Maverick Vinales Wins 2017 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix After Marc Marquez Falls

Maverick Vinales won the 2017 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix on the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on Sunday, finishing ahead of Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi, while CWM LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow also made the podium in third.

Yamaha's Vinales gained the lead shortly after Marc Marquez took a fall turning the corner at the second turn on the fourth lap. Marquez had entered the race on pole, but the tumble cost him dearly as Vinales seized a lead he never relinquished.

The 22-year-old has now made history by becoming the "first Yamaha rider since Wayne Rainey in 1991 to win the opening two races of the season," per Ian Marsden of the Daily Telegraph.

Here are the results and timings from the race:

Position	Rider	Team	Time
1	Maverick Vinales	Yamaha	41:45.060
2	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	+2.915
3	Cal Crutchlow	CWM LCR Honda	+3.754
4	Alvaro Bautista	Aspar Racing	+6.523
5	Johann Zarco	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+15.504
6	Jonas Folger	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	+18.241
7	Danilo Petrucci	OCTO Pramac Racing	+20.046
8	Scott Redding	OCTO Pramac Racing	+25.480
9	Jack Miller	EG	+25.665
10	Karel Abraham	Pull&Bear Aspar Team	+26.403
11	Loris Baz	Reale Avintia Racing	+26.952
12	Tito Rabat	EG	+41.875
13	Hector Barbera	Reale Avintia Racing	+42.770
14	Pol Espargaro	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	+43.085
15	Bradley Smith	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	+43.452
16	Andrea Iannone	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	+46.219

Here's what the overall standings for the MotoGP look like after Vinales' second-straight win this season:

Position	Rider	Team	Points
1	Maverick Vinales	Yamaha	50
2	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	36
3	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati Team	20
4	Scott Redding	OCTO Pramac Racing	17
5	Cal Crutchlow	CWM LCR Honda	16
6	Jonas Folger	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	16
7	Jack Miller	EG	15
8	Marc Marquez	Repsol Honda Team	13
9	Alvaro Bautista	Ducati Team	13
10	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	11
11	Johann Zarco	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	11
12	Aleix Espargaro	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	10
13	Danilo Petrucci	OCTO Pramac Racing	9
14	Loris Baz	Reale Avintia Racing	9
15	Kavel Abraham	Pull&Bear Aspar Team	8
16	Alex Rins	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	7
17	Hector Barbera	Reale Avintia Racing	6
18	Jorge Lorenzo	Ducati Team	5
19	Tito Rabat	EG	5
20	Pol Espargaro	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	2
21	Bradley Smith	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	1
22	Andrea Iannone	Team SUZUKI ECSTAR
23	Sam Lowes	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Recap

Defending champion Marquez looked to be in firm control of the race when he bossed the first lap, per MotoGP:

However, disaster befell the favourite on the fourth lap. Marquez took a fall at a particularly tricky corner. The sudden crash was relayed by btsportmotogp:

Marquez taking a fall naturally meant the race became wide-open. It also gave an opportunity to the other fancied riders.

Not surprisingly, it was Vinales, the rider chasing after history, who took full advantage:

Yet while Vinales was making his move, riders further back were finding the same corner that ended the race for Marquez a problem. His Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa was the next to fall at the fateful corner, right at the time the 31-year-old was looking like he could make fourth place his own.

Pedrosa's fall meant Johann Zarco began to force an advantage in the battle for fourth. Further forward, Rossi and Crutchlow were waging a terrific race for second.

Coventry native Crutchlow had the edge until Rossi made his move late on at Turn 5:

Now it was a straight run for Rossi, who was riding in his 350th grand prix, to try to haul in Vinales. However, the youthful Spaniard didn't look like he was about to let his lead slip:

True to form, Vinales won with some room to spare to further endorse his credentials as the sport's burgeoning star.

Post-Race Reaction

The winner confirmed how challenging he found the race, per MotoGP:

Meanwhile, Rossi expressed his delight at how things played out for him during a landmark race:

The Yamaha duo have now taken control of the overall standings ahead of the third round. However, Marquez still boasts the talent to put today's disappointing events behind him and push Vinales all the way.