The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team are back in their 'normal' colours as MotoGP resumes the racing action at the Spielberg circuit in Austria this weekend. The Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich is always a round that the team looks forward to due to its great location and atmosphere.

With ten GPs over the course of the next 14 weeks, Fabio Quartararo is shaping himself up to make many more kilometres. He arrives in Austria in 14th place in the championship. Though the Spielberg circuit isn't considered a 'Yamaha track', the Frenchman scored multiple premier-class podiums there. He secured third place in Austria on his YZR-M1 in 2019, repeated the feat in the 2021 Styrian GP, and took a second place in Spielberg in 2022.

Forced to withdraw from the British GP a fortnight ago due to the aftereffects of an injury sustained during the TT Assen Race, Álex Rins has been recovering and training over the last two weeks and is keen to make a comeback this weekend. The Spaniard is currently in 21st position in the overall classification ahead of the Austrian GP. He stood on the Styrian podium once in 2016 for a third place in Moto2. His best MotoGP result there is a sixth place.

The Spielberg circuit was constructed in 1969 and was rebuilt in 1996 to the track's current layout. It hosted two Austrian GPs in the 90s and staged its return to MotoGP Grand Prix racing after nineteen years in 2016. It has been a fixture on the MotoGP calendar since, even hosting two consecutive GPs (Austrian GP and Styrian GP) in 2020 and 2021. The track has a special character with only eleven turns in total (three left and eight right) and multiple long straights, the longest measuring 810m. The circuit's design puts the emphasis on top speed, acceleration, and braking stability, offering the riders plenty of opportunities to fully open the throttle.