Baganaia got the holeshot from second and Marquez looked to have pipped Martin too, however, he went deep into Turn 1 and conceded the position.
Alex Marquez was a victim of the Lap 1 melee, falling at the first chicane.
By Turn 4, Martin retook the race lead. The pair continued to trade places and at the penultimate turn Bagnaia shot back to top spot only for Martin to get the switch back.
LOCKING HORNS EARLY! And Martin goes wide 💥@PeccoBagnaia retakes the lead after an early battle with @88jorgemartin ⚔️😅#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/j7qfA7QkIK
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 17, 2024
At the end of Lap 1, Martin held a one bike’s length lead over Bagnaia. Marquez was third while Aleix Espargaro and Jack Miller completed the top five.
There was drama on Lap 2 when Martin got loose in the braking zone into Turn 2 and overshot the chicane and Bagnaia duly took the lead.
Martin was pinged for not losing enough time. MotoGP’s rules for the Austria race require riders to cede one second if they shortcut the chicane.
On Lap 6, Marting was given a long lap penalty. What was a one-second deficit to Bagnaia blew out to more than three seconds as the Pramac rider fell to third behind Marquez.
Martin was gifted second place when Marquez crashed on Lap 10 at Turn 4.
😱 💥 @marcmarquez93 HAS GONE DOWN!
The Spaniard has dropped from 2nd to the back of the field 📉#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/vmWa9slwgp
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 17, 2024
It was plain sailing from there. Bagnaia streaked away from Martin in second while Espargaro claimed third.
“This is incredible,” said Bagnaia.
“I knew it was important to lead from the start and Jorge (Martín) tried everything to stay ahead.
“I tried to overtake him but then he ended up wide.
“As soon as it happened, I checked the gap and I saw that he was 0.3s behind, meaning he hadn’t lost one second, so I was sure he would likely end up receiving the long-lap penalty.
“Then it was all about managing the gap at the front. All in all, it was a fantastic win and I now have plenty of data for tomorrow’s full race.
“It still won’t be easy, but right now I’m very satisfied.”
Enea Bastianini was the hard charger of the race, demoting Miller late in the piece for fourth.
Martin’s long lap penalty wasn’t the only thing giving the Spaniard some grief.
The Pramac rider revealed he injured his thumb in the lead-up to Saturday’s race.
“For sure, it was a difficult day,” said Martin.
“Even though I think we are in a good position now finishing P2 with a nice lap record. Obviously I need to be happy. I think I could have done a bit better in the race because of the penalty.
“I think it’s fair because it’s written in the regulations but I think it should be reviewed because I entered in first position in that shortcut and I exited second so for sure I lost some time – but it’s like this. I tried to do my best with the situation. Finishing second was the best we could do.”
Heading into Sunday’s race, Bagnaia and fellow Ducati rider Jorge Martin sit tied on points.
The pendulum swings again in the #TissotSprint ⚖️@PeccoBagnaia retakes the lead but both him and @88jorgemartin have 250 points 👀#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/7etX1ovp0y
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 17, 2024
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