Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1402132
ROUND 10 / AUGUST 13-15, 2021 RED BULL RING / SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA P72 MOTOGP I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP to 10th on the final lap. Jack Miller—the first rider to gamble and pit for slicks with Suzuki's Alex Rins—came home 11th from Tech3 KTM's Danilo Petrucci, LCR Idemitsu Honda's Takaaki Nakagami, Rins and the remounting Marc Marquez rounding out the top 15. Red Bull KTM's Miguel Oliveira ed across the line for his second career MotoGP race win. As Binder made history out front, it was carnage behind him. Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro began the final lap in second place with Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha) catapulted up to third ahead of Iker Lecu- ona (Tech3 KTM) and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Ducati), those riders all opting to stay on slicks. By turn three, however, those riders who had come in for wets were charging through. Bagnaia was at the head of this pack after Marquez crashed at turn one on the penultimate lap, and he quickly disposed of Rossi, Marini, Espargaro and Lecuona. Jorge Martin followed suit, the two finishing 9.9 and 11.5 seconds behind Binder. If the race had gone one more lap, Bagnaia would surely have taken his first MotoGP race victory, his last lap some 12.9 seconds faster than Binder. Wet-tire rider Mir also came through to take fourth, with Marini holding on for a career- best fifth ahead of Lecuona, Fa- bio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha), Rossi, Alex Marquez (LCR Castrol Honda) and Espar- garo, who tumbled from second MARQUEZ MOVES TOWARD 2022 Last weekend Marc Marquez expressed his frustration that his physical condition had not im- proved as much as he'd hoped after the five-week summer break. A week on, and the eight-time world champion admitted he is still struggling. All weekend he has tested the new chassis he raced last weekend, with a variety of set- ups as he chases a development direction for 2022. "If I focus on the Honda riders, braking, I am still the strongest, Briefly... although I do not make as much difference as before and, that is true, it is because I do not feel 100 percent, physically," he said. "Above all, because I do not feel so constant since before I made a difference in each lap and now when there is a small movement of the bike I am not capable. I go the same as the other Honda riders, but I am not able to make a differ- ence at that point." PETRONAS OUT Yamaha was rocked by news that Petronas is ready to withdraw its sponsorship from the Sepang Rac- ing Team (SRT) from the end of this year, meaning it will be running a reduced operation in the MotoGP class from 2022. After news of Vinales' decision to leave Yamaha at the end of this year, plus Valen- tino Rossi's retirement, SRT has struggled to attract its principle tar- gets to occupy the two seats in that operation, mainly Raul Fernandez, who instead moves up to MotoGP with Tech3 KTM, and Toprak Raz- gatioglu, who elected to stay with Yamaha in World Superbike. The news also means Petronas Sprinta Racing's Moto2 and Moto3 opera- tions will close from the end of this year. By virtue of the fact he has a contract with the team for 2022, it Binder (33) didn't quite have the pace of the leading five and had nothing to lose when the rest pitted.