The 2021 Austrian GP saw Brad Binder claim his first podium and victory of the season with Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin filling in the rest of the podium spots in what could be called the most thrilling race of the 2021 MotoGP season so far. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the men who shined and the men who left us wanting more.
MEN WHO SHINED
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Brad Binder or should we say “Brave Binder” won the 2021 Austrian GP at KTM’s backyard after braving through the rain on slicks while others came into the pit lane for wet tyres. Francesco Bagnaia who was leading the race for the most part when the track was dry just needed one lap to pass the South African but had to settle for the second position followed by Jorge Martin who bagged his second consecutive podium of the season and is really leaving a mark in the sport in his rookie season. The defending champion, Joan Mir crossed the line securing 4th spot ahead of Luca Marini, Iker Lecuona, and Fabio Quartararo who crossed the line P5, P6, and P7 respectively. Valentino Rossi, who announced his retirement last weekend at the Styrian Grand Prix held onto a podium place when others pitted for wets but ended up getting caught by them, but the Italian still managed to cross the line P8 and procured his first finish inside the top ten this season. It was Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro coming in at P9 and P10 to seal out the top ten of the 2021 Austrian GP.
STANDINGS:
Riders
By now, it looks like the championship battle is almost over as Fabio Quartararo stretches his championship lead to 47 points. A podium finish for Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia saw him reclaim second-place with 134 points, the same as Joan Mir but the Italian is up ahead as he has secured more podiums compared to the Spaniard. A crash saw Johann Zarco fall down the pecking order as he now finds himself in fourth but just two points behind Bagnaia and Mir. Only five points in the race for Jack Miller meant that he’s still stuck in the fifth position with 105 points. Race winner Brad Binder (98) moved ahead of the suspended Maverick Vinales (95) and his teammate Miguel Olivera (85) who crashed out of the race too. With 61 points in his bag, Aleix Espargaro is in 9th position, just three ahead of rookie Jorge Martin who has kicked Marc Marquez out of the top ten in the championship race.
Constructors
It looks like the constructor’s championship battle could go down to the last race of the season as the top two have been switching positions race after race. A good race for Ducati saw them reclaim first position in the constructors standings with 212 points leaving Yamaha just three points behind them. A race win for KTM took them 14 points ahead of their rivals, Suzuki who sit fourth with 138 points. Honda finds themselves second-last on the table with 34 points separating them from Suzuki and in last spot, it’s Aprilia who sit bottom of the table with just 68 points after eleven races this season.
The double-header at the Red Bull Ring was quite thrilling to watch but there’s a lot more to come as MotoGP next heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix which takes place next week.
[Image Credit: MotoGP]
Shashank Iyer