MotoGP struggling as Marc Márquez lacks rivals and Red Bull Ring crowd halves Formula 1 turnout

Liberty Media acquired MotoGP for around $4.9 billion earlier this year but the series appears to be facing a bit of a crisis. MotoGP has been struggling with two clear problems. Marc Márquez has lacked rivals this season and the Red Bull Ring race has drawn far fewer fans than Formula 1.

Márquez holds a large lead in the 2025 championship and his Ducati Lenovo Team holds sway over the series. He has 381 points and a 120-point gap over his brother Alex Márquez. Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia trails by 168 points.

The iconic Red Bull Ring in Austria returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2016. However, after attracting strong crowds in recent years, the ticket sales for this year’s event are down. Fans still visit Spielberg, but not in F1 numbers.

In 2023, MotoGP weekend attendance reached 173,013, with 93,519 on race day (per Autosport). F1 drew 304,000 spectators in 2023, and 300,000 in 2025. One reason for the discrepancy is the race date. The MotoGP race falls in August, the main holiday season in Europe. The 2026 Austrian GP will move to September.

This year, a report (per Motorcycle Sports) claims that ticket sales are facing significant challenges with speculation that there will be around 10,000 fewer ticket sales than the previous year.

How to watch MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix?

After the summer break, the 2025 MotoGP season will return for Round 13 of the season at the Red Bull Ring. The event will stream live on ServusTV in Austria with both English and German livestreams. The practice, qualifying, sprint, and the main race on Sunday (August 17), are also available to watch on FanCode in India.

MotoGP recently launched a 24/7 FAST channel in the US. Fans can watch live practice and qualifying sessions for all 22 race weekends, with MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE races.

Marc Márquez, who became the first Ducati rider to win five MotoGP races in a row this season, has never won at the Austrian Grand Prix in his seven starts there. His last podium at the Red Bull Ring dates back to 2019.

"I can't wait to get back on the track after the holidays: I've taken a break and rested. I'm ready to tackle this second part of the season in the best possible way," Marc Márquez said (via GP One).

Francesco Bagnaia has a strong record in Austria. He won the last three editions and can challenge Márquez this weekend. Meanwhile, Somkiat Chantra will miss both the Austrian race and the upcoming Hungarian GP due to a knee injury. LCR Honda has no replacement for Austria, so Johann Zarco will be the only rider from the team this weekend.