MotoGP Grand Prix of Argentina 2019 Results: Marc Marquez Dominates Field in Win

Marc Marquez rode to a flag-to-flag victory in the 2019 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix on Sunday. The Honda rider finished ahead of Yamaha Valentino Rossi by a huge margin at the Autodromo de Termas de Rio Hondo.

Defending champion Marquez has moved ahead of Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso, who settled for third, in the standings after two races.

Marquez made the most of the pole to blitz the first lap and open a worrying gap over the chasing pack. Those further back were already embroiled in an intense scrap to stay in touch:

Rossi was staking his claim after quickly surpassing Yamaha teammate Maverick Vinales. The latter's strategy was coming in for criticism:

Rossi kept the pressure on, but he also had Qatar Grand Prix winner Dovizioso for company. Further back, 2018 race winner Cal Crutchlow was hit with an early ride-through penalty for an apparent jump start.

The infraction added up to a loss of 25 seconds for the Honda man as he was quickly targeted by those determined to at least keep Marquez in their sights.

Franco Morbidelli, a rider revitalised on the Yamaha bike, was among those making his presence felt early on:

The chasers needed to pile the pressure on Marquez, who had an advantage of almost five seconds after six laps. It was up to 6.5 seconds with 16 laps to go, as the real race was taking place behind an imperious Marquez, who was adding to his advantage with every lap.

Scrapping for second brought the best out of both Rossi and Dovizioso, with both riders ready to punish even the slightest error:

Meanwhile, the cost of Crutchlow's penalty was coming into sharper focus:

Dovizioso and Rossi continued to fight for second, with the latter looking determined to snap a run of nine races without a place on the podium. 

Fourth place was prompting another interesting scrap with Suzuki's Alex Rins making his move:

Unfortunately, a final-lap crash between Vinales and Morbidelli sent both out of the race.

There was still time for Rossi to make a typically late surge to pip Dovizioso to second. The "Doctor" timed his strong move superbly to deny Dovizioso at least a share of top spot in the championship standings.

Instead, Marquez already has the summit position to himself, an ominous sign for the rest.