Rested and relaxed, we are ready to get back into racing once again for the second half of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship season. With a stunning weekend at the circuit in Spielberg lined up, catch up on everything that happened before the summer break and what we can expect at the Red Bull Ring.

Rueda Extends Moto3 World Championship Lead

Claiming his seventh win of the year, José Antonio Rueda dominated every lap in Brno and extended his championship lead to a comfortable 85 points ahead of Ángel Piqueras. While Rueda kept his cool as the race leader, there was plenty of drama for the riders behind him. A battle between Máximo Quiles and Dennis Foggia held us all in suspense, especially when David Muñoz, Piqueras, and Adrián Fernández. Quiles managed to break away to secure second while Muñoz held off until the final lap to place third.

While rookie Guido Pini had claimed his first pole position, his poor start off the grid pushed him back to finish in tenth place. Rueda’s teammate Álvaro Carpe also had a rough race at the Czechia Grand Prix, finishing in a disappointing thirteenth. To finish off what would have been a finish within the top ten, Nicola Carraro crashed out on the final lap.

Roberts’ First Moto2 Victory at the Czech GP

Despite the penalties, crashes, and drama, Joe Roberts secured his first win in Moto2. The American rider fended off Barry Baltus, who had started on pole position. The current championship leader, Manuel González, finished in third place and gained some crucial points to increase his lead by 25 points.

Unfortunately for Arón Canet, his race went from bad to worse, crashing out, rejoining the race briefly before ultimately retiring from the race at the Automotodrom Brno. A lap later, Diogo Moreira also came off his Italtrans Racing Team bike. It wasn’t all smiles throughout the OnlyFans American Racing Team, with Marcos Ramírez placing seventh after serving a double long lap penalty from the incident he caused at the German Grand Prix.

Márquez Makes Ducati History in MotoGP

After tyre pressure mistakes almost cost Márc Márquez a sprint victory, it was a near-perfect Czechia Grand Prix race finish for the #93. The Spaniard became the first Ducati rider to win five races in a row, extending his MotoGP World Championship lead to 120 points ahead of his brother, Álex Márquez. The BK8 Gresini rider had a tough weekend at the Automotodrom Brno, starting poorly and crashing in the Tissot Sprint, before crashing again in the main race.

While there were some notable missing riders from the grid, it was a welcome sight to see 2024 MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martín back in the paddock and racing. Despite some challenges for the KTM teams, Pedro Acosta also managed to secure a double podium weekend. Hopefully, this will be a good omen for all KTM riders going into their home race.

Red Bull Ring: The Centre of Motorsport in Austria

Located in the sloping terrain of Murtal, the Red Bull Ring has been the landmark arena since 1969. The current track layout, rebuilt in 1996, is not hard to miss with the famous “Bull of Spielberg” standing in the centre at 18 metres. MotoGP returned to the Austrian racetrack in 2016 and has been a staple on the calendar every year since. While there are only ten turns for the riders to use to their advantage, the real challenge of the 4.318km circuit comes in the altitude difference of 65 degrees.

Race Distance by Category

Moto3: 20 Laps – 86.96km/54.03 miles (15 Laps if Red Flagged)

Moto2: 23 Laps – 100km/62.14 miles (17 Laps if Red Flagged)

MotoGP: 28 Laps – 121.74km/75.65 miles (21 Laps if Red Flagged)

Weather Forecast

The summer break may be over, but the heat will be sticking around at the beginning of the weekend, with temperatures in the mid to high twenties. However, all that humidity may build up and turn into some rain on Sunday. Wet weather always adds to the chaos of race day, but some strong riders in the rain could shuffle the grid in an instant.

2025 Grand Prix of Austria Schedule

With recharged batteries and riders rejuvenated, the thirteenth round cleans the slate for possible podium contenders. Among the constructors, Aprilia had been taking the fight to Ducati before the summer break. But this is a home round for KTM, and the potential is there for them to gain some strong results. But can anyone rise to the challenge that M. Márquez has set? He has yet to win at the Red Bull Ring, while his Ducati Lenovo teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, has won the Austrian race three years in a row. Will he remain unbeaten this year? There’s only one way to find out, as we bring you the MotoGP coverage over the weekend.

Friday

• Moto3: Free Practice 1: 9:00 – 9:35 local time
• Moto2: Free Practice 1: 9:50 – 10:30 local time
• MotoGP: Free Practice 1: 10:45 – 11:30 local time
• Moto3: Practice: 13:15 – 13:50 local time
• Moto2: Practice: 14:05 – 14:45 local time
• MotoGP: Practice: 15:00 – 16:00 local time

Saturday

• Moto3: Free Practice 2: 8:40 – 9:10 local time
• Moto2: Free Practice 2: 9:25 – 9:55 local time
• MotoGP: Free Practice 2: 10:10 – 10:40 local time
• MotoGP: Qualifying: 10:50 – 11:30 local time
• Moto3: Qualifying: 12:50 – 13:30 local time
• Moto2: Qualifying: 13:45 – 14:25 local time
• MotoGP: Tissot Sprint: 15:00 local time

Sunday

• MotoGP: Warm Up: 9:40 – 9:50 local time
• MotoGP: Rider Parade: 10:00 – 10:40 local time
• Moto3: Race: 11:00 local time
• Moto2: Race: 12:15 local time
• MotoGP: Race: 14:00 local time