Lorenzo says Red Bull Ring's Turn 2 "very dangerous"

Most of the premier class field was present at the Spielberg track for a two-day test earlier this month, as Grand Prix motorcycle racing prepares to return to Austria for the first time since 1997.

Ducati test rider Casey Stoner had already made known his reservations with safety at the circuit ahead of the test, and after sampling the track for the first time, Lorenzo made clear his anxieties.

He says that the tight right-hander of Turn 2, which has a slight left-hand kink in the uphill braking zone, is particularly risky, owing to the close proximity of the barriers to the edge of the circuit.

“There are three or four corners that, for a MotoGP bike, are really dangerous because the wall is really close, on braking especially,” said Lorenzo.

“For me, the worst is Turn 2, because you arrive at 340 or 350 [km/h] and you are leaning on the left side. On this braking [zone], the wall on the left side is very close to the track.

“If the front closed when you brake while you are still on the left, and the bike goes towards the wall, it would be very dangerous.”

While Lorenzo named Turn 2 as the most questionable part of the Red Bull Ring layout from a safety standpoint, he also said other parts of the circuit could also pose dangers.

“The other braking [zones], you don’t lean, so [they are] a bit less dangerous but not the perfect situation,” the Spaniard added.

“Then the last corner, on the exit if you have a high-side, you can hit the wall. For sure, it’s not the safest track in the championship.”