MotoGP™: Dovizioso takes close win in Austria

Sunday’s myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, Round 11 of the 2019 MotoGPTM World Championship, was won by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) after an exciting battle with Marc Márquez (2nd, Repsol Honda Team, +0.213s). Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha Petronas SRT) was third to make it three different bikemakers on the Austrian podium. Michelin contributed to the setting of three new records at the Red Bull Ring. 

Márquez posted the 59th pole position of his MotoGPTM career with a record-breaking qualifying lap of 1m23.027s, but he got away poorly at lights-out and figured in fifth spot after the first of the afternoon’s 28 laps, behind Quartararo, Dovizioso, Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing).

Competing on medium and soft MICHELIN Power Slicks front and rear, Dovizioso established a new race lap record for the Red Bull Ring (1m23.827s) fifth time around. He eased into the lead soon afterwards, with Márquez (medium front and rear) now up to second and sitting on his tail.

The performance and consistency of their MICHELIN Power Slick enabled the pair to engage in a thrilling duel all the way to the flag. The championship pace-setter managed to take command on Lap 8 but failed to pull out any sort of gap and the Italian recovered control on Lap 19.

With three laps to go, Dovizioso was passed by Márquez a second time but he refused to throw in the towel and a last-ditch manoeuvre through the final turn of the last lap saw him clinch the spoils to extend Ducati’s unbeaten record at the Red Bull Ring with a fourth straight victory there for the make.

In contrast, Austria is the only grand prix on the MotoGPTM calendar that Márquez has yet to win.

In addition to collecting the prize for best-place Independent Team Rider, Quartararo picked up an unchallenged podium finish, his third at this level.

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales followed in fourth and fifth places. Rins ended up sixth, while Francesco Bagnaia (7th, Pramac Racing) and Miguel Oliveira (8th, Red Bull KTM Tech 3) picked up their best premier-class results to date. The Portuguese rider was also the best KTM finisher at the manufacturer’s home fixture.

The top 10 was rounded out by Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha Petronas SRT).

Michelin established several new benchmarks for the Austrian venue, including the outright track record thanks to Márquez’s qualifying effort. Dovizioso and Márquez broke the previous race lap record six times during the afternoon, with the Italian eventually going 45-hundredths better than the time he clocked last year. The Ducati rider also completed the distance in just 39m34.771s, which was almost six seconds quicker than Jorge Lorenzo in 2018.

Four of the six Michelin tyre specifications were used in Austria, with only the front Soft and rear Hard compounds failing to be selected.

Frenchman Mike Di Meglio (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) won the wet, second round of the FIM Enel MotoETM World Cup to move to the top of the new series’ provisional standings, while Márquez still leads the MotoGPTM table, 58 and 94 points clear of Dovizioso and Petrucci respectively.