Avintia rider Loris Baz  set himself up well for the Austrian GP, going straight through to Q2 to qualify twelfth and then moving further forward in the race to take an impressive P9 and a good haul of points.

Baz was also much closer to the front at the Red Bull RIng, and in sight of those ahead of him - sadly just unable to stay ahead of Alvaro Bautista, but fending off Mika Kallio.

"I think this was my best dry race ever because the gap between the winner and myself was a lot smaller and I could see the leading group in front of me." Said the Frenchman

"We knew the tyre choice would be difficult because I did many laps with the soft tyre and I did not fee comfortable with the medium. With increased temperatures, we were not convinced that it was going to last the race distance."

"In spite of that I went out with the soft front and medium rear. I managed to overtake Iannone, having Viñales in sight but I was also trying to maintain the gap that I had." He added

"Bautista had a slightly quicker pace and I was not able to stay with him when he overtook me. Then I simply tried to save my tyres as much as possible until the end, which was the key today. In this difficult period, it is so important to score a good result."

"Silverstone is a circuit where I have some of the best and worst memories at the same time… It is a love/ hate relationship but it is one of my favourite tracks." Surmised Baz

"The Ducati worked well this weekend and let’s see if we can do the same in the UK. We need to keep working but I think we learned a lot in Austria, especially in terms of my riding to fix our problems."

"We need to keep scoring points until the end of the season. Finally, I would like to wish Fabio (Quartararo) a speedy recovery. I know it’s difficult and I hope he will be back soon." He concluded

Vinales ran wide during the early stages of the race while making a move on Movistar Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi, but he was back to the seven-rider fight for the lead with 15 laps to go.

Contending with some rear grip issues, the Spaniard seemed to be closing in on Johann Zarco (Yamaha Tech 3) in fifth - but eventually crossed the line behind the Frenchman to take P6.

Vinales is now 24 points behind Championship leader Honda's Marc Marquez in the standings, and is outside the top three for the first time this season after being leapfrogged by Andrea Dovizioso.

But when racing returns at Silverstone, he could have an ace up his sleeve - having taking his first ever premier class win at the venue last season.

"I suffered from a big drop in grip of the rear tyre for almost the entire race. When I went wide as I was fighting with Valentino, I just tried to calm down, make the tyre work until the end, but it was totally impossible." Sai the Spaniard

"Not only with other manufacturers, but also with Zarco, it was really difficult to keep following them. We have to work really hard if we want to fight for this championship."

"I like Silverstone a lot, it is one of the best tracks on the calendar. I always like going there, I really like the lay-out. I will go for the best result possible, trying to be on top." He concluded

Ducati Jorge Lorenzo shot off the line in the Austrian Grand Prix, a second clear of the field after Lap 1 following a stunning pass on teammate Andrea Dovizioso that became a quick attack on reigning Champion Marc Marquez.

Then staying ahead for more than a third of the race, the 'Spartan' had to do a little fuel saving and eventually crossed the line in fourth - but only six seconds off his teammate, the winner.

With a front row start, a smaller gap to the front, and some big progress of late, Lorenzo says they must be satisfied - now only lacking a couple of tenths to really carve it up at the sharp end.

"I think that this was my best race of the year: I started from the front row, I led the race for 11 laps, and I finished the GP just over six seconds down on the winner." Said the Majorcan

"This time we were a bit lacking in power, because from the third lap onwards I had to change the mapping to keep the fuel consumption under control, and above all I was losing a lot on the straights to my rivals."

"The rear tyre also deteriorated on the right side and I was unable to keep touch with the leading group." He added "Things are going better at every race, I’m riding more convincingly and I’m able to get more out of my bike."

"We’re missing very little, just a couple of tenths, to be able to fight for the win and so we must be satisfied. Congratulations to Andrea, because he deserved to win what was a very difficult race."

In his best finish since the Catalunya GP, the Frenchman was back to being the top Independent Team rider and held off several rostrum contenders at the weekend when a seven-rider train broke away in the lead.

Starting from 6th of the grid, Zarco managed to keep a cool head as the temperatures at the Austrian circuit rose – holding firm in his position despite a late charge from Maverick Vinales, and not far behind P4 finisher Jorge Lorenzo.

Zarco also took the track lap record while in pursuit of the leading riders, and now has an impressive 99 points overall in his first season - breaking clear of teammate Jonas Folger in the battle to be Rookie of the Year after the German was forced to retire.

"It was a good Sunday and I’m very happy with what we achieved. This morning, the warm up was difficult for me and I was a bit worried about how things would be in the race." Said Zarco

"Yet, this afternoon, the temperature was high and it was the warmest that it has been throughout the weekend and so the soft compound was the best tyre option. However, it had a great feeling but we were still a bit unsure about what would happen in the GP."

"Anyway, I am pleased about the start and I was able to fight in the first lap." He added "Then I felt really strong after the fifth lap but it was too tricky to overtake."

"When I claimed 5th position, the tyres dropped a bit so I tried to manage it. I wanted to catch Lorenzo in 4th however, it was not possible today, and at the same time, I wanted to keep hold of 5th because Vinales was behind me and he was pushing." Surmised the Frenchman

"In the end, it was a perfect finish and I am so happy to be back in the top five. This result is great for the championship as well as my confidence and battling with the leading guys is very exciting."