Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The opening rounds of the
2020 championship was heavily affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic. Several Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed after the aborted
opening round in Qatar, prompting the
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme to draft a new calendar. However, the Austrian Grand Prix was not impacted by this change and kept its original date.
MotoGP Championship standings before the race After the third round at the
Czech Grand Prix,
Fabio Quartararo on 59 points, leads the championship by 17 points over
Maverick Viñales, with
Franco Morbidelli a further 28 points behind. In Teams' Championship,
Petronas Yamaha SRT with 90 points, lead the championship from
Monster Energy Yamaha, who have 69.
KTM Factory Racing sit 22 points behind the factory Yamaha in third, and are only 5 points ahead of fourth-placed
Ducati Team, who have 42 points, while
Esponsorama Racing sit 5th on 35 points.
MotoGP Entrants •
Stefan Bradl replaced Marc Márquez from the Czech Republic round onwards while he recovered from injuries sustained in his opening round crash. •
Ducati test rider
Michele Pirro replaced
Francesco Bagnaia in Austria while he recovered from injuries sustained in a crash during practice at the Czech round. == Qualifying ==