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Author: Darshan Chokhani
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MotoGP: Miller takes San Marino GP pole from Bagnaia
Ducati’s Jack Miller took MotoGP pole in San Marino GP from teammate Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini’s Enea Bastianini in mixed weather conditions.
For the first time since the 2018 Argentina GP, Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) will start a MotoGP race from pole position after coming out on top of a rain effected Q2 at the Gran Premio Gryfyn di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The Australian’s 1:31.899 was enough to beat teammate Francesco Bagnaia by 0.015s as the Italian faces a three-second grid penalty on Sunday, with Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) making it a Ducati 1-2-3 in qualifying after finishing third.
Q1:
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) set the initial benchmark in the opening 15 minutes of qualifying before Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) set a 1:31.961 to go top. Having been threatening all afternoon, spots of rain started to fall with eight minutes to go, with Bezzecchi and Martin sitting inside the all-important top two.
With three and a half minutes to go, Luca Marini jumped ahead of Martin to make it a Mooney VR46 Racing Team 1-2 – and the Italian couldn’t have timed it any better. The rain had started to fall heavier as the riders all had to pull out of their final flying laps, meaning Bezzecchi and Marini were heading into Q2, seeing Martin miss out by 0.011s.
Q2:
Tensions were high ahead of the 15-minute pole position fight, with most of the riders starting the session on wet Michelin tyres – all but Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). And straight away the Portuguese rider was three seconds quicker than Bagnaia with the Italian on wet tyres, it was now clear the slick tyres were the correct choice.
Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) – the top three in the World Championship – were some of the last to venture out on slicks. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi had gone fastest by half a second before Miller moved the goalposts, the Australian briefly sat 0.7s quicker than anyone before Oliveira cut the gap to 0.2s.
As expected, the times were tumbling lap by lap. Bezzecchi blitzed his way to provisional pole before Bastianini found a 1:33.812 to go quickest. Miller then split the Italians to slot into P2, 0.021s off Bastianini’s time, as red sector times littered to timing screens. Miller and Bastianini exchanged P1 again before Bagnaia took over top spot with a 1:32.413, as Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) decided it was his turn to lead the session. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) gate-crashed the Ducati party to go second, 0.090s off Zarco, as Championship leader Quartararo found himself P7 with just over a minute to go.
That became P5 heading onto his final lap, but the Frenchman was half a second away from provisional pole. A 1:31.899 from Miller was the new time to beat but teammate Bagnaia was 0.083s under his time at the third split. Was it enough? Not quite. Pecco went into P2 with Bezzecchi going third, Marini made a late charge into the top six before Viñales jumped up to P5, but no one was able to better Miller on Saturday in Misano.
After finishing second, Bagnaia will launch from P5 for the San Marino GP after his mistake in FP1. That means Bastianini will start from the middle of the front row in P2, and fourth place Bezzecchi moves up a row to line up third. Viñales is the final rider to benefit from Pecco’s penalty, the Spaniard will be eying at least a podium from P4 with Bagnaia – crucially – starting ahead of his main title rivals in fifth. Zarco joins Viñales and Bagnaia on the second row in sixth.
Marini leads the third row ahead of the top two in the World Championship: Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro. It wasn’t the Q2 they would have been looking for, but it will make for very interesting viewing to see how the Yamaha and Aprilia stars progress on Sunday afternoon. Oliveira, Franco Morbidelli and Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) complete the top 12.
[Note: The story is as per press release]
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Dutch GP: Leclerc remains on top in FP3 from Russell, Verstappen
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc kept himself on top in FP3 of F1 Dutch GP as Mercedes’ George Russell got himself in second from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
It was fairly stable FP3 session in F1 Dutch GP at Zandvoort, as Ferrari maintained its top position where Leclerc was quickest with a 1m11.632s lap. Red Bull started off well early in the session, but both Ferrari and Mercedes upped their pace by the end.
In fact, George Russell sneaked to second pushing Max Verstappen to third as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with the Top 3 F1 teams not far off from each other.
Perez was involved in a moment with the Ferrari pair late in the session, as Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in seventh from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. It was a good show from the Haas pair too with Mick Schumacher in ninth.
Teammate Kevin Magnussen was just outside in 11th behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. The other Aston Martin of Lance Stroll was 12th from Williams’ Alexander Albon with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly in 14th after a heavy moment on the grass.
He smashed the DRS box in the process but was unharmed. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 16th from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, with the Australian also having an off moment. The Alfa Romeo pair ended up 18th and 19th in a lowly show.
It was Valtteri Bottas ahead of Zhou Guanyu, while Williams’ Nicholas Latifi rounded out the 20 runners.
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Dutch GP: Leclerc tops FP2 from Sainz by 0.004s after another red flag
Ferrari pair led the way in FP2 of F1 Dutch GP with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in third.
It was a much more sedate FP2 session in F1 Dutch GP but there a red flag stoppage after AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda beached himself with about 10 minutes to go. It already started late after double red flag during the F2 qualifying which delayed the session.
The Ferrari pair led the way with Charles Leclerc (1m12.345s) ahead of Carlos Sainz (1m12.349s) by 0.004s, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m12.417s doing well in third with McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m12.448s) also doing well in fourth from the other Mercedes of George Russell (1m12.655s)
In another good show, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m12.746s) was sixth from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m12.848s), with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m13.048s) only eighth after he got some track time in FP2, having lost most of it in FP1 due to gearbox issue.
The other Alpine of Esteban Ocon (1m13.305s) was ninth from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m13.362s), whose session ended early due to oil leak. He led AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda in 11th, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez struggling a bit in 12th after not getting a clean lap.
Haas’ Mick Schumacher slotted in 13th from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, with the lead Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu in 15th. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly did not have a great lap to be 16th with Williams’ Alexander Albon in 17th.
The Thai got a decent time in FP1 but couldn’t repeat that in FP2, as Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen struggled in 18th and 19th from Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.
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Dutch GP: Russell fastest from Hamilton in FP1 as Verstappen causes RF
The Mercedes pair ended up 1-2 in FP1 of F1 Dutch GP with George Russell fastest from Lewis Hamilton, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz third.
The FP1 of F1 Dutch GP at Zandvoort wasn’t the cleanest of runs for all of the drivers involved, where several did have moments of running in, into each other. There were multiple off moments too, especially for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Even AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Mick Schumacher were involved too, with the German also getting investigated for leaving the pitlane under red flag. He was cleared since the light switched to red, the moment he crossed the line.
The red flag was for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had a gearbox issue which the team seemingly worked on since Thursday. At the front, it was a Mercedes 1-2 after a late quick laps from both George Russell (1m12.455s) and Lewis Hamilton (1m12.695s).
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m12.845s) slotted in third from the McLaren pair, who were pretty quick in the first session with Lando Norris (1m12.929s) ahead of Daniel Ricciardo (1m13.077s). The Brit had a moment with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel where he termed him ‘silly’.
The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc (1m13.127s) was sixth from Perez (1m13.416s) – who took his second ES – with the Alpine pair next where Fernando Alonso (1m13.633s) was eighth, Esteban Ocon (1m13.963s) ninth as Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m14.063s) rounded out the Top 10.
Despite his moments, Schumacher did well in 11th with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 12th on the medium tyres. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen was 13th from first AlphaTauri of Gasly with Vettel rounding the Top 15, where the German also set his fast lap on the medium tyre.
The lead Alfa Romeo was of Zhou Guanyu in 16th where the Chinese joined quite late in the session, with teammate Valtteri Bottas 18th behind AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Despite the lack of running and on the hard tyre, Verstappen was 19th from Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.
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Belgian GP: Verstappen eases to win from 14th in Red Bull 1-2 finish
Max Verstappen dominated F1 Belgian GP from 14th on the grid with Sergio Perez ending up second from Carlos Sainz.
It was clear weather to start the F1 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps as Carlos Sainz made a great start from pole in his Ferrari to lead the race from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who also had a good start to be second but only until the Kemmel Straight.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton tried a move on the outside into the right hander but his wheels touched which sent the Brit flying. He eventually retired from damage but Alonso continued in fourth behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ George Russell.
In fact, it was recovery from Perez who dropped behind Russell after a slow start but the Mexican made his way up to second from the Brit and the Spaniard. Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel had a good start to be fifth from McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo.
He passed Williams’ Alexander Albon at the start, as the Top 10 was rounded by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc before the safety car period. Both the Dutchman and the Monegasque made a lot of ground.
While Hamilton stopped in the final part of the circuit, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had a moment on the exit of Kemmel Straight while fighting against Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. The Canadian spun around and caught out Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas.
While the Williams driver continued after pitting, Bottas was forced to retire. Not only this, but also the incident between Hamilton and Alonso was cleared by the stewards. Under the safety car, Leclerc was forced to pit early due to puncture.
It dropped him at the back as post the safety car re-start, Verstappen gained fix places to get himself behind his teammate in third. The Dutchman called for team orders but he managed to pass him on the Kemmel Straight to gain track position.
Just behind them, Albon retook the place he lost to Ricciardo at the start as Leclerc and even McLaren’s Lando Norris started to climb up the order around the Top 10. At the front, the pit stop situation started with Sainz coming in from the lead.
Verstappen pitted four laps later but managed to catch him and eventually pass him to lead the F1 Belgian GP. The Dutchman extended a good lead as Sainz came under pressure from Perez then. After laps of waiting, the Mexican passed him for second.
Perez also had an aggressive defence against Leclerc at Kemmel Straight, where the Monegasque complained that the Mexican did not leave him space. But there was no call from the stewards then. That moment allowed Russell to get on his tail too.
The Brit passe him for fourth, with Alonso in sixth from Vettel and Ocon who passed Albon to be seventh and eighth, while Ricciardo rounded out the Top 10. Ferrari kicked-off the second round of pit stops in a double-stack situation.
Sainz got onto the hard tyres, while Leclerc did so for soft. Few laps later, Perez pitted and changed to hard compound as well. Things settled down in the first half of the Top 5, as Alonso was sixth from AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, Vettel and Ocon.
But Gasly couldn’t hang on for long as the trio went three wide at Kemmel Straight and Ocon took two places at one go with an outside move to be seventh. Vettel got past Gasly for eighth, as Albon rounded out the Top 10 leading a gaggle of cars.
He had Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll just behind him, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu right on his tail as Ricciardo dropped further back after his pit stop. It was a straightforward grand prix in the end especially at the front.
Verstappen eased in to win the F1 Belgian GP by 17.841s over teammate Perez as he slid himself over the chequered flag. Sainz was third in the end with Russel fourth from Leclerc, who went for the fastest lap but it was too close with Alonso in the end.
The Spaniard did get past him on Kemmel Straight which Leclerc got it back on the final lap, but didn’t get the fastest lap which went to Verstappen. The bad run for the Monegasque didn’t end as he was handed a 5s penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
This eventually dropped him behind Alonso in sixth, as Ocon was seventh from Vettel, Gasly and Albon in the Top 10 where the Frenchman made it in the points from pitlane, while the Thai racer held off four cars behind him.
It was Stroll, Norris, Tsunoda and Zhou, with Ricciardo bit far in 15th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Latifi where the latter trio finished a lap down. Post-race, Hamilton got a warning for refusing to go to the medical center.
DNF: Bottas, Hamilton
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Belgian GP: Verstappen has pole but Sainz will start first from Perez
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took F1 Belgian GP pole but second-placed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will start from there, as Sergio Perez was third.
Q1:
The start of first part of F1 Belgian GP qualifying was delayed due to repair work at Spa-Francorchamps after a crash in Porsche Cup race. Once things got going, Williams’ Nicholas Latifi did a sighting lap on the medium tyres as he readily pitted then.
The Red Bull pair did well in the first part with Max Verstappen leading the way after setting a 1m44.581s lap where teammate Sergio Perez was third behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. The big fight was on between the drivers in the lower half to make it into Q2.
The knockout zone saw a big leap from Williams’ Alexander Albon who jumped to sixth which eventually knocked out Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m46.344s), who missed Q2 by 0.002s. He was 16th from Williams’ Nicholas Latifi (1m46.401s).
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m46.557s) was only 18th whereas teammate Mick Schumacher with the penalty made it in Q2, as AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda (1m46.692s) was 19th after a last lap lock-up which ruined his qualifying. Alfa Romoe’s Valtteri Bottas (1m47.866s) was 20th as he pitted and backed out of his final quick lap.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Belgian GP qualifying saw Red Bull set early pace and were separated by just the 0.071s margin with Verstappen ahead after setting a 1m4.723s lap from Perez, while Ferrari’s Sainz slotted in third where his teammate Charles Leclerc struggled.
The Monegasque complained of the car jumping strangely at slow corners. Also, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo did not get a lap time in after everyone’s first run. The Australian had a wide moment over the kerb in Q1 when his quick lap was deleted.
The second run saw towing game at Alpine and McLaren where Fernando Alonso and Ricciardo were getting help from Esteban Ocon and Norris, respectively. By the end, Leclerc popped to the top with a 1m44.551s lap to lead from Verstappen and Perez.
Both the Alpine made it through and it was almost same for McLaren but for the 0.092s gap which knocked out Ricciardo (1m45.767s) in 11th as Albon made it in. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m45.827s) was 12th from Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m46.085s).
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll (1m46.611s) slotted in 14th as Haas’ Schumacher (1m47.718s) rounded the 15 runners, where the German did not have a great final lap which left him slowest in the second part.
Q3:
The third part of F1 Belgian GP qualifying saw early two game at Ferrari and Alpine, where Leclerc was helping Sainz and Alonso aiding Ocon on their first run. It was Red Bull’s Verstappen with the provisional pole after setting a time of 1m43.665s lap.
He led Sainz and Perez, with Leclerc eventually going for a lap and ending up fourth after his first run. Post the first lap, Verstappen ended his day early with the penalty he had. Ferrari, meanwhile, did use the Monegasque to help the Spaniard.
But Sainz (1m44.297s) had a moment with Alonso on the out lap. It was a scrappy run from the Ferrari driver and despite a two from Leclerc, he did not improve to end up second behind F1 Belgian GP pole-sitter Verstappen, who will start from the back.
Perez (1m44.462s) remained third with Leclerc (1m44.553s) staying fourth as well, as Alpine’s Ocon (1m45.180s) was fifth from Alonso (1m45.368s) where the Frenchman will go to the back. The Mercedes pair slotted in seventh and eighth.
Hamilton (1m45.503s) ended up ahead of Russell (1m45.776s). Williams’ Albon (1m45.837s) ended up ninth eventually with McLaren’s Norris (1m46.178s) rounding the Top 10, who will also start from the back.
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Belgian GP: Perez pips Verstappen to top FP3 after late lap
A late quick lap from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez put him on top in FP3 of F1 Belgian GP from Max Verstappen, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third.
The weather continued to remain cloudy at Spa-Franorchamps for FP3 of F1 Belgian GP which was smooth for most part until the end when a moment for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in mid-corner led him onto the gravel and into the barrier.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a major hit on the barrier and he was bale to get going with minor damage, but the FIA had already red-flagged the session fearing of him getting beached. The Monegasque did not have a great fast lap either to be sixth.
His F1 title rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m45.184s) set the pace mostly in FP3 of Belgian GP but teammate Sergio Perez (1m45.047s) pipped him to top spot right at the end of the session, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m45.824s) dropping to third as a result.
The Dutchman escaped any reprimand or penalty for failing to slow enough under yellow flag as the FIA stewards were okay with what he did. from McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m45.965s), who continued his fine run at Spa-Franchorchamps thus far.
A late lap from Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m46.061s) put him in fifth with Mercedes’ George Russell (1m46.071s) in sixth from Leclerc (1m46.120s). There was another late improvement from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m46.166s) to be eighth, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m46.601s) ninth and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly (1m46.604s) 10th.
The improvements from several drivers left McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton outside Top 10 in 11th and 12th as the Williams pair of Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon were 13th and 14th, where the former had the fastest Sector 1.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was 15th with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in 16th, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen 17th, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda 18th and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guany 19th as Haas’ Mick Schumacher was 20th but did not set a quick lap due to repairs.
There were more grid penalties for drivers after the FIA released new document about changes. It was for Leclerc, Guanyu and Schumacher where the former took his fifth ICE, while the latter two took their fourth to incur a penalty.
The trio took the same on TC and MGU-H side, while Schumacher was the only one to take a fourth MGU-K. Likewise, Verstappen took his third ES to incur a penalty, while the Dutchman and Guanyu took their third CE. The Chinese driver and teammate Bottas added another penalty for a new gearbox.
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Belgian GP: Verstappen fastest in FP2 as late rain hampers running again
The FP2 session saw rain interruption as well with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leading in F1 Belgian GP from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
The weather remained cloudy for FP2 of F1 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps, with spits of rain towards the end of the session. There was a lot of lock-ups and minor offs for several drivers throughout the session, whether in dry or greasy conditions.
But no major incident took place despite the wet conditions, with only a gravel run for Haas’ Mick Schumacher. The pace was eventually set by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with a 1m45.507s lap from Ferrari’s Leclerc (1m46.369s) and McLaren’s Norris (1m46.589s).
Aston Martin continued its Friday show with another Top 5 finish where Lance Stroll (1m46.365s) was fourth from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1m46.649s), with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (1m46.893s) slotting in sixth. His teammate George Russell (1m47.02s) was eighth.
He ended up behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m46.975s), who had a better FP2, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m47.255s) ninth and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (1m47.346s) in 10th. The Mexican did not have a fine run again, following on from the first session.
At the same time, Williams’ Alexander Albon enjoyed his run in 11th with Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Gunayu 12th from the AlphaTauri pair of Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly, who returned to the cockpit after giving up his car to Liam Lawson.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was 15th from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who had a difficult run again along with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in 17th. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas managed to get some laps under his belt but was only 18th.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi was 19th and Haas’ Schumacher 20th, as the FIA noted a practice start infringement with regards to Verstappen at the end of the session.
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Belgian GP: Sainz faster from Leclerc in FP1 as several take grid penalty
The Ferrari pair set the pace in FP1 of Belgian GP with Carlos Sainz leading Charles Leclerc, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third.
It was a cloudy weather all-through the FP1 of Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps as F1 started the second half of the 2022 season. It was mostly dry until the final part of the session where it started to rain quite heavily at some corners allowing some wet running.
The red flag period for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, who stopped due to a mechanical issue, hampered the running, leaving the Ferrari pair on top in FP1 of Belgian GP where Sainz was fastest by 0.069s from Leclerc.
F1 points leader Verstappen was third with Mercedes’ George Russell slotting in fourth from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll as Williams’ Alexander Albon was sixth and McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo in seventh.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda was eighth who had a sliding moment earlier in the session, as Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was ninth on the medium tyres with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez rounding the Top 10 on the hard compound.
Williams’ Nicholas Latifi was just outside 11th. The lead Alfa Romeo driver was Zhou Guanyu in 12th with McLaren’s Lando Norris 13th from lead Alpine driver Fernando Alonso in 14th from Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who set his pace on the medium tyres.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was 16th from Haas pair of Magnussen and Mick Schumacher, with AlphaTauri’s Liam Lawson 19th, who got his first FP1 chance in place of Pierre Gasly. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas did not set a time after facing technical issue.
Aside the session situation, the FIA released details of power unit elements seeing multiple drivers incurring a penalty for the F1 Belgian GP. In terms of the ICE list, the likes of Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Norris, Ocon, Stroll, Vettel, Albon, Latifi and Bottas took a new one for the grand prix.
Among them, Verstappen, Norris and Ocon took their fourth resulting in a penalty, while Bottas took his fifth with the rest on their third. The TC side has Russell, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Norris, Ocon Stroll, Vettel, Albon, Latifi and Bottas taking a new one.
Among them, Verstappen, Norris and Ocon took their fourth incurring a penalty, with Bottas taking his sixth and the rest on their third. The same drivers had it with the MGU-H too, while the MGU-K side saw Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Ocon, Stroll, Albon and Latifi taking a new one.
Among them, Verstappen and Ocon took their fourth, while Leclerc took his fifth to incur a penalty and rest on their third. Moving on to ES, Verstappen, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Norris and Ocon took a new part where Leclerc and Ocon took their third to incur a penalty.
And finally, the CE list saw Verstappen, Ricciardo, Norris, Ocon and Schumacher taking a new one where Ocon and Schumacher took their third to incur a penalty, while the rest for both the elements took their second.
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MotoGP: Bagnaia eases to win Austrian GP from Quartararo
Francesco Bagnaia eased to win his third MotoGP race in a row in Austrian GP from Fabio Quartararo and Jack Miller.
Despite the clouds hovering at Red Bull Ring, pole-sitter Enea Bastianini dropped a place behind in his Gresini Ducati as factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia took the MotoGP Austrian GP lead, with Jack Miller slotting in third.
Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin was on the tail of the Top 3, with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo in fifth from Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales. VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini made up good amount of places to be seventh from slow starter Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
Pramac’s Johann Zarco was ninth from Suzuki’s Alex Rins in the Top 10. His teammate Joan Mir had an early crash to retire from the race, as at the front, Miller made a move on Bastianini to be second. The Italian then came under pressure from Martin.
The duo passed each other for couple of times but a problem for Bastainini ended his race. He slowed at Turn 3 which affected Zarco as he dropped some places. Just before that, Vinales had a wide moment to drop to eighth and behind this pack.
Joining the retirement list were Tech 3 KTM’s Remy Gardner and LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagmi after their respective crashes. Meanwhile, at the front, once Miller passed Bastianini, he started to chase down Ducati teammate Bagnaia.
The two went wheel-to-wheel couple of times but Bagnaia stayed ahead of Miller, with Martin not far behind in this battle. Quartararo was fourth from Espargaro, who moved himself up to fifth. Teammate Vinales was sixth from Marini and Zarco.
Rins was ninth from KTM’s Brad Binder, as the sole Gresini of Fabio di Giannantonio was 11th from VR6’s Marco Bezzecchi. Having run in the points early on after starting from far back, RNF Yamaha’s Darryn Binder ended up in the gravel to retire.
The fight at the front got interesting when Quartararo joined the fray in the chase of Bagnaia who had Miller and Martin not far behind. A wide moment from Martin allowed Quartararo to sneak past him for third as he dropped behind the Frenchman.
Espargaro ran fifth from Marini, who passed Vinales for sixth, with Zarco, Rins and Binder still in the Top 10. There were changes in places at the fag end, with Vinales losing out to Zarco, Rins and Binder to be 10th from di Giannantonio.
With only few laps remaining, Bagnaia had a comfortable lead but Miller started to come under pressure from Quartararo and Martin. They came close to each other and the Frenchman made a bold move on the inside to take second.
Miller almost lost to Martin in the next few corners but managed to stay ahead for third. Marini passed Espargaro for fifth with Zarco getting through him too, when he came under pressure from Rins and Binder in the fight for track position.
At the front, Bagnaia eased to win his third MotoGP race in a row in Austrian GP with Quartararo in second. Martin tried a late move on Miller but skidded off to drop to 10th after he managed to get back up and re-join the grand prix.
This allowed Marini to be fourth from Zarco, Espargaro, Binder, Rins, Bezzecchi and Martin in the Top 10. Di Giannantonio ended up 11th from KTM’s Miguel Oliveira, Vinales, LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez and RNF’s Andrea Dovizioso in the Top 15.
It was a miss of points for both the Honda riders with Pol Espargaro only 16th and Stefan Bradl just behind him. Tech 3’s Raul Fernandez was 18th from Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori, as Tech 3’s Gardner re-joined the race to be classified in 20th.
DNF: Franco Morbidelli, Binder, Nakagami, Bastianini, Mir
