MotoGP™: Michelin helps Bagnaia to Austria win

Francesco Bagnaia was first over the line at the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, Round 13 of the 2022 MotoGP^_TM World Championship. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider finished clear of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and team-mate Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team). The versatile MICHELIN Power range proved competitive around the Red Bull Ring’s revised layout and two different front-rear pairings making it onto the podium.  

Bagnaia pounced from second on the grid to appear in front out of the opening corner. He then took advantage of the grip provided by his front soft and rear medium Michelins to lead all the way to the checkered flag.

After shaking off pressure from Miller during the race’s first half, he lapped consistently during the remainder of the grand prix to collect his fifth victory of the season, and his third in a row in the wake of Assen and Silverstone.

Quartararo (hard and medium compounds front and rear) clinched second after passing Miller (soft/medium) in splendid fashion on Lap 25.

Independent Team rider Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) was fourth, the best result of his career to date, ahead of Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing). Pole-winner Enea Bastianini was eliminated by a technical issue on Lap 6.

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) posted the afternoon’s fastest lap but had to settle for 12th after making a mistake while attempting to squeeze Miller off the podium.

The Michelin Power range took the changes to the Red Bull Ring layout in its stride and provided the 22 riders with confidence in the mixed weather. Free Practice 1 effectively took place in wet conditions, although the rest of the weekend was dry and all three front options were seen in action over the three days. In contrast, the rear hard wasn’t used at all.

The result saw Quartararo (200 points) extend his championship lead to 32 and 44 points respectively over Aleix Espargaro and Bagnaia.

The bill also included Rounds 12 and 13 of the FIM MotoE World Cup for which Michelin has developed front/rear tires that contain an average 40 percent of sustainable materials, in line with the group’s Everything Sustainable plan. Pole-winner Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) won both races.

Next round: Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, Misano, Italy (September 2-4).