The first 12 rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season have been nothing short of record-breaking, and now the championship heads into a decisive run of races. The summer break is behind us, the overseas flyaway rounds are looming, but before we jet off, Europe has one last burst of action. Over the next five weeks, four high-stakes rounds will unfold — and it all begins in the Styrian Alps for the Austrian Grand Prix. The Red Bull Ring is a circuit that rarely delivers a dull moment, and 2025 is shaping up to be no exception.
The Top Three: Can Marc Márquez Be Stopped?
Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) has been rewriting the record books this year, becoming the first Ducati rider to claim five consecutive victories. His reward? A commanding 120-point lead in the championship. But there’s one glaring omission on his 2025 CV — he’s never won at the Red Bull Ring. In fact, his last podium here came back in 2019 after a classic battle with Andrea Dovizioso. This weekend, the #93 has his eyes firmly fixed on conquering one of his few remaining MotoGP challenges.
Brother Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) will be keen to bounce back from a forgettable weekend in Brno, and the Red Bull Ring could be the place to do it. He’s chasing a maiden Austrian GP podium. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), meanwhile, has been unbeatable here since 2022 and could be the man to put a dent in Marc’s momentum.
Aprilia on the Charge
Aprilia’s mid-season form has been impressive. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) has racked up two Grand Prix podiums and two Sprint podiums in his last three outings, regularly pushing Márquez to the limit. Jorge Martin, back in action after injury, claimed a solid seventh place in Brno, and there’s renewed energy in the Aprilia garage. Both riders have prior podiums at the Red Bull Ring.
The factory team isn’t the only one in the hunt. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP) has quietly built a string of five consecutive top-ten finishes, equalling his career-best result with fifth in Brno. His teammate Ai Ogura will be hoping the familiarity of the Austrian track brings back his early-season pace, following a stop-start summer due to injuries.
KTM Ready for Their Home Battle
If Aprilia has momentum, KTM has the motivation. Since Aragon, the Austrian manufacturer has been right in the thick of the action. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took a GP podium in Brno, while Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) grabbed a Sprint podium the same weekend. Now they’re racing on home soil, where expectations will be sky-high.
Bastianini’s teammate Maverick Viñales returns after missing Sachsenring with injury, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) will be drawing inspiration from his famous 2021 Austrian GP win. KTM has targeted this round all season — and recent form suggests they’re primed to deliver.
In the Mix for the Podium
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) leads the Yamaha charge. Ninth in the standings, he’s only seven points behind fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) in the fight for a top-six overall finish. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) had a nightmare in Brno, failing to score points for the first time since Germany 2024. He’s still fifth overall, just ahead of returning teammate Franco Morbidelli, who sits only three points back.
Rookie sensation Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completes the current top ten, holding a comfortable 28-point cushion over Viñales in 11th.
Chasing the Top Ten
Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) knows the Red Bull Ring well — he stood on the podium here in 2022. Now, with back-to-back top-ten finishes before the break, he’s tied on points with Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol). Marini’s teammate Joan Mir will be hoping for better fortune after his Brno clash with Alex Márquez, and historically, Austria has been kind to him.
Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) round out the field. Oliveira returns to the scene of his maiden MotoGP win in 2020, while Chantra hopes to be fit enough to race at the track where he claimed a Moto2 podium in 2022.
With the second half of the season kicking off, all eyes are on whether Márquez can finally conquer the Red Bull Ring, or if someone else can stop his relentless march to the title.
Moto2™: Gonzalez in Control, Canet Chasing Hard
The summer break is over, and the fight to Valencia begins. Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) leads the Moto2 standings by 25 points after a third-place finish in Brno. His nearest rival, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), suffered his first DNF of the year in Czechia, losing valuable ground.
Barry Baltus, Canet’s teammate, picked up his fourth second-place finish of the season in Brno and sits third overall. Czech GP winner Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) denied Baltus his first win, and his form suggests more podiums could be coming.
Elsewhere, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) faces a 60-point deficit to Gonzalez after two DNFs at the Sachsenring and Brno. Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo), and Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) — fifth, sixth, and seventh in the standings — all finished outside the top ten in Brno. Dixon will take heart from a podium here last season, while Celestino Vietti and Alonso Lopez will be looking to replicate their 2024 Austrian GP heroics.
Moto3™: Rueda’s Title to Lose
Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) arrives in Austria with seven wins from 12 races and a massive 85-point lead in the Moto3 championship. The question isn’t just whether anyone can catch him — it’s whether anyone can even slow him down.
Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) is the closest challenger but hasn’t stood on the podium in seven races. He was fourth in Austria last year and will be aiming to at least go one better this weekend.
Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) sits third overall but has Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) breathing down his neck in the Rookie of the Year battle, the gap just seven points. Quiles’ debut season has been one of the best since Pedro Acosta burst onto the scene.
David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) is also one to watch — four podiums in his last five starts, including a win in Brno, put him fifth in the standings. He was second at the Red Bull Ring last year and will be confident of another strong result.
Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA), back from injury, will also be gunning for a podium after missing Brno entirely.
The stage is set — and at the Red Bull Ring, history says we should expect the unexpected.
