MotoGP Austrian GP: Live commentary and updates from Misano

Well, barring Taka Nakagami winning at Motegi for Honda in a couple of weeks, MotoGP probably has its feel-good story for the season now! It feels like a welcome break from the championship points back-and-forth, which always gets a bit wearing by this time in an endless season. There will be plenty of reaction to this massive moment in these pages, so keep those windows open. But that's it from our live text: Richard Asher signing off from Burgenland, Austria. 

Here is the full story of the race.

Martin seemed untroubled by arm pump after all. Can he avoid surgery? Stay tuned to Motorsport.com and Autosport.com to find out. 

With another solid podium while Marc Marquez struggled, Jorge Martin has quietly opened out a 12-point lead over the factory Ducati in the points race. The pair came into the weekend deadlocked.

Here are the final results:

RACE

All Stats

 

Cla	Rider	#		Bike	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h	Retirement	Points
1	P. Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	37		KTM	28	42'16.996				25
2	J. Martin Aprilia Racing Team	89		Aprilia	28	+1.017 42'18.013	1.017			20
3	M. Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing Team	72		Aprilia	28	+1.209 42'18.205	0.192			16
4	A. Ogura Trackhouse Racing Team	79		Aprilia	28	+2.139 42'19.135	0.930			13
5	M. Marquez Ducati Team	93		Ducati	28	+7.339 42'24.335	5.200			11
6	B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33		KTM	28	+8.720 42'25.716	1.381			10
7	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	63		Ducati	28	+9.686 42'26.682	0.966			9
8	F. Aldeguer Gresini Racing	54		Ducati	28	+12.365 42'29.361	2.679			8
9	F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46	49		Ducati	28	+14.869 42'31.865	2.504			7
10	J. Zarco Team LCR	5		Honda	28	+16.266 42'33.262	1.397			6
11	E. Bastianini Tech 3	23		KTM	28	+16.640 42'33.636	0.374			5
12	R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team	25		Aprilia	28	+20.940 42'37.936	4.300			4
13	T. Nakagami Honda HRC	30		Honda	28	+21.032 42'38.028	0.092			3
14	L. Marini Honda HRC	10		Honda	28	+22.391 42'39.387	1.359			2
15	D. Moreira Team LCR	11		Honda	28	+24.949 42'41.945	2.558			1
16	P. Espargaro Tech 3	44		KTM	28	+25.148 42'42.144	0.199
17	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20		Yamaha	28	+30.140 42'47.136	4.992
18	F. Morbidelli Team VR46	21		Ducati	28	+34.200 42'51.196	4.060
19	A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing	42		Yamaha	28	+34.413 42'51.409	0.213
20	T. Razgatlioglu Pramac Racing	7		Yamaha	28	+46.724 43'03.720	12.311
21	J. Miller Pramac Racing	43		Yamaha	28	+1'07.530 43'24.526	20.806
dnf	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73		Ducati	12	+16 Laps 18'23.329	16 Laps		Accident
View full results

It's hard to look past the Acosta show, but I can confirm that the rest of the top five did hold station until the end. Aldeguer has been given a penalty that dropped him to eighth, presumably for a transgression in his battle with Binder, which the TV broadcast mostly ignored. Binder comes home sixth and Bagnaia seventh.

Paul Trevathan, Acosta's crew chief, is clearly emotional as he gives a post-race interview to the world feed. No surprises there either. Acosta has been looking for this for the best part of three years since he arrived in the premier category. And KTM's last grand prix win was even longer ago: Indonesia 2022.

Pit Beirer and the rest of KTM's leadership are letting it all out! And why not -Acosta has put them through an emotional rollercoaster on their biggest weekend. The rider himself is indulging in a bit of a rollaround at Turn 2 - a nod to his ugly accident there yesterday. It's fair to say he has got even with this corner. 

They asked if it was written in the stars for him to finally take his first grand prix win on KTM's home ground, just a few races before he leaves the factory that nurtured him. It sounded too good to be true. But true it has proved! 

Last lap time for Acosta....he is through the chicane for the final time

It looks suspiciously like the top four have settled for their current spots. Just avoid mistakes, that's all!

Acosta is doing what he promised - he is pushing stretching the gap rather than trying to manage it! He's 1.3s ahead halfway around the lap. 

Binder and Aldeguer are swapping pain for sixth spot...

Here we go! Three laps left! This is where Acosta was caught out yesterday. This time, he is safely through that chicane. 

Bezzecchi gets close to Martin in Turn 1 again, but he's lunging a bit too hard because once again he lost touch a little on the way out.  Ogura is looming behind the factory Aprilias, with the top four all in the same shot now. 

Five laps to go for Acosta! The lead over Martin remains one second. These could be his toughest laps now. Any demons must be channeled into something positive... 

Bezzecchi was within serious striking distance of his team-mate Martin at the start of the lap, but lost the initiative a little on the way around.

Marquez may have secured fifth but there is a four-second gap to Ogura in front of him. If he stays where he is on a clearly difficult day, he'll be able to be proud of the damage limitation if nothing else. He is, after all, still first of the Ducatis!

Acosta's lead ticks over the one-second mark. Martin is also coming under a little threat from Bezzecchi. Is the arm pump rearing its head for Jorge?

Marc gets the perfect run on Aldeguer and takes fifth into the first corner. 

Marc is now putting pressure on Aldeguer for fifth place. He's looking a bit racier. Remember, this was the fight for the win last season!

Another man to keep an eye on is Ogura. His injury layoff means it is easy to forget his old habit of finding sensational speed late in races. He's 2.7s off Acosta in the lead. 

Aldeguer has relieved Binder of fifth - and Marc follows him through! Untidy moments for Marc, but he is hanging in there. Aldeguer, meanwhile is one to watch. He's charged a long way from 12th on the grid already - and he's known for his ability to make this special tyre carcass last the distance. 

Pedro has edged ahead into a 0.8s lead over Martin. There are comparable gaps to Bezzecchi and then Ogura, with Binder versus Aldeguer and Marquez the first wheel to wheel battle as we hit half distance.

Acosta is held the gap up front to half a second. Given how quickly he worked his way into the lead, you have to assume that's management. But yesterday he said that trying to manage things led to his slip in concentration...

Marc is looking a bit rattled. Either that, or he has a technical problem. Becauzse Aldeguer has now relegated him to seventh. 

So, here we go again. Acosta has breezed into the lead - now he just has to manage it. There is more time left in this race than the entire sprint distance yesterday. The total count is 28 laps. 

Acosta is buzzing off at the front. He pulled out almost half a second on Martin over the course of less than a lap there. And here's a rare thing to report: a Marc Marquez mistake! He's run well wide, which allows Ogura back past as well as Binder.

Acosta takes the lead! A surprise move: not under braking but on the way out of Turn 1. That was a low-risk move that capitalised on the sector 1 dominance Acosta has shown all weekend. Behind that, Marquez has taken fourth from Ogura. 

Acosta is within striking distance of Martin - and nearly slips past him through the treacherous Turn 4! He chose not to force the issue there. 

It's looking bleak for Ducati. Marc Marquez is still in fifth and yet to show threatening pace. And Bagnaia is dropping back - both Binder and Aldeguer have passed him to relegate him to eighth.

There is over a second between the Martin/Acosta fight and Bezzecchi now.

The race is now vaguely settled, with Martin leading Acosta (fastest lap again on lap 4), Bezzecchi, Ogura, Marc M, Bagnaia, Brad Binder and Fermin Aldegeuer. Alex Marquez's pre-race pessimism looks justified : he's down in14th despite starting on the second row. 

Acosta set fastest lap last time around. And yep...he's through on Bezzecchi at Turn 2A - the same corner where he fell  yesterday. He has a half-second fap to close to Martin now. 

Acosta absolutely gobbled up the gap to Bezzecchi ahead of him on this lap. And Martin's getting a little gap at the front...

Acosta has now dispatched Ogura as well! He has only the two factory Aprilias ahead of him. 

Bezzecchi has passed Martin for the lead - a clinical move into the first corner.  But Martin grabs the lead straightback at Turn 3. 

Acost ahas moved into fourth ahead of Marquez! Pecco Bagnaia is keeping an eye on his team-mate from sixth...