Red Bull Ring MotoGP: Vinales beats Miller to pole
Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales turned around his fortunes after a tough Friday at the Austrian Grand Prix to take MotoGP pole by 0.068 seconds from Jack Miller.

Vinales admitted after Friday he was “lost” with the set-up of his YZR-M1 as the grip issues which blighted his Czech GP had carried over.
But the Spaniard was on fine form on Saturday, getting straight into Q2 in FP3 and snatching his first pole since Phillip Island last year.
Vinales set the early pace in Q2 with a 1m23.892s, engaging in a tussle for top sport with Petronas Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.
The championship leader edged ahead with a 1m23.787s, whith Vinales striking back with a 1m23.716s.
However, this effort was cancelled for a track limits violation, dropping him to third and elevating Quartararo back to provisional pole.
Vinales brushed this off and re-established himself at the top of the timesheets with a 1m23.694s with nine minutes remaining.
In the closing stages, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso – who will leave the team at the end of 2020 – made himself a threat for pole.
Vinales was able to eke out a slight advantage with a 1m23.643s, before Dovizioso bettered this with a 1m23.656s.
One last attempt for Vinales saw him produce a 1m23.450s, which – despite Pramac’s Miller’s best efforts – was good enough for pole.
Quartararo trailed Miller by 0.019s, with Dovizioso demoted to the head of the second row ahead of KTM’s Pol Espargaro – who was left with just one bike for Q2 after a fast crash at the Rindt corner at Turn 9 in FP4.
Joan Mir completed row two on the Suzuki, with Franco Morbidelli heading row three on his Petronas Yamaha ahead of Rins on the sister Suzuki and Q1 pacesetter Johann Zarco (Avintia).
Takaaki Nakagami is top Honda runner on the grid in 10th on his LCR RC213V, with Tech 3’s Miguel Oliveira and Q1 graduate Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) rounding out the top 12.
Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci missed out on a place in Q2 by just 0.024s and was left furious at the end of the session with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, giving him the middle finger in pitlane at the end of the session and punching the wall in his Ducati garage.
Espargaro – who had a crash in FP4 - had backed off late in the session at the Rindt corner and ended up getting in Petrucci’s way.
The Aprilia rider was 14th in the end, with Cal Crutchlow 15th on the LCR Honda ahead of Tech 3 rookie Iker Lecuona, who beat Brno race winner Brad Binder in qualifying.
The returning Michele Pirro on Francesco Bagnaia’s Pramac Ducati completed the 22-rider field.
Austrian MotoGP - Q2 results:
Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'23.450 | |
2 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'23.518 | 0.068 |
3 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'23.537 | 0.087 |
4 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'23.606 | 0.156 |
5 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'23.612 | 0.162 |
6 | | ![]() | Suzuki | 1'23.673 | 0.223 |
7 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'23.719 | 0.269 |
8 | | ![]() | Suzuki | 1'23.731 | 0.281 |
9 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'23.828 | 0.378 |
10 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'23.872 | 0.422 |
11 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'23.939 | 0.489 |
12 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'23.995 | 0.545 |
View full results |
Austrian MotoGP - Q1 results:
Cla | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'23.865 | |
2 | | ![]() | Yamaha | 1'23.891 | 0.026 |
3 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'23.915 | 0.050 |
4 | | ![]() | Aprilia | 1'24.151 | 0.286 |
5 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'24.228 | 0.363 |
6 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'24.405 | 0.540 |
7 | | ![]() | KTM | 1'24.485 | 0.620 |
8 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'24.490 | 0.625 |
9 | | ![]() | Honda | 1'24.662 | 0.797 |
10 | | ![]() | Aprilia | 1'24.831 | 0.966 |
11 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'25.287 | 1.422 |
12 | | ![]() | Ducati | 1'25.431 | 1.566 |
View full results |

Previous article
Stoner: Ducati "can't afford to lose" Dovizioso
Next article
Espargaro hopes "stupid" Petrucci is fined for Austria outburst

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Event | Austrian GP |
Author | Lewis Duncan |
Red Bull Ring MotoGP: Vinales beats Miller to pole
Trending
MotoGP 2021 kicks off in Qatar
Mandalika Circuit update
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Qatar Grand Prix
Top 10 most successful Repsol Honda Team riders
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
Why Lorenzo needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
OPINION: Jorge Lorenzo's status as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time is hard to dispute. But his constant social media spats with fellow riders and insistence on listing his achievements to his detractors are running the risk of tarnishing a legacy he worked hard to create.
Can leaving a factory team end Rossi’s MotoGP win drought?
It is over three-and-a-half years since the Italian national anthem rang out to declare a Valentino Rossi victory in MotoGP. To some onlookers his move out of the factory Yamaha squad meant the 2017 Dutch TT could remain his final win, but after an encouraging transition at Petronas SRT hope is far from lost