Takaaki Nakagami entered the LCR Honda racing team’s media panel with a disappointed expression on his face. For long stretches of the weekend, the manufacturer’s spearhead was one of the victors at the Red Bull Ring. From second place, his best starting position in the MotoGP class so far, he went to the Styrian GP and in the race he was also within striking distance of the meanwhile leader Joan Mir (Suzuki).
Then the failure of Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales and the resulting red flag thwarted the Japanese. It was passed through from P2 to P7 after the restart. That’s why Nakagami’s conclusion is twofold: “In the first part of the race, I had the feeling that I had everything under control. I could stay on my line and follow Joan Mir and Jack Miller with relative ease. Then I realized that Jack was losing touch. It was time to overtake him. That worked and after the maneuver I had the feeling that I could even win the race. “
With the interruption everything changed and from Nakagami’s point of view even for the worse. He explains: “We made a mistake and made the wrong decision. We didn’t put on any new tires because we had none left. It’s easy to see after the race. “
Nakagami was left behind by the competition, most of which had fresh tires. Rank 7 was damage control for the best Honda rider in the race. What insights does the two-time Moto2 winner draw from the second race at the Red Bull Ring? He replies: “Maybe we need to rethink our tire management. It is not normal for two races to be interrupted and restarted in a row. But here it was, and both times we had disadvantages. “
Nevertheless, the performance can be built on. The sixth in the World Championship, who is sitting on a Honda from last year, gets along much better than his fellow brands. During the weekend the news popped up that World Champion Marc Márquez would be absent from the Honda camp until November. This puts more pressure on Nakagami.
At the moment, the 28-year-old is apparently getting along very well with it. And with a view to the upcoming contract negotiations, this can only help. “Taka” has not yet signed for 2021, but his place at the side of Alex Márquez is almost certain and with good results he is doing self-promotion anyway. In any case, he himself has a lot of self-confidence: “I showed this weekend that I’m a top driver in a top team and I’m hungry.”
MotoGP results Styria GP:
1. Miguel Oliveira, KTM
2. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,316 sec
3. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +0,540
4. Joan Mir, Suzuki, +0,641
5. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +1.414
6. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +1,450
7. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,864
8. Brad Binder, KTM, +4,150
9. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +4.517
10. Iker Lecuona, KTM, +5,068
11. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +5.918
12. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +6,411
13. Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha, +7.406
14. Johann Zarco, Ducati, +7,454
15. Franco Morbidelli, Yamaha, +10.191
16. Alex Marquez, Honda, +10,524
17. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +11,447
18. Stefan Bradl, Honda, +11,943
19. Bradley Smith, Aprilia, +12,732
20. Michele Pirro, Ducati, +14.349
21. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +14,548
World Championship status after 5 of 14 races: 1. Quartararo, 70 Punkte. 2. Dovizioso 67. 3. Miller 56. 4. Binder 49. 5. Vinales 48. 6. Nakagami 46. 7. Rossi 45. 8. Mir 44. 9. Oliveira 43. 10. Pol Espargaró 35. 11. Morbidelli 32 12. Zarco 30. 13. Kidneys 29. 14. Petrucci 25. 15. Alex Márquez 15. 16. Aleix Espargaró 15. 17. Lecuona 13. 18. Bagnaia 9. 19. Smith 8. 20. Rabat 7. 21. Crutchlow 7. 22. Pyrrhus 4.
Constructors’ championship: 1. Yamaha 88. 2. Ducati 87. 3. KTM 82. 4. Suzuki 57. 5. Honda 46. 6. Aprilia 20.
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