Francesco Bagnaia Wins Third Consecutive Race In Austria
Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo Team remain undefeated at the Spielberg track in Austria, with the reigning world champion who put together the perfect race from second on the grid. Enea Bastianini had a solid showing aboard the Ducati Desmosedici GP machine #23 as he finished third.
After an excellent start from the front row, Bagnaia took the race lead at the start of race two as he moved past pole setter Jorge Martín. Pecco dictated the pace in an impeccable way as lap by lap he slowly pulled away to cross the finish line with more than three seconds of margin on his main rival for the title. Today’s success brings up to five the number of consecutive wins – between sprint and full races – for Pecco and the official Ducati Team in Austria, who remain undefeated since the 2022 edition of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Bastianini moved off well from seventh place on the grid as he entered turn one in third position. The Ducati rider #23 managed – in the early laps – to stay in touch with the leading duo, before gradually losing ground as the race went by. Enea was still able to manage his margin on the following riders as he crossed the line in third place for his sixth Sunday podium of the season.
With the eleventh Grand Prix of the 2024 MotoGP of the season drawing to a close, Bagnaia sits atop the championship standings with 275 points and how has a five-point margin over Martín. Bastianini consolidates third position with a 214-point total, and he is currently 61 points behind his teammate. Ducati extend their margin in the manufacturers’ standings (389 points), with the Ducati Lenovo Team leading the team standings (489 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action from August 30th to September 1st at Alcañiz’s MotorLand Aragón circuit in Spain.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“It was a really tight race. I tried to get in the lead from the start as I knew I had a good pace, while trying to manage a pace that was slightly faster than Martín’s. When I saw that he slowed down a little, I tried to keep the same rhythm for another four-five laps in order to bring my lead to at least 1.5seconds. From then on it was a lot easier as in the final laps: the grip level had dropped a lot and the rear was spinning picking up the bike on corner exit and it was overall hard to manage the situation, as you never know what can happen. I’m extremely happy because this is the third consecutive year for us winning at Spielberg and I’d like to thank Ducati and the Academy for the work we do together every day.”
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“This third-place finish is in line with my expectations heading into the race. This morning, as well as in the race, I still lacked a bit of feeling with the front-end – which is crucial at this track – despite the steps forward we made during warmup. I tried to be aggressive and to not lose touch with Pecco (Bagnaia) and Jorge (Martín), but I was losing between two and three tenths of a second each lap. I tried to avoid any unnecessary risk and to ride past the limit. I can still be happy with third place, as we improved lap after lap this weekend.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“If a manual of instruction for the perfect race existed, the one put together by Pecco today would be rightfully in it. To be able to manage such a strong pace against a formidable opponent, while pulling away lap after lap and managing tyre consumption at the same time, is something very few riders are capable of. This happens only when the technical package, the team and the rider work perfectly together and they’re at their best in each situation, especially with a MotoGP field as competitive as this year’s. Enea also had an excellent performance, despite he wasn’t as comfortable as he was in Silverstone; when things don’t go as smooth and you still finish on the podium, you can’t be but happy. I’d like to thank the team, and everyone involved in the project back at home, for the excellent work.”