Italian rider Francesco Pecco Bagnaia on a Ducati surged to his third straight MotoGP win this Sunday, marking a dominant run that keeps him firmly in the title conversation. The Austrian Grand Prix, the thirteenth round of the Motorcycling World Championship, keeps Fabio Quartararo at the top of the standings after returning to the podium following a couple of unproductive races.
Bagnaia rode with confidence, sealing his first hat-trick by adding Spielberg to his earlier triumphs at Assen and Silverstone. The milestone is a testament to his consistency in the premier class, now in his fourth season and already boasting five victories within a single campaign—the best stretch of his career so far.
As the lights went out, Bagnaia’s compatriot Enea Bastianini of Gresini Racing attempted to defend from the pole position after Quartararo encountered a tricky start. Bagnaia showed his pace early, leading the pack through the opening laps and maintaining pressure on the field throughout the race.
Behind them, the Madrid-born Jorge Martin, riding for Pramac Racing, traded places with Bastianini in a high-speed duel for third. Martin ultimately prevailed on the track, capitalizing on the Italian’s sudden troubles to claim a notable podium bid on his home soil. The fight for third intensified as the laps wore on, underscoring the intense pressure at the front of the field.
Martin’s strong performance at his favored venue appeared within reach for a moment, as he had previously secured a podium on this track in recent outings. Yet the encounter on the final laps altered the order, with Jack Miller of Ducati rising into the frame and clinching a later top-ten finish, leaving Martin at the edge of the podium chase.
Quartararo, after an uneven start to his return to competitiveness, gradually found his rhythm and his path back to the podium. Bastianini, starting from a strong fourth, faced little stress as he worked his way past Aleix Espargaró of Aprilia, and then overtook Martin and Miller to claim second place. The Frenchman chased the leading duo but could not sustain a higher gear, ultimately finishing further ahead and reestablishing himself in the race’s main battle for valuable championship points.
From the Ducati camp, the overall pace of the day left a strong impression, with several riders in the Italian manufacturer’s lineup showing competitive speed. Spanning the field, Joan Mir of Suzuki experienced a setback early on after crashing at Turn 4 on the first lap, forcing an early retirement that marked a difficult round for the Spaniard and contributed to his ongoing winless streak for the season. That incident stretched his run without a podium to six races, a challenging stretch for Mir in the context of his earlier championship form.
Among the other Spaniards in the field, Maverick Viñales of Aprilia delivered a solid ride, finishing in the points, while Álex Márquez made a notable late surge after starting from last, earning a place inside the scoring zone and showcasing the depth of talent across the grid as the season unfolds.