Austria: Iannone paints Spielberg red

First testing at the returning and re-branded Red Bull Ring left many in Borgo Panigale rubbing their hands in anticipation. Here seemed not to be a Honda track, not a Yamaha track, and neither was it somewhere in-between. Spielberg was a new breed: a Ducati track.

On race day that proved true, too. After Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) split the Ducati Team in the middle of the front row in qualifying, more of a fight was expected. In reality, pole sitter Andrea Iannone took off in the lead to duel teammate and fellow front-row starter Andrea Dovizioso for the win – and came out on top. With a softer tyre conserved conservatively, the ‘Maniac’ was the picture of calm and control – at least, during the race – as he took the Italian factory’s first victory since Casey Stoner lit up Phillip Island for the last time on a Ducati in 2010. A disappointed ‘DesmoDovi’ came home in second in Austria – and despite a front row start, it was Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo who had the pace over race distance; the only man able to stay in any kind of touching distance of the front two.

Marquez, after his Sachsenring success and summer break, came back recharged and still very much able to control his urge to hit the limit and then push past it. The Spaniard recognised the disadvantage of the Honda on the Red Bull Ring, and settled for a solid points finish just behind Rossi in P5 - a good weekend of damage limitation as the season hit the halfway point and the Championship hopeful started to consolidate his lead.