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Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia secured a crucial victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, strengthening his lead in the 2024 MotoGP World Championship. On the Red Bull Ring circuit, the reigning Ducati champion replicated his success from Saturday's Sprint, crossing the finish line ahead of Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) and teammate Enea Bastianini.
The race was another demonstration of Ducati's dominance on a track seemingly tailor-made for the Borgo Panigale machines. Bagnaia took the lead from the first lap, maintaining an unrelenting pace that proved too much for his rivals, despite Martin's efforts to keep up. The Madrilenian, after a promising start, had to concede to Bagnaia's superior pace, finishing second and narrowing the gap in the overall standings to just 5 points.
Bastianini completed the podium, confirming his recent progress. The rider from Rimini managed to defend the third position from a determined Marc Marquez, who, despite a complicated start due to contact with Franco Morbidelli, climbed back up to fourth place.
Behind them, South African Brad Binder (KTM) finished fifth, followed by Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati-VR46) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia). Morbidelli, penalized by the contact with Marquez, finished further down the field.
With this victory, Bagnaia achieved his seventh win of the season and the twenty-seventh of his MotoGP career, thus entering the top ten of the most successful riders in the premier class, a milestone that brings him closer to the legends of the sport like Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini.
