MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring: Why the September date is better

The MotoGP World Championship enters the second half of the season this weekend with the Grand Prix at Silverstone. Following the races at Aragon and Misano, there is one more European round on the calendar – the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg from 18 to 20 September – after which the Asian and Australian leg of the tour begins. The event at the Red Bull Ring was first scheduled for September in 2026. The MotoGP event in Spielberg has been steadily losing fans in recent years. By way of comparison, Formula 1 attracted 320,000 people to Aichfeld over three days in 2026.

MotoGP cannot currently match such figures at the Red Bull Ring. In 2025, just under 120,000 fans were counted – in 2024, the figure was 150,000 people over three days. Measures have been taken. The Austrian Grand Prix has been moved away from August and the height of summer – placing it further apart from the MotoGP events at the Sachsenring and in Brno.

Excitement in the World Championship battle could help

“We’d be delighted if we had a few more spectators; unfortunately, that’s the reality. But we’re doing everything we can and we still have time,” Red Bull Ring CEO Thomas Überall told the Kleine Zeitung. The Tyrolean-born executive also knows that there is still plenty of potential for ticket sales in the coming weeks, given the excitement surrounding the World Championship battle: “MotoGP is extremely exciting at the moment and the title race is wide open. In that respect, the timing could be good, as a decision could well be made here in Austria.”

Überall is satisfied with the new date for the MotoGP World Championship in September – at the start of the new school year in Austria. “Absolutely. We’ve given it a go now and will assess after the race what it’s actually achieved. However, we’re convinced that it’s the better date compared to the one in August, as that’s when the summer holidays are at their peak.”

The fact is: MotoGP is currently delivering a level of excitement and competitiveness rarely seen before. Ahead of the start of the second half of the season at Silverstone, eight riders are within 65 points of each other. The top five in the standings are currently separated by just 24 points.

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07.08.2026 - 10:55