The Italian takes his seventh victory of the season on the Purple Bull Ring to reclaim the riders’ championship lead.
Double world champion Francesco Bagnaia has gained a 3rd successive Austrian MotoGP to finish a dream sprint-race weekend double and take the outright lead on the planet championship.
Jorge Martin, who went into the weekend atop the riders’ standings, needed to accept second with Enea Bastianini finishing the rostrum on the Purple Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria on Sunday.
Bagnaia’s seventh race win of the season on the manufacturing facility Ducati bike matches his tally from final season with 9 races remaining.
Martin had secured the pole place for Sunday’s race and took the holeshot after the beginning.
By lap two, Bagnaia had taken over the lead from Martin – and regardless of the Spaniard’s finest efforts to remain shut, he was by no means in a position to problem for the highest spot.
Bagnaia finally crossed the end line of the 28-lap race greater than three seconds forward of his essential title rival, Martin.
The Italian’s victory on the Austrian MotoGP now strikes him 5 factors away from Martin within the riders’ championship – 275 to 270. Bagnaia’s Ducati teammate Bastianini is in third place within the standings with 214 factors.
Subsequent up is the Aragon MotoGP in Spain in a fortnight’s time.
