Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) took his first podium at Indianapolis in 2015, but the German was back on the rostrum at the Red Bull Ring for his first visit to parc ferme in the dry – and at a track he almost considers his home venue. Oettl is from Bavaria; much closer to Spielberg than to the Sachsenring.
Starting P8 on the grid, Oettl battled in the group throughout the race before being able to break away nearer the end – not quite able to stay with eventual winner Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) but with a few tenths between himself and third-placed Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3).
Philipp Oettl, P2: “It was a difficult race because it was a big group. I tried to follow Joan but he was faster and I made a mistake. Then at the end I tried to push as hard as possible to secure second. I’m very happy with these twenty points and also happy for the team. After the injury in Jerez it was difficult, before that the season was strong. Afterwards it was difficult. Sometimes it's a bit too much thinking at the beginning of the race but this time we managed it well and our pace was good all weekend. I tried to settle at the beginning and I pushed in second, then I was back in seventh – when I got back to second I tried to push and no one could follow me, it was just a small group. But Masia tried to overtake me and it was a bad move – I think that helped me to get second place.”