“Nobody can afford to make mistakes anymore,” OÖN columnist Gustl Auinger predicted before the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island for the final sprint in MotoGP. Defending champion Fabio Quartararo could not prevent such a thing yesterday. After a crash on lap eleven with his Yamaha, he lost the championship lead to Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia, for whom third place behind Suzuki pilot Alex Rins and Marc Marquez (Honda) was enough to overtake in the overall standings. With Brad Binder (10th) and Miguel Oliveira (12th), KTM was unable to get into the fight for the front positions.
“When I saw that Fabio was out, my race changed completely,” said Bagnaia, who started the final lap from the front. But now, with a 14-point lead over Quartararo, he holds all the trumps. The Italian could secure his first title in the premier class as early as next Sunday in Sepang. After the Grand Prix in June at the Sachsenring, Bagnaia was 91 points behind Quartararo. It was the third loss of the season for the Frenchman. The 23-year-old defiantly issued perseverance slogans: “It’s not over yet.”
Rins and Marquez also determined the second-closest MotoGP competition in history – Binder was only six seconds behind the winner in tenth place. The latter claimed his 100th podium in the 152nd MotoGP race. With a lead of 0.186 seconds, he met his champion in Rins. For the Spaniard, Marquez’ brand colleague in 2023, it was the premiere on the top floor. Marquez brother Alex steered Jack Miller (Ducati) out of the race for the title.
The Moto3 World Championship has already been decided. Spain’s Izan Guevara (GasGas) won yesterday to have an unassailable 65 point lead over Sergio Garcia. The Moto2 competition in Australia also went to a Spaniard with Alonso Lopez (Boscoscuro). (free)
Motorbike Results
Australian Grand Prix:
MotoGP: 1st Rins (Sp) Suzuki 40:50.654, 2nd Marquez (Sp) Honda +0.186s, 3rd Bagnaia (It) Ducati +0.224; further: 10th Binder (Rsa) KTM +5.940; 12. Oliveira (Por) KTM; Out ao: Quartararo (Fra) Yamaha, Miller (Aus) Ducati; Championship standings (18/20 races): 1st Bagnaia 233 points, 2nd Quartararo 219, 3rd A. Espargaro (Sp) Aprilia 206; 6. Binder 160; 10. Oliveira 135.
Moto2: 1. Lopez (Sp) Boscosuro 39:14.947; WM: 1st Ogura (Jpn) Honda 247, 2nd Fernandez (Sp) KTM 243.
Moto3: 1. Guevara (Sp) GasGas 37:38.762; WM: 1st Guevara 290,
2. Garcia (Sp) GasGas 225.
Source: Nachrichten
