Analysis: Why Ducati’s Austria hopes hinge on tyre choice

The Spielberg track, where Grand Prix motorcycle racing returns for the first time since 1997, would appear to offer Ducati its best chance of a race win this year, with a track layout that plays well to the strengths of the powerful Desmosedici GP.

Indeed, the Italian manufacturer dominated both days of the collective private test held at the track last month, as Andrea Iannone ended up with the fastest time ahead of factory teammate Andrea Dovizioso and test rider Casey Stoner.

But, Iannone is well aware that it will be far from straightforward for Ducati to get its first premier class win in almost six years, as tyre management seems set to play a pivotal role.

“All the Ducati riders were strong [in the test],” said Iannone. ”It’s a circuit well suited to our bike and one I personally enjoyed.

“But it’s also true that a test is a test and a race is altogether a different thing. We need to see which tyres Michelin will bring, if they are the same as we used in testing or something else.”

Rear tyre spin

Michelin took three rear tyre compounds to the July test, and the hardest of these proved difficult for Ducati to maintain over a race run compared to other manufacturers.

This is because of the Desmosedici GP’s well-documented rear spinning issues, as the less grippy rubber gives the Ducati riders a harder time transferring their power to the ground.

“The hard tyre lasted about 12 to 14 laps for most teams, but only eight or nine laps for Ducati,” a source from a rival team told Motorsport.com.

“Michelin has spoken with the engineers of every team and drawn its own conclusions, but they need to bring harder tyres to ensure durability.”

While Ducati's hopes are boosted by the fact that the Red Bull Ring has been recently resurfaced, a harder tyre allocation for the race weekend than the one that Michelin took to the test could dent its chances in race trim.

Another source added: “The grip at the track was good [during the test] and there was no graining, but we don’t know [which] tyres [Michelin] will bring.

“The tyres they used at the test weren’t bad, but they could decide on a different combination of compounds. Until they announce it, we don’t know.”

Speaking during the test itself, Jorge Lorenzo also hinted that Ducati may be hard pressed to replicate the blistering one-lap pace it showed over the course of a race distance.

“I hear they have some problems with rear tyre life,” said the Yamaha rider, who was sixth fastest on the second day of the test.

“They overheat a bit more the rear tyre, so I don’t know if they can keep up this speed [over a race distance].”