2020 MotoGP Styrian Grand Prix session timings and preview

With the paddock reflecting on a stunning Austrian race that was overshadowed by a huge crash involving Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli, MotoGP will return to action at the same track as part of the shaken-up 2020 race calendar following the COVID-19 pandemic postponements and cancellations.

The crash and Red Bull Ring track safety is set to dominate conversation with MotoGP facing the unusual prospect of racing at the same circuit for consecutive weekends - a situation already completed at Jerez and will also take place at Misano, Aragon and Valencia as part of the reshuffled calendar put together by organisers Dorna Sports.

PLUS: Why the Ducati-Dovizioso divorce was unavoidable

As a result of the double-headers, the second Red Bull Ring race is called the Styrian GP given two races cannot have the same name in a single season.

Andrea Dovizioso is also under the spotlight having won the Austrian GP one day after confirming his Ducati 2021 exit, as he looks to continue his world title charge having moved up to second place in the riders' standings.

PLUS: Why Dovizioso's MotoGP replacement shouldn't be Lorenzo

Fabio Quartararo continues to lead the championship, with an 11-point advantage over Dovizioso, having finished in eighth place in the opening Red Bull Ring race having struggled with brake issues during the race.

Fellow Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales will also look to bounce back having taken pole position for the Austrian GP only to fade to 10th place due to a slipping clutch, while he and team-mate Valentino Rossi were both lucky to avoid being hit by the errant bikes of Zarco and Morbidelli in the crash which dominated the headlines.

Zarco will undergo surgery before the Styrian GP after a fracture in his wrist was discovered on Monday suffered in the horror crash, but he is expected to be fit to race this weekend.

But defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez remains out of action for Honda has he continues to recover from surgery on the broken arm he sustained at the Jerez opener.

2020 Styrian MotoGP session timings

MotoGP will run its traditional schedule of two free practice sessions lasting 45 minutes each on Friday, with another 45-minute practice session on Saturday morning.

The top 10 on the combined FP1-2-3 timesheet will automatically enter into Q2 of qualifying. A final 30-minute FP4 session is held on Saturday afternoon ahead of qualifying.

Q1 of qualifying sees all riders who did not finish in the top 10 of the combined practice times take part with the top two finishers progressing into Q2 alongside the top 10 who gained an automatic spot via their practice times.

Q2 is the pole position shootout which decides the order of the front four rows, with the rest of the grid organised on Q1 times, for the 28-lap Styrian GP on Sunday.

Moto2 and Moto3 are also in action during the Styrian GP.

Friday 21st August 2020
Free Practice 1: 8:55am-9:40am BST (9:55am-10:40pm local)
Free Practice 2: 1:10pm-1:55pm BST (2:10pm-2:55pm local)

Saturday 22nd August 2020
Free Practice 3: 8:55am-9:40am BST (9:55am-10:40am local)
Free Practice 4: 12:30pm-1:00pm BST (1:30pm-2:00pm local)
Qualifying: 1:10pm-1:50pm BST (2:10pm-2:50pm local)

Sunday 23rd August 2020
Warm Up: 8:40am-9:00am BST (9:20am-9:40am local)
Race: 1:00pm BST (2:00pm local)

How can I watch the Styrian MotoGP?

· Channel: BT Sport 2
· Channel numbers - Sky: 414 (BT Sport 2)
· Channel numbers - Virgin Media: 528 (BT Sport)

BT Sport's live coverage of Sunday's action starts with the warm-up sessions at 07:30am, taking it from the world feed, before switching to its own broadcast at 09:15am for the pre-race show ahead of the Moto3 race.

The build-up to the MotoGP race starts from 12:30pm, or when the Moto2 race finishes, ahead of lights out at 1:00pm.

Can I stream the Styrian MotoGP?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can also stream the Styrian GP by purchasing a video pass from MotoGP.com. A one-off video pass, which lasts until the first race of the 2021 season, costs £144.24p, or it can be paid for in two instalments each costing £72.11p.

The video pass gives access to every live session, qualifying and race, plus world feed content and the chance to watch previous races.

Weather forecast for the Styrian MotoGP

Spielberg is set for mixed conditions with sunny spells and rain showers which could also cause some localised thunderstorms during the Styrian GP, with highs of 24 degrees Celsius on race day.