Spielberg (Austria), Aug 18 (IANS): Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Pecco Bagnaia showcased his dominance at the Austrian Grand Prix, securing a decisive victory to claim the sole lead in the 2024 MotoGP championship standings.

Bagnaia's performance cemented his position as the rider to beat, with the victory giving him a five-point lead over Jorge Martin with nine more race weekends left in the season.

Despite the dark skies and the threat of rain, which had interrupted the track action during Saturday's sprint race, the weather held off, allowing for uninterrupted racing. Bagnaia, who had finished second to Martin in the sprint, was determined to turn the tables on Sunday.

At the start, Martin briefly led despite Bagnaia’s better getaway. However, Bagnaia wasted no time in reclaiming the lead, passing Martin by the end of the opening lap. Martin momentarily took the lead back with a bold move at Turn 9, but Bagnaia quickly regained his position and never looked back. From there, he controlled the race with precision, gradually pulling away from his title rival.

While Martin kept up the pressure for the first 11 laps, he eventually dropped back, unable to match Bagnaia's pace. Martin finished the race 3.2 seconds behind, unable to close the gap as the race progressed. Enea Bastianini, who had joined Bagnaia and Martin in a top-three breakaway early on, couldn’t maintain the same pace and eventually settled for third place, unable to challenge the leaders.

Marc Marquez, who had crashed out of an "easy podium" on Saturday, had a disappointing start on Sunday, colliding with Franco Morbidelli at Turn 1 and dropping out of the top 10. Despite the early setback, Marquez staged an impressive recovery, overtaking both Marco Bezzecchi and Brad Binder with aggressive moves to finish fourth, just behind Bastianini.

Binder managed to hold off Bezzecchi to secure fifth place, while Maverick Vinales emerged victorious in the battle of the Aprilias, finishing sixth after a thrilling late-race overtake on Aleix Espargaro. Morbidelli recovered from his early collision to finish eighth, ahead of Espargaro.

Alex Marquez completed the top 10, followed by KTM’s Pol Espargaro and Miguel Oliveira of Trackhouse Aprilia. Pedro Acosta had a tough race, finishing 13th, while LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami, the top Japanese manufacturer rider, secured 14th place after overtaking Acosta’s teammate Augusto Fernandez on the final lap.

The race saw only two retirements: Raul Fernandez of Trackhouse, who ran well early on but faded before retiring in the closing laps, and Luca Marini of Honda, who pulled up early in the race for reasons yet to be disclosed.