that Alex does not race his older brother like he races others, if Alex does take on Marc, it will be a championship battle to watch out for.
Di Giannantonio Matches His Best Season in MotoGP in Terms of Podiums
Fabio Di Giannantonio got his second podium of the year, finishing P3 in Mugello, matching his best finish of P3 in Austin earlier this year. The Italian rider had a stellar show on Sunday, charging up to claim the podium, narrowly missing out on P2 as he ran out of laps to chase down Alex. Overall, it is a weekend Diggia will be happy with and will look to build on it for the rest of the season. He currently sits 5th in the standings, only 8 points behind his teammate in fourth.
Up Next: Assen
No time to rest as the paddock moves to TT Circuit Assen for the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix from 27th to 29th June for the second leg of the double header. Who triumphs in the land of the Dutch? Only one way to find out. Watch all the MotoGP action live in India online on Fancode or on your TVs at Eurosport.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
MotoGP made its way to Aragon, a place that is known as Marc Marquez’s backyard. Marquez demonstrated why exactly. A complete dominance from the Spaniard that saw him take the Pole and sprint win on Saturday, and then a win and the fastest lap of the GP on Sunday. Alex Marquez continued to be at the tail of his brother, finishing second, and Francesco Bagnaia scored a P3 on Sunday, a podium that will do a world of good to the confidence of the Italian before we head to his home turf in Mugello.
Read More: MotoGP Heads to Marquez’s Backyard in Aragon
Marquez Takes his 4th Win of MotoGP 2025
It’s not often you get to see a masterclass live, in Aragon, that is what everyone watching the Aragon GP witnessed. Marc Marquez had a perfect weekend, leading every session and every lap of the race. This win felt a long time coming, as this was Marquez’s first win since Qatar, which was all the way back in April. But before Qatar was Austin, where Marquez made a big mistake that resulted in him retiring from the race, Marc explained how those mistakes start to creep in and build doubts in the head.
“If we want to fight for the Championship, we cannot have a weekend where we repeat mistakes like we did in Austin. The other ones, okay, but Austin was a big mistake and then today I was very focused. With six or seven laps remaining, I started to think about that mistake. I asked myself, ‘how should I manage the situation?’ But then I was looking the lap time and I was riding on low: 47s without full concentration. Then I decided to increase the speed to be focused again.”
Confidence Boost for Bagnaia Before Mugello
Bagnaia has been struggling with his GP25 from the start of the season, but the last two races have been very miserable. The Italian rider had a retirement and a 16th place in the previous two GPs, even in the sprint, he only had a lonely P6 in the previous one. However, a P3 in Aragon has done a world of good for Bagnaia. In his own words, he has a confidence boost heading to Mugello, a track where he has always been competitive.
Positives for Joan Mir and Honda
It was the first time for Joan Mir to get back-to-back points finishes riding a Honda. A P7 in Aragon was a very positive result for the factory Honda team, their best this season. It was also Joan’s best finish since his P5 finish at the Indian Grand Prix in 2023. After a few hard years, Honda now seems to be getting back to fighting for points more consistently. They would hope to continue this fight and soon move up the ladder.
Can't keep a good Mir down. Bouncing back with a race full of fights!
— Honda HRC Castrol – MotoGP (@HRC_MotoGP) June 8, 2025
🅿️7️⃣ "I gave everything, used all the tools I had to battle with these guys" @JoanMirOfficial
📄 https://t.co/TCGhLRPGMo #AragonGP 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/1bASO4NqT5
Championship Standings
As things stand, Marc currently sits 32 points clear of his brother Alex Marquez at the top of the standings.
📈 @marcmarquez93 extends his lead in the standings after the #AragonGP #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/AleE8DM0gz
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 8, 2025
Up Next
MotoGP heads to Mugello next from 20-22nd of June for the Round 9 of the world championship.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
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