The CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich went the way of the reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the #1 made a big stride towards his 2nd MotoGP™ title. It was damage limitation for his title rivals Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) who are still in the picture but with a bigger mountain climb. Let's have a look at the state of play following the Austrian Grand Prix!
Bagnaia did the double at the Red Bull Ring which saw him walk away from Austria having taken maximum points on offer. The Italian extended his Championship lead by 21 points following his Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix victories. The Ducati top dog now sits 62 points clear at the top of the standings.
It's Jorge Martin who still sits in 2nd place. The Spaniard scored a total of 16 points over the weekend. Despite taking a top three in the Tissot Sprint to bag himself seven points, irresponsible riding during the Sprint meant the #89 was to face the long lap loop during Sunday's Grand Prix. This limited the Pramac man's progression as he could only manage 7th place on Sunday.
Marco Bezzecchi scored solid points toward his Championship campaign on Sunday as he took a podium in the Grand Prix. 16 points were all the Italian takes away from Austria however after a Turn 1 incident saw him crash out of Saturday's Tissot Sprint. The Italian still sits 3rd in Championship, 68 points adrift of Bagnaia and just six behind Martin.
The second-highest scorer was the man who finished 2nd in both the Grand Prix and the Sprint, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). The South African strengthened his position in 4th place in the standings as he closed in on the 3rd placed Bezzecchi. 29 points did him plenty of favours with the 5th placed Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) only taking three points from the weekend.
While Bagnaia is looking strong, there's still plenty to play for in MotoGP™. The Champion has spoken, but will his rivals have an answer to his superb form? There's no predicting which ways the tables will turn in this rollercoaster 2023 season! Make sure not to miss any of the action as the battle continues next time out at the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya set to take place from the 1st to the 3rd of September.