Bagnaia keeps Martin at bay to win Austrian Grand Prix
The Hindu
Francesco Bagnaia wins Austrian Grand Prix, extends championship lead over Jorge Martin with dominant performance.
Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia won the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday to complete a weekend double and go five points clear at the top of the world championship, taking the chequered flag ahead of his rival Jorge Martin.
The Italian Ducati rider, who qualified second on the grid after dominating practice and winning the sprint on Saturday, overtook Prima Pramac Racing's Martin on the second lap.
Having smashed the lap record to take pole position at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on Saturday, Martin finished second. Enea Bastianini came third to complete an all-Ducati podium.
Bagnaia's victory moved him up to 275 points, five more than Martin, with Bastianini maintaining his hold on third place on 214.
"The pace was incredible. I think Jorge and I did something unbelievable in terms of speed and consistency," Bagnaia told reporters.
"I was just trying to do a little better than him every lap to open a gap because I knew that in the last laps anything could happen here with the rear tyre.
"But I'm very happy... I want to say thanks to all my team and to the academy for the work they are doing every day. It's a special day for us."