Austrian MotoGP 2024 Rider Ratings: Pecco Bagnaia Shines, Surprises and Setbacks Down the Field

Austrian MotoGP Rider Evaluations: Impressive Pecco Bagnaia Dominates Again

Crash.net reviews the rider performances for the 2024 Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring.

From clear victors to underwhelming performances on home turf, along with a few encouraging unexpected outcomes further down the lineup, here are our evaluations of the riders for the 2024 Austrian MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia – 9

Francesco Bagnaia returned to near-perfect form in Austria after experiencing a crash and finishing third in Silverstone, where he was clearly outperformed by his championship competitor Jorge Martin and his factory Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini. However, as seen in 2022 and 2023, Bagnaia was unbeatable at the Red Bull Ring, ultimately winning by more than three seconds. Although he didn’t achieve pole position and led for all but two laps, these minor shortfalls were insignificant. With a qualifying time of 1:27.889, securing two victories, and regaining the championship lead, Bagnaia's performance was nearly flawless.

Jorge Martin – 8

Jorge Martin delivered an impressive performance in Austria. Last year, a chaotic Sprint race resulted in him receiving a long lap penalty for the Grand Prix, which ruined his chances on Sunday, leading to a seventh-place finish. Although he had to take the long lap on Saturday again, errors from other riders and his own remarkable speed — second only to the almost flawless Bagnaia that weekend — allowed him to secure second place. He clinched another second place on Sunday at one of Bagnaia’s strongest circuits, keeping him just five points behind the championship leader. It was a solid weekend for Martin, but it marked the fifth time in six weekends that he has been outpaced by Bagnaia.

Enea Bastianini – 7

Enea Bastianini’s victory at Silverstone propelled him into the championship spotlight. During the British Sprint and Grand Prix, his ability to manage his rear tyre was so superior that his competitors stood no chance against him. However, in Austria, discomfort with the front tyre caused him to finish more than seven seconds behind the winner. Throughout the weekend, Bastianini struggled with front locking, a challenge also faced by Martin and Bagnaia, though they managed it more effectively. Despite this, Bastianini executed a strategic Grand Prix; aware that he lacked the speed to compete with the leading duo, he opted to secure third place without making significant errors.

Marc Marquez – 7

If we evaluate Marc Marquez’s performance in the Austrian Grand Prix from turn 2b on the first lap to the finish line, he deserves a higher score than seven. His speed was outstanding, his overtakes were precise, and he was the only rider on a Desmosedici GP23 who could compete with the leading GP24s. However, once again, poor execution cost the eight-time champion in Austria. Marquez was gaining on Bagnaia when he crashed out of what would have been an easy second place in the Sprint race. Additionally, he missed the opportunity for his first Grand Prix win in nearly three years by failing to activate his start device as he lined up on the grid. For those questioning Marquez’s capability to win, he was 13.9 seconds behind Bagnaia when he overtook Brad Binder for fourth place on lap 18, and remained 13.8 seconds behind at the finish line. While race management plays a role, Marquez had the speed to be a contender for the victory, but his chances evaporated before the race even began.

Brad Binder – 7

Last year, Brad Binder finished in second place in both races held in Austria, so it was undoubtedly disappointing for both him and KTM that he wasn't even close to competing for a podium spot this time. Similar to last year, Binder was outpaced by several seconds by a GP23, now piloted by Marquez. Additionally, three GP24s were several more seconds ahead. Despite a tough weekend for KTM, Binder was the top performer among them and deserves recognition for his efforts.

Marco Bezzecchi – 7.5

At first glance, rating Marco Bezzecchi higher than Enea Bastianini despite Bezzecchi finishing sixth and Bastianini third seems absurd. However, for Bezzecchi's season, Austria showed promise as he is set to join Aprilia soon. Typically, his performance has been subpar, but in Austria, he did reasonably well—finishing sixth, a spot he seldom achieves. Although it falls short of his aspirations, considering he won three races last season, it marks a step forward.

Maverick Vinales – 6.5

The Red Bull Ring has historically not been a strong track for Aprilia, and their current struggles with tyre wear compared to Ducati only added to their challenges. Given the 28-lap race in Austria, expectations were low. Vinales had a particularly lackluster performance, ending up 11th in the Sprint and trailing the winner by 24 seconds. Overall, it was a disappointing weekend for him.

Franco Morbidelli – 7

Franco Morbidelli’s eighth-place finish in Austria wasn’t particularly impressive, given that other GP24 riders were leading the race. However, the Italian rider did demonstrate some speed during practice sessions. An incident with Marquez at the first corner, which was a result of converging lines in the chaotic, single-file, 90-degree turn, certainly didn’t help his situation. Despite this setback, Morbidelli managed to recover from 17th place to secure eighth. So, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the #21. Nonetheless, having to find silver linings in an eighth-place finish and reflecting on Friday’s competitive pace on what is considered the best bike on the grid does cast a shadow over the performance.

Aleix Espargaro – 8

Aleix Espargaro, by his own account, isn’t fond of the stop-and-go design of the Red Bull Ring, and the Aprilia RS-GP shares this sentiment. Despite this, Espargaro bounced back from two crashes within the first 15 minutes of practice, which left him at the bottom of the FP1 standings. He impressively secured fourth place in the Sprint and capitalized on Marquez’s crash to achieve an unexpected podium finish. Although he finished ninth in the GP, Espargaro demonstrated in Austria that he still has the ability to adapt and learn, even as he nears retirement.

Alex Marquez – 5

Alex Marquez had a rather unremarkable performance at the Austrian Grand Prix. The most notable moment was when he slipped at turn 2a during the Sprint. His 11th-place qualifying and 10th-place finish were modest and didn't reflect the speed he had demonstrated back in Germany before the summer break. However, his performance wasn't terrible either.

Pol Espargaro – 7

Finishing in 11th place doesn't seem to accurately reflect Pol Espargaro's performance this weekend. He topped the practice sessions and advanced to Q2, despite not having competed since the Italian Grand Prix. If the final outcome is viewed negatively, it appears to be more a critique of KTM's progress rather than Espargaro's abilities.

Miguel Oliveira – 4

For Miguel Oliveira, Germany seems increasingly out of reach. In Austria, he finished 30 seconds behind the winner and lagged two seconds behind Aleix Espargaro. Although Oliveira showed progress from Friday to Sunday, a 12th place finish is far from his ambitions in racing.

Pedro Acosta – 3

Pedro Acosta's talent is undeniable, which makes his performance at the Austrian Grand Prix even more perplexing. Early in the weekend, he demonstrated strong competitive speed and was comfortably within the top 10. However, two crashes on Friday morning, including a high-speed incident at turn four, seemed to disrupt his momentum. His weekend never fully recovered. He was eliminated in Q1 by the rider he will replace at KTM next year and the one he replaced at GasGas this year. Acosta ended up with a quiet and unremarkable 13th-place finish, significantly below the standards he has set during his rookie season.

Takaaki Nakagami – 8

While giving an eight might seem generous, we should appreciate the rare moment when Takaaki Nakagami was the top-performing Honda rider in Austria. With rumors swirling that Somkiat Chantra might replace him soon, securing 14th place and being the highest-placed Honda rider is about the best outcome possible for someone on an RC213V right now.

Augusto Fernandez – 5

Finishing 15th seems to represent Augusto Fernandez's current level, which is why he is set to sign with Yamaha for a testing role rather than a racing position.

Alex Rins – 6

Alex Rins faced challenges throughout the weekend in Austria, mainly due to the rear end lifting during braking. He experimented with a different setup for the Sprint, which made the bike hard to handle, eventually forcing him to withdraw due to diminishing engine power. Managing to complete the race on Sunday was a step up, but finishing in 16th place meant he did not earn any points, essentially rendering the effort moot.

Joan Mir – 6

Much like his teammate Rins, Joan Mir faced a challenging weekend. This difficulty is likely to persist in the upcoming race in Aragon as well. Despite having a new engine specification from HRC, the 2020 champion finished in 17th place, suggesting that the upgrade didn't significantly improve his performance.

Fabio Quartararo – 6

Quartararo had a promising weekend shaping up in Austria. His performance on worn tyres during FP2 was particularly heartening, though Yamaha continues to face challenges in maximizing the grip from new tyres. This issue affected Quartararo's speed at the start of the race and his qualifying results. Additionally, a long lap penalty hurt his race, but overall, there were more optimistic indications for both Yamaha and Quartararo in Austria compared to Silverstone.

Jack Miller – 7

Jack Miller emerged as the top KTM rider in both the qualifying session and the Sprint race, signaling a notable improvement from his overall performance this season. Although he was trailing his teammate, Brad Binder, when he crashed while competing against Marc Marquez in the Grand Prix, Miller had a strong chance of finishing in the top six. His 19th place finish doesn't fully reflect his efforts and progress, as he was the standout KTM rider, demonstrating significant advancement over the weekend.

Lorenzo Savadori – 6

Finishing in 20th place is a respectable outcome for Lorenzo Savadori, particularly given the challenges his Aprilia faces at the Red Bull Ring circuit. However, a bigger worry for the test rider from Noale is that the new solutions introduced to address the RS-GP's previous issues at this track did not appear to be effective.

Johann Zarco – 6

Johann Zarco has typically been the fastest Honda rider this season. Therefore, his 21st place finish in Austria was unexpected. After the race, the French rider mentioned experiencing engine power problems, but he continued racing to collect data and in case it started raining — which it didn't. While the result wasn’t impressive, Zarco demonstrated his value as a development rider once more.

Stefan Bradl – 6

As usual, Stefan Bradl was present at the Red Bull Ring for testing purposes rather than aiming for a competitive result. Therefore, his position as the last finisher among the 22 competitors is inconsequential. Notably, this weekend he succeeded in not compromising the qualifying efforts of any title contenders, marking an improvement from his performance in Germany.

Raul Fernandez – 4

Transitioning to the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP has proven challenging for Raul Fernandez. He was in 13th place at the Red Bull Ring until lap 22, when he began to lose positions. Earlier this year, Fernandez generally had better speed compared to Miguel Oliveira. However, that wasn't the case in Austria. At this point, it's difficult to determine whether this is due to Fernandez adapting to the 2024 RS-GP, the differences between the 2024 and 2023 RS-GP models, or a dip in Fernandez's performance compared to his teammate. Ultimately, he had to retire from the race, but the weekend wasn't going well for him even before that.

Luca Marini – 5

Luca Marini finished 17th in the Sprint, reflecting his ongoing improvement compared to other Honda riders. Unfortunately, he had to retire from the main race after just five laps, leaving him with no points and minimal data to analyze.

Explore Further

Breaking News

Recent Updates

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photos, or illustrations, either in whole or in part, in any manner.