MotoGP: Francesco Bagnaia wins Austrian Grand Prix, takes championship lead
Al Jazeera
The Italian takes his seventh victory of the season at the Red Bull Ring to reclaim the riders’ championship lead.
Double world champion Francesco Bagnaia has won a third successive Austrian MotoGP to complete a dream sprint-race weekend double and take the outright lead in the world championship.
Jorge Martin, who went into the weekend atop the riders’ standings, had to settle for second with Enea Bastianini completing the podium at the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria on Sunday.
Bagnaia’s seventh race win of the season on the factory Ducati bike matches his tally from last season with nine races remaining.
Martin had secured the pole position for Sunday’s race and took the holeshot after the start.
By lap two, Bagnaia had taken over the lead from Martin – and despite the Spaniard’s best efforts to stay close, he was never able to challenge for the top spot.
