Binder takes the chaotic and watered down Austrian GP in which Márquez went to the ground again

Brad binder

Brad binder
Brad binder
DPA via Europa Press

South African rider Brad Binder (KTM) was the fastest this Sunday in the MotoGP race of the Austrian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the Motorcycle World Championship, a race that changed completely with the appearance of rain, which took him off the podium , with a crash, to Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) and who put Jorge Martín (Ducati) in him.

With nine laps to go in a race declared ‘flag to flag’, the water began to make it difficult for the riders to ride, and many of them entered garages to change bikes. Instead, Binder stayed on track and opened the gap to win the appointment.

For his part, Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who did go through the pits, was able to make up for lost time to finish second, while Jorge Martín won a place on the last lap to the detriment of Iker Lecuona (KTM) to sign his third course podium.

Less fortunate was Márquez, who with two laps to go went to the gravel despite riding on the rain bike. He was able to rejoin the race, but was only able to finish fifteenth despite running much of the race second.

Meanwhile, the leader of the World Championship, the French Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), leaves the Spielberg track, still being seventh, with more points of income (47) over second place, where Bagnaia and the Spanish Joan Mir ( Suzuki), fourth this Sunday.

The clouds threatened to disrupt the start of the race, and the signals materialized once the traffic lights were turned off. At the start, Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) overtook poleman Jorge Martín (Ducati), winner of the last Styrian Grand Prix, to take the lead, and the first drops began to fall at the Red Bull Ring.

Thus, the white flag that decreed the ‘flag to flag’ race was waved, opening the possibility for riders to enter garages to change motorcycles. Meanwhile, Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) came up to the head, and all three shot to escape and reduce the candidates to the podium.

The one from Cervera took advantage of a ‘Diablo’ line error with nine laps to go to climb to second place, and two laps later he showed his intentions by overtaking ‘Pecco’ and then got back on his wheel. Then the rain reappeared.

Among those who chose to enter the pits was Àlex Rins (Suzuki), who risked everything to make the storm unload. The track got complicated, and that allowed three other riders to get closer to the leading trio: Martín, Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Brad Binder (KTM).

The rain began to intensify, and at the top only the South African chose to stay on the track in the midst of the madness of the ‘paddock’. Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) got into podium positions, but Iker Lecuona (KTM) ousted the transalpine with two laps remaining.

It was precisely then, at Turn 1, that Márquez said goodbye to his options with a crash. Chaos broke out on the last lap, with Bagnaia climbing positions, already with a rain bike, until the second and with Martín rescuing a podium.

As for the rest of the Spanish, Joan Mir (Suzuki) was fourth, Iker Lecuona (KTM) finished sixth, Àlex Márquez (Honda) ninth, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) tenth and Àlex Rins (Suzuki) fourteenth, just ahead of Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) and Pol Espargaró (Repsol Honda).

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