Steward slander may have to become a standard part of each race weekend’s writing. This week, a delayed decision with no prior communication led to frustration in the Gresini garage after Marc Marquez had a lap deleted suddenly. They lost crucial minutes that could have been used to set another hot lap and potentially qualify higher than 9th on the grid.
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Steward slander may have to become a standard part of each race weekend’s writing. This week, a delayed decision with no prior communication led to frustration in the Gresini garage after Marc Marquez had a lap deleted suddenly. They lost crucial minutes that could have been used to set another hot lap and potentially qualify higher than 9th on the grid.
Marc Marquez had a strong Saturday, picking up P3 and stepping onto the podium to collect his medal. Sunday saw him pick up a trophy with another third place. Teammate Alex Marquez was steady in the Sprint with P7, but unfortunately, Sunday saw him crash out, taking the luckless Joan Mir with him.
M. Marquez wasn't the only rider who struggled in qualifying. While on a hot lap, Prima Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin crashed out. He wasn't able to get back to the garage and out on his spare bike, meaning the world championship leader started in 11th place. Like M. Marquez, Martin managed a stunning start and kept up the pace in the Sprint, picking up P4. Sunday was even better for Martin, with another stunning start translating into P2. Fellow Pramac rider Franco Morbidelli battled through Q1 before qualifying in 6th place. He converted this to a P5 in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.
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VR46 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio had quieter weekends. Saturday’s Sprint saw Bezzecchi finish just outside the points in P10, while Diggia collected points with P6. Sunday saw another subdued day, with Marco Bezzecchi finishing in P8 and Fabio Di Giannantonio also in P8.
Factory Ducati enjoyed a double podium, with Pecco Bagnaia taking the top step and Enea Bastianini finishing second. Pecco carried that strong form into Sunday, doing the double and bringing Martin’s championship lead down to 10 points ahead of Phillip Island. "The Beast" struggled more on Sunday but still managed a respectable P4.
Perhaps the performance of the weekend looked to be going the way of rookie Pedro Acosta, who took pole position. A few stunning laps by the GASGAS rider saw him looking strong early in the weekend. Unfortunately, Saturday saw Pedro crash out of the lead with only a few laps to go, and Sunday followed a similar pattern, with Acosta crashing out of second place—far from the weekend he wanted after such a strong start. Fellow GASGAS rider Augusto Fernandez managed to collect P15 in the Sprint, but unfortunately, he crashed out in the Grand Prix.
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Factory KTM rider Brad Binder suffered a technical issue on Saturday, forcing him to retire from the race. Jack Miller crossed the line in P8 in the Sprint. The Grand Prix on Sunday was more successful for KTM, with Brad Binder finishing P6, the only non-Ducati rider in the top 8. Jack Miller started strong but faded in the closing stages, finishing P10.
Maverick Viñales had a strong qualifying, placing himself on the front row in 3rd, but in keeping with tradition, he botched the start and fell down the grid, eventually crossing the line in P9. Sunday was worse for the Spaniard, as he crashed out with 12 laps to go. Fellow factory Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro also struggled, crashing out of the Sprint before collecting points with P9 on Sunday. Trackhouse saw Miguel Oliveira out due to injury, replaced by Lorenzo Savadori, who managed P17 on Saturday but retired from Sunday’s race. Full-time rider Raul Fernandez picked up P11 in the Sprint but was overtaken near the end of the Grand Prix, finishing P15.
Yamaha saw Remy Gardner wildcarding this weekend, finishing P18 in the Sprint and P17 in the race. Factory rider Fabio Quartararo was solid with P12 in the Saturday Sprint (top Japanese bike), following it up with P12 in the Grand Prix. Alex Rins struggled this weekend, finishing P16 in both the Sprint and the main race.
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LCR Honda saw some friendly fire in the Sprint when Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami came together. Nakagami crashed out, and Zarco was handed a long-lap penalty, which he served before finishing P14. Sunday was stronger for Honda, with Zarco finishing P11, taking fellow Frenchman Fabio Quartararo over the line as the latter ran out of fuel. Home hero Takaaki Nakagami picked up P13, collecting points in his final race as a full-time rider.
Factory Honda saw Joan Mir add another crash to his tally on Saturday. Sunday also saw him crash out after Alex Marquez ran into the back of his bike—an unfortunate weekend for the 2020 MotoGP World Champion. Fellow Repsol rider Luca Marini finished P13 on Saturday, and Sunday saw him pass Fernandez in the closing stages to secure P14.
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