Marc Marquez wins the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. The Spaniard from the Ducati team Gresini finished ahead of the world champion on the official Ducati, Francesco Bagnaia. Also on the podium, Enea Bastianini, third, with the other official Ducati. The current points leader Jorge Martin finished only fifteenth, betrayed by the arrival of rain and a wrong strategy that saw him change to his wet bike too early, unlike all the leading riders who were right to stay on track waiting for the rain to stop.
For the Spaniard, this is his second consecutive victory, 61st win in top-class after being without a win for 1043 days, and for the first time, he made it to the podium starting from ninth on the grid. Jorge Martin loses ground in the overall standings, finishing only 15th and paying a high price for the decision to come in immediately to take the wet bike in the rain. Bagnaia reduces the gap to Martin, now just -7 behind the Spanish rider from Prima Pramac, with Marc Marquez boosting his score to 259 points and Bastianini at 250. Brad Binder secured fourth place, followed by Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Quartararo, and Miller, with Di Giannantonio and P. Espargaro completing the top ten.
Pecco Bagnaia: “Today I couldn’t do anything against Marquez: he was really too fit. With better physical condition, I will have more chances to contest the win. Without the rain, however, the advantage I was gaining would have been important,” adds the world champion.
GP San Marino – Marc Marquez (afp forum)
Pole position
Pecco Bagnaia, aboard his Ducati, secures the pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix. On the Misano circuit, in 1’30″304. The two-time world champion opens a completely Italian front row, behind him Franco Morbidelli (Ducati Prima Pramac, +0″285), while a revived Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati Pertamina, +0″305) finishes third. Following is the championship leader Jorge Martin (Ducati Prima Pramac, +0″341) in fourth. The one who interrupts Ducati’s dominance is Pedro Acosta (Ktm, +0″352) in fifth position, ahead of Brad Binder (Ktm), sixth. The third row includes Alex Marquez, Enea Bastianini, and Marc Marquez (who fell at the end of the session). Tenth is Fabio Quartararo, followed by Maverick Vinales in eleventh, and Jack Miller in twelfth.
The comment from “Pecco” after securing the pole: “I am speechless at this result. My team, my trainer, and my physiotherapist have all done an excellent job. When I am able to get on the bike, fortunately, I can forget about the pain. It’s wonderful to be on the front row with two other Academy riders: we all train a lot on this track.”
MotoGP San Marino, Francesco Bagnaia (ANSA)
The Sprint
Jorge Martin wins the sprint race of the San Marino GP, the thirteenth event of the MotoGP World Championship. On the Misano circuit, the Prima Pramac rider, starting fourth in the grid, with a perfect start, finished ahead of the official Ducati of Pecco Bagnaia, who started from pole. Third place goes to Franco Morbidelli, with the other Prima Pramac, who returns to the podium after a long dry spell. Fifth is Marc Marquez, who started ninth in the grid due to a fall, preceded by Enea Bastianini (Ducati), fourth. Sixth is Pedro Acosta (Ktm). Martin thus claims his fifth victory of the season in the sprint and extends his lead in the world standings, gaining another three points on Bagnaia to move +26 in the overall classification.
The comment from Pecco Bagnaia, who started from pole: “I am not happy, I tried, but Martin was braking hard, the start was a disaster, losing the first position made it difficult. The second place, considering what happened last week, isn’t bad, but the start was disastrous, I hope to be in the best condition and do something better.”
Jorge Martin -Ducati Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello 1 giugno 2024 (LaPresse)
The Pre-Qualifying
Francesco Bagnaia dominated the pre-qualifying of the Ggp of San Marino. After the eighth fastest time in the first free session, the Ducati champion was the fastest on the Misano circuit, the thirteenth event of the motorcycle world championship. Pecco closed in 1’30”685, leaving behind the fiercest rivals, Spaniards Marc Marquez, second with the Ducati of the Gresini team, and championship leader Jorge Martin. Despite the pain in his leg from the Aragon crash, Bagnaia was trying to express himself at his best on the first day on track.
The champion’s comment: “I try to grit my teeth, I was unfortunately hoping to be in better shape. This morning without painkillers was really hard; the afternoon was better. The problem is always at the beginning of the session when I’m cold. Once I get warm and ride the bike, I feel better.” The rider emerged rather battered from the collision with Alex Marquez and revealed that he is not in completely optimal physical condition: “The pain is felt when I get off the bike. I have edema on my collarbone and other areas. In the direction changes, my ribs hurt.”
Moto GP – Gran Premio di Aragon, sul podio Marc Marquez, Jorge Martin e Pedro Acosta, 1 settembre 2024 (Afp)
Truce Between Bagnaia and Alex Marquez
Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez, on the eve of the San Marino Grand Prix, during the pre-race press conference, put an end to all the controversies following the incident during the Aragon race. The world champion wanted to publicly apologize for the harsh comments made towards Marquez, the protagonist of the fall that had put him out of the race. In Misano, he closes all controversy and apologizes to his colleague: “I apologize to Alex for the strong words I used, dictated by the anger of the moment. I didn’t mean to imply that he had deliberately made me fall. However, I do not change my reading of the incident. The impact on the asphalt was hard, and I had 170 kg of bike on my shoulder. I have a lot of pain and can’t move my body as I would like.”
On the other side, Alex Marquez stated that he appreciated Bagnaia’s mea culpa, although the damage to his image remains. As for the fight for the title, Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia arrive in Misano, separated by 23 points. Nothing to do for Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini for failing to maintain the right continuity throughout the season.
Francesco Bagnaia, 17 agosto 2024 (Ansa)