Austria was the stage for the sixth Grand Prix of the 2023 MotoE World Championship.
Rounds 11 and 12 took place on the sinuous Red Bull Ring track.
After the spectacular podium at the British GP, Kevin Manfredi arrived at Spielberg very charged, with the intention of further shortening the distances from the top five in the standings, but the track, which boasts very deep braking in the first part, put hard test the brakes and suspensions of his Ducati V21L from Spezzino.
Although in the second free practice Kevin finished in the top six, in qualifying he struggled to find the perfect lap, which did not allow him to start better from 9th position.
In race 1, Kevin was very fast in the first part of the race, and despite an initial contact, his pace allowed him to close the gap from the leading group, setting the third fastest time of the race, but unfortunately he finished in ninth position.
In the second race, he was once again the protagonist of a good start, but towards the end brake and suspension problems limited his incisiveness, bringing him back into the top 10 and guaranteeing him important points for the championship, which keep him in fight for the absolute Top 5.
Kevin Manfredi: "Expectations were very high. We immediately found a good balance, but at every outing we put pressure on the front brakes due to the hard braking and the heat.
This compromised the feeling on the front. We managed to qualify directly for Q2, a very positive aspect which demonstrates my growth compared to 2022.
However, in both races we were only fast in the early stages and we encountered more difficulties in the second half of the race.
This will be an aspect to work on in the final rounds in Barcelona and Misano.
I am confident of the work we are doing with the team and I am even more confident about what we will do in the next two Grands Prix, with the right method and approach, we will work to be competitive also for the Top 5 and the podium.”
Kevin Manfredi is now in eighth place in the MotoE world standings, just a few points from fifth and sixth position. This represents clear progress in the category, considering that the riders fighting with him certainly have more experience, with at least three years of MotoE behind them.
Kevin thanks all the sponsors and technical partners of the 2023 season.
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