Pecco Bagnaia storms to Austrian MotoGP win to claim championship lead

Francesco Bagnaia took victory in the Austrian MotoGP, winning his seventh Grand Prix of the season and reclaiming the championship lead.

Unlike in the Sprint, it was Jorge Martin who took the holeshot, but Bagnaia wasted little time in getting to the front. By lap two, he was ahead, and although Martin remained close to the Italian until around half-distance, he was never able to regain control of the race.

Bagnaia eventually took victory by three seconds. It was his third consecutive Austrian Grand Prix win, and his second straight double at the Red Bull Ring after his Sprint win on Saturday.

Behind Martin there were five seconds to Enea Bastianini, who was third by turn three on the first lap. But he didn't have the kind of late race pace he showed in Silverstone, and ultimately could not challenge the two ahead of him.

Another six seconds stretched back from Bastianini to Marc Marquez. The Spaniard's ride height device failed to engage at the start, meaning he got a terrible launch. Contact afterwards with Franco Morbidelli entering turn one left him down in 14th. By the end of the race, he was the only rider with the same pace as Bagnaia, and he was much faster than both Bastianini and Martin. But he simply lost too much time at the start, meaning the best he could do was fourth.

Brad Binder was the best KTM rider in its home Grand Prix in fifth, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi who had one of his better rides of the season in sixth.

A battle between the factory Aprilia riders over seventh place eventually went to Maverick Vinales, while Aleix Espargaro also lost out to Franco Morbidelli, the Sprint's third-place finisher taking ninth in the end, as Alex Marquez completed the top 10. 

Fabio Di Giannantonio didn't start the race after he dislocated his shoulder in Friday practice. The only two retirements were Luca Marini and Raul Fernandez. Jack Miller crashed at the chicane while battling with Marc Marquez, but got back on and finished 19th, just behind Fabio Quartararo after the Yamaha rider served a long lap penalty.