A year on from his win at Mugello, Francesco Bagnaia reigned supreme once again at his and Ducati’s home race. Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco joined the reigning world champion on the podium, making it an all-Ducati affair.
- Bagnaia wins again, replicating last year’s success
- Marini misses out on podium
- Binder sets MotoGP speed record of 366.1kph
Bagnaia, Ducati win home race
Bagnaia showed dominant form at Mugello, winning the Sprint and main race from pole position. Jack Miller took the lead into Turn 1 in Sunday’s race, but Bagnaia charged back at the next apex.
Martin kept the pressure on Bagnaia from start to finish, but he ultimately had to settle for second place, just 1.067 secs adrift. Behind them, it was an intense battle for third place with Zarco finally prevailing and denying Luca Marini a home podium.
Marquez brothers crash out
Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez crashed out at Turn 15 while lining up a move on VR46 Ducati rider Marini. His brother Alex Marquez also suffered a similar crash just a few laps later. As a result, Marc Marquez has failed to score a point in any of the main Sunday races this year.
Joan Mir and Alex Rins were ruled out of the race – the former due to a broken finger and the latter due to a rather serious leg injury. This meant that the only Honda rider to finish the race was Takaaki Nakagami, in 13th place.
Ducati podium lockout
Marini was in third place for most of the race. But in the closing stages he was overtaken by a hard-charging Zarco, who bounced back after dropping to 12th place on the opening lap. His teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who won the previous race, crossed the chequered flag in eighth place and still sits second in the championship.
Aprilia, KTM in top 10
Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro crossed the line in sixth place, despite nursing a heel injury sustained on Thursday while cycling. He split the Red Bull KTM duo of Brad Binder and Jack Miller, who finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
Miller, who led into the first corner of the Italian GP was unable to replicate this form for the subsequent laps. Binder, meanwhile, set an all-time high MotoGP speed record of 366.1kph in the Sprint Race the day before.
2023 MotoGP championship standings
Heading into the Italian GP, Bagnaia was leading the championship by just a point. However, having won both races over the weekend, he has extended his lead over Bezzecchi to 21 points. Martin is third overall, just three points behind Bezzecchi.
Next up on the MotoGP calendar is the German GP on June 9-11.
Unnatee Gidithuri
Dipan Sur
