Maverick Vinales pulled off an impressive turnaround to claim pole position for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix. Here’s how and when you can watch the race.
The factory Yamaha rider beat Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller to pole position by just 0.068 seconds at the Red Bull Ring with early championship leader Fabio Quartararo completing the front row in third place.
While Andrea Dovizioso has qualified on the front of the second row, all eyes were on the Italian for a different reason after his manager Simone Battistella confirmed Dovizioso would leave Ducati at the end of 2020.
Dovizioso’s decision sent shockwaves through the MotoGP paddock, while the Italian himself has already admitted he has no “Plan B” lined up after he walks away from Ducati at the end of the season.
Back on track, Pol Espargaro produced impressive pace in practice ahead of KTM’s home race as he looks to follow up team-mate Brad Binder’s stunning maiden win for both him and the Austrian manufacturer last time out at the Czech GP. Espargaro has qualified in fifth place ahead of Suzuki’s Joan Mir and Petronas SRT Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli.
With Alex Rins qualifying in eighth for Suzuki, Brno polesitter Johann Zarco (below) rounds out row three this weekend for Avintia Ducati ahead of leading Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami – with Marc Marquez still out following a second surgery to a broken right arm sustained at the 2020 opening race at Jerez.
When is the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix?
Date: Sunday 16 August 2020
Start time: 2:00pm CET, 1:00pm BST
How can I watch the Austrian MotoGP?
In the United Kingdom, BT Sport has exclusive live broadcasting rights, with Quest TV set to show highlights. The race will be shown live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting at 12:30pm BST, directly after the Moto2 race.
BT Sport will also be showing the Moto3 and Moto2 races from the Red Bull Ring before the Austrian MotoGP.
MotoGP also offers a live video streaming service to watch every practice, qualifying and race for all classes.
Weather forecast for the Austrian MotoGP
Current weather forecasts predict sunny and partially cloudy weather at the Red Bull Ring on race day after early morning rain, with a high of 26 degrees Celsius for the start of the MotoGP race.
MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix starting grid
| Pos | Rider | Team | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha | 1m23.450s |
| 2 | Jack Miller | Pramac Ducati | 0.068s |
| 3 | Fabio Quartararo | Petronas Yamaha | 0.087s |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 0.156s |
| 5 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 0.162s |
| 6 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 0.223s |
| 7 | Franco Morbidelli | Petronas Yamaha | 0.269s |
| 8 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 0.281s |
| 9 | Johann Zarco | Avintia Ducati | 0.378s |
| 10 | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda | 0.422s |
| 11 | Miguel Oliveira | Tech3 KTM | 0.489s |
| 12 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 0.545s |
| 13 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 0.465s |
| 14 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 0.701s |
| 15 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR Honda | 0.778s |
| 16 | Iker Lecuona | Tech3 KTM | 0.955s |
| 17 | Brad Binder | KTM | 1.035s |
| 18 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 1.040s |
| 19 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 1.212s |
| 20 | Bradley Smith | Aprilia | 1.381s |
| 21 | Tito Rabat | Avintia Ducati | 1.837s |
| 22 | Michele Pirro | Pramac Ducati | 1.981s |