MotoGP Austria 2026: the Red Bull Ring moves to September

The Red Bull Ring moves to September: why the change

The 2026 MotoGP calendar, published by the FIM and Dorna on 24 July 2025, moves the Austrian Grand Prix from August to mid-September. It’s the first time since MotoGP returned to the Red Bull Ring in 2016 that the race hasn’t been held in August. The organisers make no secret of it: fans could no longer come during the summer holidays, and attendance plummeted. In 2025 the circuit drew just 117,560 spectators over the weekend, a record low against the 150,187 of 2024. Red Bull Ring director Thomas Überall defends the new date — « it’s the best one compared to August », he told the specialist press. The economic stakes are real for Styria: MotoGP generates €23 million in added value there, more than the F1 Grand Prix and its €19 million.

Highlights

• A date designed for fans: no more August holidays forcing you to choose between the beach and the grand prix
• The 2026 championship is wide open: leader Jorge Martin holds a lead of less than 20 points at mid-season
• The last European round of the year before the run to Japan, Indonesia and Australia
• The final season of the 1000cc engines before the switch to 850cc in 2027

Between sessions, the Mur valley is worth exploring differently too: in Fohnsdorf, about ten kilometres from the circuit, a Segway ride follows the Alpine foothills, with slots available throughout the grand prix weekend — a way to enjoy Styria’s scenery without missing a single race.

Weather: highs of 19.8°C and nights at 7.1°C

Readings from the Zeltweg station, 3 km from the circuit, give the measure of the change: in September the average temperature reaches 19.8°C in the afternoon but drops to 7.1°C at night. The gap between day and night tops 12°C, where August hovered around 27°C and 15°C. Good news on the other hand: the violent storms that marked the summer editions, like the 2024 hail, are much rarer (82 mm of rain in September versus 109 mm in August). The record cold measured on site in September, −4.4°C, remains an exception, but it sets the tone: camping at the Red Bull Ring now means planning for a mountain stage, not a summer festival.

Highlights

• A comfort sleeping bag rated 0 to 5°C, even if yours was designed for summer
• An insulating mat: the cold rises from the ground before it comes from the air
• On pitches with a 230 V hook-up, an electric heater of 1,000 to 1,500 W, never plugging two into the same circuit
• A headlamp: it gets dark about an hour earlier than in August

Tickets and budget: MotoGP at half the price of F1

The official box office is still open: general admission costs €99 for all three days (€89 for Sunday alone) and under-15s enter free. Grandstands range from €225 for the Nord, the only covered one, to €280 for the stands close to the track. On the accommodation side, the official campsite charges from €315 to €532 for four nights depending on the zone. All in all, a full weekend for two people, general admission, camping and meals included, comes to around €753, or €377 per person. The comparison with F1, which races on the same circuit in late June, is telling: €160 for general admission, €420 for the same camping, according to a detailed comparison by Schitterhof Camping Weiss. MotoGP remains by far the most accessible motorsport weekend on the Austrian calendar.

Highlights

• Weekend general admission at €99, under-15s free
• Covered North grandstand at €225: the first thing to buy if your budget allows
• Official camping from €315 for four nights, bookable online
• Sold out as of 27 August: Start-Ziel P-Q, Red Bull A-B and Steiermark — book the rest quickly

Getting to the GP without a car: train and free shuttle

ÖBB are beefing up their offer for the event: just get to Knittelfeld station, on the Graz-Selzthal line, then take a free shuttle that runs to the circuit every 20 minutes. Allow 1h15 by train from Graz and 2h22 from Vienna. By air, Graz Airport has direct flights from London Stansted (Ryanair) and London Gatwick (British Airways): returns in September go from around £121. By night train, there’s no direct sleeper from the UK — take the Eurostar to Brussels Midi, then the ÖBB Nightjet to Vienna, which runs three nights a week and arrives the next morning. Book the two legs separately (eurostar.com and nightjet.com). On site, car parks are free, as long as you arrive early: on Sunday morning, aim to be at the circuit before 8 am.

Highlights

• Free Knittelfeld-to-circuit shuttle every 20 minutes, from 7 am to 8 pm
• Free car parking, arrive before 8 am on Sunday to beat the queue
• Helmet and luggage lockers at car park P4: €15 per day, €35 for the weekend
• Only one bag of 20 L max per person, cashless payment only

To compare prices for direct flights to Graz over your weekend, use a search engine that aggregates airlines: see London-Graz flights for these dates.

Around the GP: Styria in autumn, from Admont Abbey to Graz

The move to September has an unexpected upside: Styria looks superb. In the Murtal, around Spielberg, Seckau Abbey and above all Admont Abbey, with its baroque library, are worth the detour. Mechanics enthusiasts will find their fix at the Puch museum in Judenburg, dedicated to the Austrian motorcycle marque, and at the aviation museum in Zeltweg, on the site of the former military airfield. The Star Tower planetarium, just nearby, rounds out the list of activities covered by the Murtal Guest Card, which offers 30% off more than 100 activities, including the guided Red Bull Ring tour at €20. Finally, Graz — Austria’s only UNESCO City of Gastronomy — is 50 minutes away by road: breaded fried chicken (Backhendl), pumpkin seed oil and young wine (Sturm) are the stars of autumn there.

Highlights

• Guided Red Bull Ring tour at €20: VIP zones, race control and the start line
• Puch museum in Judenburg for vintage motorcycle fans
• Graz: Schlossberg and Kaiser-Josef-Platz market on Saturday morning
• Pumpkin and Sturm season: autumn specialities not to miss