Marc Marquez won the MotoGP World Championship on Sunday at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli in San Marino. Riding his Gresini Racing Honda on Michelin control tires, the six-time MotoGP World Champion navigated the difficult track conditions to win the 27-lap race in 3.102 seconds.
Two-time and defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia finished second, allowing him to close the points gap to current championship points leader Jorge Martin.
Bagnaia’s teammate Innea Bastianini finished third.
Brad Binder was the fourth non-Ducati rider on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16.
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Marco Bezecchi made it four Ducatis in the top five.
It was raining lightly at the start of the race, prompting Martin to return to the pits and switch his rain-tyre-equipped Prima Pramac Racing Ducati, dropping him to 15th. But after a few laps the rain stopped, the track dried out, and Martin was forced to pit for a second time to get back on the sliding Ducati. In the process, Martin hung on and eventually finished the race in P15, scoring just one point.
Further, from Dorna’s press release:
Marquez reverses Martin’s gamble and produces Misano magic to beat Bagnaya.
The championship leader held off Marquez Bagnaia after a flag-to-flag gamble and Bastianini maintained his 100% podium record at Misano.
Sunday 08 September 2024
A week after returning to the top step of the podium, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) dominated again at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. The #93’s prowess in difficult situations to judge gave him the chance to gamble from flag to flag – switching or pushing to the front. Márquez chose the latter and set his sights on back-to-back wins for the first time since 2021.
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) opted to stay out of the field and settle into second place for most of the race locked with Marquez, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) taking a gamble in the pits as a big spin offers the chance of key championship wins, and nothing. It didn’t work. After being forced to switch for the second time, he came back down, his lead was reduced to seven points and he took one point for P15.
Finally, Innea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) took the final spot on the rostrum, keeping his 100% MotoGP™ rostrum record intact at Misano and making his own gains on Martin.
There was drama before the start of rain spots and air pressure spots. With the white flags flying, riders are allowed to swap bikes, and the stage is set for an exciting start to the San Marino GP. When the lights went out, Bagnaia secured the holeshot, this time holding off Martin as the #89 got off to a good start, but this time he had to send teammate and front-row starter Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) into third place.
The two were locked together in the lead and Martin half went into a dive bomb move at Turn 2, he was forced to abandon and only avoided contact with Bagnaia, but then there was some contact with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GAASGAS Tech3). He tried to make a move on Morbidelli but clashed with the Italian. The #31 lost a wing but eventually found its way through turn 8 and widened on lap 10 before giving up again. Unfortunately, the rookie race soon took a turn for the worse with a crash. Up, and Morbidelli was next to slide out. Riders ok
When the rain began to have a visible effect on the action, there were also decisions. And at the front, Martin is now back in the lead over the fatigue of Bagnaia, with Marc Marquez making huge strides in the team and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as well. Heading into the pit entrance the next time, there was one rider from the group who decided to pit: Martin.
On the inside, Bagnaia led Marquez out front, but not for long. By the end of Lap 8, the #93 had moved into the lead and Miller was hot on Bagnaia’s heels, with Martin rejoining him down in P15. But the rain didn’t make it worse, allowing Marquez and Bagnaia to pull away just as Martin realized he had to pit again.
Appearing downhill again but behind the leaders, Bagnaia’s goal of a championship achievement was now wide open. Gamblers – Martin, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), Acosta rejoining, Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team) and Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales battled again, but all out of contention for points.
Meanwhile, the rain had stopped, but the gap in the front was widening. After catching him with Bagnaia standing on his tail, the #93 started to pull away with the lead. Bastiani was quickly moving into contention for the podium, passing Miller to take over for third, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was next as conditions improved to move up to fourth, but Bagnaia was unable to make it. They moved in on Marquez, with neither Bastianini nor Binder able to bridge the gap.
Márquez set it straight in style to claim the first of back-to-back victories in 2021, putting his name firmly into the championship hat and on Gresini’s home turf. Bagnaia’s second place, however, was a remarkable 19-point swing in the championship as Martin’s gamble backfired – and the reigning champion was nervously happy for a tough day’s work.
Behind Bastianini and Binder in third and fourth, the race to finish decided fifth. After a strong start on the front row, Marco Besschi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was dropping back on Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™). The move came in the form of a dive in the 14th round, where Bezeci stuck around and held off a counterattack to make the top five.
Meanwhile, Fabio Quattararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team) completed an impressive weekend, with #20 matching his and Yamaha’s best 2024 results as they work their way back to the front. The Frenchman brought Miller close to the flag in the later stages, to take that P7 at Turn 8. Fabio di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s wildcard Pol Espargaro completed the top 10, with Martin taking that single point in P15.
After that incredible weekend’s championship run, he is once again at the top of the world’s most exciting sport. Racing returns to the Misano World Circuit for Marco Simoncelli in two weeks’ time at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, and that’s when the grid restarts after Monday’s one-day test and is loaded for more!
