#AustrianGP – MOTOGP, SPRINT & RACE
MOTOGP – SPRINT: Game on: Bagnaia tied at the top after Sprint win as Marquez blows podium
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is victorious in the Tissot Sprint at the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, as the Championship took another twist on Saturday. The #1 took victory in style, beating Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) to the line after the Spaniard was handed a Long Lap penalty for a shortcut in the opening stages. It was a critical day for the Championship with Bagnaia and Martin tied on points heading into Sunday.
Completing the rostrum in the Sprint was Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), who maintained a strong pace after the #41 continued to make a further step at the Red Bull Ring. Espargaro claimed a late third on Saturday after Marc Marquez’ (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) Championship chances took another blow after the #93 scored no points after crashing out at Turn 3.
It was a sensational launch from Bagnaia in an intense start to the Tissot Sprint with Martin attacking for the lead on the entry to Turn 3 on the opening lap. The #1 soon responded at the end of Lap 1, with the title rivals battling at the start of Lap 2. However, as Martin led, he would run wide at Turn 2, allowing the Italian to launch into P1. The #89 was investigated by the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards for the incident.
There would be early drama for Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who crashed at Turn 2a as the fastest lap soon went the way of Bagnaia. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez began to drop back on Lap 4 of the Sprint as an intense battle at the front continued to brew, with Martin aiming to reclaim the position that he lost on Lap 2.
However, there was title drama as Martin was handed a Long Lap penalty for a shortcut at Turn 2. After serving the Long Lap penalty, the #89 dropped back to third, behind Marc Marquez and with Espargaro on his tailpipe.
Then on Lap 10, there was yet another twist as MotoGP™ continues to be as unpredictable as ever after Marc Marquez lost the front on the entry to Turn 3. The #93 dropped to 23rd, outside of the point-scoring positions and would soon retire to the pitlane, bringing a disappointing end to his Saturday.
Marc Marquez’ crash promoted Martin back into P2, which was crucial for the Championship battle as Bagnaia and Martin are now tied on points. Meanwhile, there was an intense fight for the final spot inside the top five, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) soon losing a spot to the impressive Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Prima Pramac Racing’s Franco Morbidelli also battling behind.
On the final lap, nobody could match Bagnaia’s pace with the Italian opening a four-second margin to Martin in second. After a flawless ride, the #1 crossed the line to take glory on Saturday and steal the headlines as Martin settled for second position after serving his Long Lap penalty. Meanwhile, the final spot inside the top three went the way of Espargaro, who claimed an unexpected third.
Meanwhile, Bastianini crossed the line in fourth, with the Beast at the head of an action-packed group. The #23 was ahead of Miller, who rounded out the top five after the Australian defended from Morbidelli to the line as just 0.102s separated the duo after the 14-lap dash.
Binder crossed the line in seventh with a comfortable margin to Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in eighth position. The Italian found his way through on Red Bull KTM wildcard Pol Espargaro, who dropped to ninth at the flag – taking the final Championship point on Saturday ahead of rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
MOTOGP – RACE: Bagnaia produces Spielberg showstopper to defeat Martin
After a fantastic Saturday, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) has secured his 25th premier class win. The #1 was unstoppable at the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich and crossed the line to finish ahead of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in second, with the #89 showing a strong pace in the early stages of the Grand Prix, keeping Bagnaia honest throughout. It is a crucial weekend for the Championship, with Bagnaia leaving Austria with a five-point advantage after an impressive Sunday.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) took the final spot on the podium in third, continuing a great run of results after a great launch and good pace. The Beast remains third in the Championship standings after finishing ahead of Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who took fourth after a dramatic Sunday, with an issue at the start.
The stage was set at the Red Bull Ring and as the lights went out it was Martin who led his title rival Bagnaia at Turn 1. However, there was drama for P3 starter, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who made contact with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) at Turn 1, dramatically dropping the #93 back to 14th.
Bagnaia launched his attack on Lap 2, overtaking at Turn 1, and pushing hard throughout the opening sector. Martin responded at Turn 9, briefly passing the Italian on the brakes before Bagnaia reclaimed P1. Meanwhile, Bastianini (sat in third, watching the top two in the Championship duel.
Marc Marquez began to recover position, entering the top 10 on Lap 4 after finding a gap in Pol Espargaro’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) armour. Meanwhile, Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaro began to battle, with the #93 catching the Noale Factory duo and leaping into seventh.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder and Jack Miller began to battle, with the South African entering fourth as Miller dropped behind Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Things soon got worse for Miller, losing the front at Turn 2a – crashing out of contention on Lap 11.
Meanwhile, the Aprilia pair continued to battle, with Viñales stealing seventh from the #41 on Lap 16. Ahead on track, Marc Marquez began to put Bezzecchi under pressure, setting sights on P5 before making the move stick on Lap 17. The eight-time World Champion soon caught Binder, claiming fourth in Lap 18.
Bagnaia controlled the pace at the front, creating a two-second margin – consistently lapping inside the 1:29 bracket. However, with five laps remaining, Martin made one last attempt to close the gap.
Entering the final lap the #1 stretched out the gap back to two seconds, with nobody able to match Bagnaia’s relentless pace at the Red Bull Ring. Crossing the line, the Italian took victory, extending his Spielberg streak and beating Martin, as the #89 crossed the line in second. Meanwhile, Bastianini took the flag in third, claiming the final spot on the podium after another strong weekend from the Beast.
Marc Marquez continued his charge late in the Grand Prix, crossing the line in fourth a further six seconds behind Bastianini. The #93 completed a brilliant recovery ride, crossing the line in front of Binder, who rounded out the top five at the line after starting from P12 on the grid. The #33 was the top KTM in Austria, crossing the line ahead of Bezzecchi in sixth and Viñales in seventh. The #12 took the honours as the top Aprilia and was ahead of Morbidelli, with the Italian showing incredible late race pace at the line. Morbidelli placed in front of Aleix Espargaro in ninth, with the final spot inside the top 10 going the way of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™).
Further back, Pol Espargaro dropped to 11th and put Morbidelli under pressure in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) also continued to battle in the closing laps, crossing the line in 13th ahead of Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR), who scored further points in 14th. However, it would be a disappointing end to Sunday for Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) and Repsol Honda Team’s Luca Marini after they retired to the pitlane.
This third-place finish is in line with my expectations heading into the race. This morning, as well as in the race, I still lacked a bit of feeling with the front-end – which is crucial at this track – despite the steps forward we made during warmup. I tried to be aggressive and to not lose touch with Pecco (Bagnaia) and Jorge (Martín), but I was losing between two and three tenths of a second each lap. I tried to avoid any unnecessary risk and to ride past the limit. I can still be happy with third place, as we improved lap after lap this weekend.
Enea Bastianini – P3
A tough one. You have to manage the rear tire very well here and it almost becomes like a ‘survival’ race. In the end I’m happy with the point. We had been struggling all weekend and we were still quite far but I’m happy with the pace we made at least. I think we did our maximum possible today. Let’s move on and build some confidence for the rest of the season.
Augusto Fernández – P15
Lorenzo Savadori – P20
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #KytCrew during the weekend in Austria.