Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
Get the lowdown on the action-packed Austrian Grand Prix
The Red Bull Ring hosted a MotoGP thriller where Jorge Lorenzo won for Ducati ahead of Marc Márquez and Andrea Dovizioso.
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The MotoGP of Austria at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg was fast and frantic from the get go.
Throughout the early stages the front three matched each other's lap times, as the fuel burned off and pace increased, but it was Márquez, on medium-hard compound tyres, who set the pace and soon stretched out a comfortable lead.
For long periods Lorenzo and Dovizioso pulled each other around the 4.3km Red Bull Ring in a battle for second place, and with 14 laps remaining the duelling Ducati bikes managed to close the gap to Márquez, setting up a tense finale. It all really kicked off with 10 laps to go, as Lorenzo caught Márquez.
After a couple of dramatic lead swaps, Lorenzo managed to harness the superior grip and top speed of the Ducati to establish a narrow lead over Márquez, dropping Dovizioso back to a lonely third.
It all came down to the last lap and Lorenzo managed to hang on, despite some close contact racing from Márquez, using the power of the Ducati to take his third win of the season, which he later described as one of the best wins of his career.
What a last lap!
The leading duo of Márquez and Lorenzo swapped the lead heading into the final lap, with the Honda proving superior on the early part of the lap and the Ducati showing its speed in the second half. The riders actually touched elbows as they powered along the start-finish straight to start the final lap, with Lorenzo narrowly leading on the long run to Turn 2.
Márquez looked to take the lead under braking, and just when it seemed as if he would push Lorenzo wide, the Honda rider resisted making a forceful block pass, gave Lorenzo some space and the Ducati rider didn't look back.
Rossi salvages a decent result for Yamaha
Valentino Rossi fought hard to salvage sixth on the off-pace Yamaha
© GEPA pictures/Red Bull Content Pool
Yamaha publically apologised to its riders after Valentino Rossi could only manage the fifth row in qualifying, and it took all the talent of the seven times MotoGP world champion to drag his machine to sixth place at the flag. Further back in the order was Rossi's team-mate Maverick Viñales. The Spaniard qualified a disappointing 11th and could only manage 12th at the flag.
Viñales, Rossi and everyone at Yamaha will be hoping for a drastic upturn in fortunes heading to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Crutchlow best of the rest
Britain's Cal Crutchlow had a lonely afternoon, finishing eight seconds back from third place, but comfortably ahead of Danilo Petrucci in fifth.
Crutchlow continued a solid season with fourth place in Austria, meaning that he heads to his home Grand Prix at Silverstone holding eighth place in the championship standings.
Petrucci continues to shine
Danilo Petrucci takes time for a selfie with fans
© GEPA Pictures
2018 has been a strong season for Danilo Petrucci on the Alma Pramac Ducati, and away from the fireworks of the leading trio, the Italian produced another solid performance in Austria.
Barely seen by the cameras, he brought his satellite Ducati home in fifth to continue a strong run of results, the highlight being a second place at the French Grand Prix.
Can Lorenzo catch Márquez in the championship?
With eight races to go in the 2018 season, another top three finish for Márquez is good news in the quest for his fifth MotoGP crown. He'll be looking over his shoulder at Lorenzo and Ducati, though.
Lorenzo's third win this season moved him ahead of team-mate Dovizioso, and just eight points behind Rossi in second place, while championship leader Márquez is 71 points ahead of him.
If the Ducati rider can continue his race-winning form, and Márquez drops points, there are enough points available to catch the Honda man. It's a long shot, but in the unpredictable world of MotoGP you should never say never.
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