Red Bull Ring the next stop on the Repsol Honda Team’s 2023 MotoGP journey

The Repsol Honda Team pairing of Marc Marquez and Joan Mir arrive in Austria open minded and ready to work. Race weekends in Austria have been dominated by sudden storms, dramatic red flags and last corner wins in the past and the 2023 edition looks set to be no different. The 4.32km long track is one of the shortest of the year but boasts some truly dramatic scenery as well as as layout which favours hard late braking for dramatic overtakes.

Marc Marquez has finished on the podium in Austria on three occasions, second from 2017 to 2019. In 2023, the goal of the eight-time World Champion is to continue working with HRC for the future, aiming to improve as the year goes on. Since returning from England, Marquez has continued to work diligently with his team to improve his physical condition with steady steps being made.

Races at the Red Bull Ring have seen Joan Mir achieve some of the key milestones of his career. In 2016, he took his first Moto3 win at the Austrian track and in 2020 he stepped onto the premier class podium for the first time when he finished second. The #36 will be using this past experience and track knowledge to try and put his run of Sunday misfortunes to an end. For Mir, a weekened without falls and completing the maximum number of laps is the goal.

Location: Red Bull Ring – Spielberg

The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is located beautifully in the Murtal-region of Styria, Austria. The circuit was originally built in 1969, then known as the Österreichring. In 1996 it was rebuilt with the track-layout it still had when, in 2011, it was reopened as the Red Bull Ring and again became the centre of Austrian motorsports. The sloping terrain and the natural arena are trademark features of the Red Bull Ring with the 18-metre-high landmark “Bull of Spielberg” in the centre and the voestalpine wing offering a spectacular architectural highlight. With a length of 4.318 km it features 10 turns and an altitude difference of 65 metres.  In 2016 MotoGP™ racing returned to Austria for the first time since 1997 and further adjustments have been made to the Red Bull Ring layout following a private test held earlier in the summer. FIM Safety Officer Franco Uncini discussed the layout with some riders of the Safety Commission and it was agreed to reduce the width of Turn 10 of the circuit from 13 to 10 metres – to lower the speed when exiting the corner and improve the safety of the turn.