Francesco Bagnaia once again proved his supremacy this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, taking a stunning victory for the Ducati team. The win, the 35th of his career, sees the Italian take sole possession of the riders' championship lead.
Bagnaia and Martin go from strength to strength
The battle for the championship between Bagnaia and Martin is more intense than ever. Before the race in Austria, the two drivers were tied in the standings, but thanks to his masterful performance, Bagnaia now has a five-point lead. The “Martinator” was hoping to win the race after taking pole position, but Bagnaia's strategy of taking the lead from the start left the Spaniard with little chance of winning, as he conceded afterwards.
Jorge Martin on Sky Sport:
I think the strategy wasn't great. Pecco immediately got in front, and from then on I had few opportunities to win [...] The battle with Bagnaia is far from over. We're going very fast, the bike's working very well, and we're both improving. Now I think he's stronger, but I hope to find the speed.
As for his hand injury, he immediately minimized its impact. Pecco Bagnaia, for his part, declared: “My pace and that of Jorge (Martin) were incredible today. I tried to do a little better than him every lap, and I succeeded. We had to be careful with tire management at the end of the race, but it went well, and I'm really very happy.”
One thing's for sure: by battling it out at this level, both riders are taking the MotoGP class to new heights that even Marc Marquez is struggling to keep up with. But that didn't stop the Spaniard, six-time MotoGP world champion, from demonstrating once again why he is considered one of the finest riders of his generation. After a difficult start, when he was hit by Italian Franco Morbidelli (Ducati-Pramac) and relegated to 13th place, Marquez made an impressive comeback, eventually finishing just off the podium in fourth place.
Just behind, on the home turf of his KTM team, South African Brad Binder took a fine fifth place after a fine comeback from 12th position.
Results MotoGP Sprint Austria 2024 :
Austrian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2024 race results:
After triumphing in Saturday's sprint, Bagnaia confirmed his status as leader with victory in the main race, ahead of title rival Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) of Spain, and compatriot Enea Bastianini (Ducati).
Zarco, Quartararo, same battle (tiresome)
The troubles continue for the French riders. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Johann Zarco (Honda) both finished outside the points, 18th and 21st respectively. Quartararo, plagued by technical problems and a lack of competitiveness, described the weekend as “one of the worst of his season”. This was echoed by Johann Zarco, who also had a difficult weekend.
Yamaha and Honda, despite the supposed advantages offered by dealerships, are struggling, not to change. And with just 49 points accumulated since the start of the year, Quartararo stagnates in 14th place in the championship, watching rivals such as Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira drift away or get dangerously close.
MotoGP 2024 riders' standings after the Austrian GP (19/08/2024)
The ceiling is quite low for the French in a ranking clearly dominated by the two strongest men in the category...
Other Moto news
On the transfer front, Franco Morbidelli's future in MotoGP has been officially confirmed. After speculation fuelled by Davide Tardozzi and VR46 director Uccio Salucci, it has been announced that Morbidelli will race in 2025 with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. The Ducati satellite team will also use a bike identical to that of the factory team. A significant step forward for Valentino Rossi's team.
Meanwhile, talented Moto2 rider Ai Ogura could soon be making his MotoGP debut, having received a tempting offer from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation). This news echoes the results of Moto2, where Celestino Vietti capitalized on Ogura's absence, injured during free practice, to win in Austria. Forced to retire, the 23-year-old Japanese saw his team-mate Sergio Garcia take a 20-point lead in the overall standings.
Moto2 2024 riders' standings after the Austrian GP (19/08/2024)
MotoGP 2024 race calendar
Next up at calendar MotoGP : the Grand Prix of Aragon, where the battle for the title promises to intensify.
1 Qatar Grand Prix (Losail circuit), March 10. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).
2 Portuguese Grand Prix (Circuit Internacional do Algarve), March 24. Winner: Jorge Martín (Ducati). Argentine Grand Prix (Termas de Río Hondo), April 7.3 Grand Prix of the Americas (Circuit des Amériques), April 14. Winner: Maverick Viñales (Aprilia)
4 Spanish Grand Prix (Circuit de Jerez), April 28. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
5 French Grand Prix (Le Mans Bugatti circuit), May 12. Winner: Jorge Martin (Ducati)
6 Catalan Grand Prix (Barcelona-Catalunya circuit), May 26. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
7 Italian Grand Prix (Mugello circuit), June 2. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) Kazakhstan Grand Prix (Sokol International Racetrack), June 16. REPORT 8 Dutch Grand Prix (TT circuit Assen), June 30. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
9 German Grand Prix (Sachsenring circuit), July 7. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
10 British Grand Prix (Silverstone circuit), August 4. Winner: Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
11 Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg circuit), August 18. Winner: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
12 Aragon Grand Prix (Motorland Aragon circuit), September 1.
13 San Marino Grand Prix (Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli), September 8. Indian Grand Prix (Buddh International Circuit), September 22. CANCELLATIONKazakhstan Grand Prix (Sokol International Racetrack), September 22. CANCELLATION14 Grand Prix d'Emilie-Romagne (Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli), September 22
15 Indonesian Grand Prix (Mandalika International Street circuit), September 29.
16 Japanese Grand Prix (Twin Ring Motegi circuit), October 6.
17 Australian Grand Prix (Phillip Island Circuit), October 20.
18 Thai Grand Prix (Chang International circuit), October 27.
19 Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang International circuit), November 3.
20 Valencia Grand Prix (Ricardo Tormo circuit), November 17.
Photo credits : MotoGP
