Red Bull Ring MotoGP: Dovizioso wins crash-strewn race
A day after quitting Ducati for 2021, Andrea Dovizioso won a dramatic MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix which was red-flagged early for a horror accident.
Franco Morbidelli collided with Johann Zarco’s Ducati on the run through the ultra-fast Turn 2 on lap nine of the original start, with the Avintia bike vaulting in the air after smashing into the air fence on the outside of Turn 3.
The Petronas Yamaha slid straight into the path of the factory Yamaha of Valentino Rossi, the bike flying by inches away from Rossi.
The red flag was brought out to clear the chaos, with all involved walking away mercifully unscathed.
KTM’s Pol Espargaro led the race when it was halted and started from pole for the 20-lap restart, while championship leader Fabio Quartararo had to come from last after running off track at Turn 4 on the sixth tour.
Pramac’s Jack Miller gambled on fitting the soft front tyre for the restart and used his grip advantage over the rest to take the lead early on.
Miller got his gap out to over a second by the sixth lap ahead of Dovizioso and Alex Rins, who had just overhauled Espargaro for third.
Espargaro had a scrappy few laps and continued to drop places, with a collision with Tech 3 KTM’s Miguel Oliveira at Turn 4 - when the former tried to cut back onto the racing line having run wide – ending both rider’s days on the ninth lap.
By now, Miller’s front grip was fading and Dovizioso pounced at the first turn on lap 10, with Rins following him through at the end of the tour.
The Suzuki rider got on terms with Dovizioso and launched his GSX-RR up the inside of the Ducati at Turn 6 on lap 11 – but the front end slid out from under him and Rins’ hopes of victory were over.
Dovizioso eased off his pace just after the mid stage, but wound his Ducati back up in the closing laps to claim the marque’s 50th MotoGP victory by 1.3 seconds.
The sole surviving Suzuki of Joan Mir hounded Miller in the final laps, but the Ducati rider used his GP20’s supreme grunt to keep the Spaniard at bay.
However, Miller ran wide at the penultimate corner on the last lap, which allowed Mir into second to claim his maiden premier class podium.
The chaos ahead of him allowed Brad Binder to get up to fourth from 17th on the grid, moving to 26 points behind Quartararo in the standings in fourth.
Rossi brushed off the incident from the first start to come home fifth as top Yamaha rider ahead of LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami and the Ducati of Danilo Petrucci.
Quartararo recovered to eighth from last, but his standings lead is now just 11 from race winner Dovizioso.
Iker Lecuona got to the chequered flag in ninth on the Tech 3 KTM, with Maverick Vinales completing the top 10 after encountering a mysterious bike issue which left him last on lap one.
Aleix Espargaro got his Aprilia home in 11th ahead of Pramac stand-in Michele Pirro, Bradley Smith on the second Aprilia, Honda’s Alex Marquez and the LCR of Cal Crutchlow.
Austrian MotoGP - race results:
| Cla | Rider | Bike | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andrea Dovizioso |  | Ducati | |
| 2 |  Joan Mir |  | Suzuki | 1.377 |
| 3 |  Jack Miller |  | Ducati | 1.549 |
| 4 |  Brad Binder |  | KTM | 5.526 |
| 5 | Valentino Rossi |  | Yamaha | 5.837 |
| 6 |  Takaaki Nakagami |  | Honda | 6.403 |
| 7 | Danilo Petrucci |  | Ducati | 12.498 |
| 8 |  Fabio Quartararo |  | Yamaha | 12.534 |
| 9 | Iker Lecuona |  | KTM | 14.117 |
| 10 | Maverick Viñales |  | Yamaha | 15.276 |
| 11 | Aleix Espargaro |  | Aprilia | 17.772 |
| 12 | Michele Pirro |  | Ducati | 23.271 |
| 13 |  Bradley Smith |  | Aprilia | 24.868 |
| 14 | Alex Marquez |  | Honda | 24.943 |
| 15 | Cal Crutchlow |  | Honda | 27.435 |
| 16 | Tito Rabat |  | Ducati | 28.502 |
| 17 |  Stefan Bradl |  | Honda | 28.609 |
| Alex Rins |  | Suzuki | ||
| Pol Espargaro |  | KTM | ||
 Miguel Oliveira |  | KTM | ||
| Franco Morbidelli |  | Yamaha | ||
| Johann Zarco |  | Ducati | ||
| View full results | ||||
MotoGP on TV today – How can I watch the Austrian Grand Prix?
Honda announces Marquez will also miss Styrian MotoGP race
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.