Prima Pramac’s Jorge Martin took a clean sweep at Misano – with pole, sprint and Sunday race victory – to chip away at Francesco Bagnaia’s championship lead.
Ducati rider Bagnaia, who is nursing a leg hematoma after his horror Catalan GP crash, did manage some damage control though, with a third place finish. Marco Bezzecchi finished second for Mooney VR46, making it an all-Ducati podium.
- Jorge Martin wins, 1.350secs ahead of Bezzecchi
- Bagnaia holds on to title lead
- Pedrosa misses out on podium by 0.6secs
Martin takes Misano clean sweep
Just like in the sprint, Martin made a clean getaway to slot into the lead. Bagnaia and Bezzecchi, who were both nursing injuries from Barcelona, were behind him. Martin took full advantage of this to hammer down out at front and pull away.
After some missed attempts, Bezzecchi finally passed Bagnaia at Turn 8 to move up to P2. But by then, Martin already had a hefty advantage and Bezzecchi crossed the line 1.350secs adrift.
Bagnaia fends off Pedrosa
KTM’s Brad Binder proved to be an early threat to the leading Ducati trio, but he suffered a crash on lap 8. While he did continue racing, he could only recover to P14.
This made wildcard Dani Pedrosa the leading KTM rider and the 37-year-old remained in close contention for a podium finish. With four laps to go, just 0.6secs separated Bagnaia and Pedrosa, but the former held on to third place.
Maverick Vinales was fifth for Aprilia, followed by RNF’s Miguel Oliveira. Marc Marquez took a gamble by racing with a soft rear tyre. As expected, the tyre started losing performance in the end stages of the race, resulting in Marquez losing a place to Oliveira. But his P7 finish is his best result so far this season, and even Honda’s best since Alex Rins’ American GP win in April.
RNF’s Raul Fernandez ended up P8, with Mooney VR46’s Luca Marini and Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco completing the top 10.
2023 MotoGP standings
Bagnaia still holds the on to the championship lead, but Martin has gained some ground and is now 36 points behind him. Bezzecchi, meanwhile, is third overall – 29 points behind Martin.
MotoGP now heads to uncharted territory, with the next round being the inaugural India MotoGP race at the Buddh International Circuit.
2023 San Marino GP
Dipan Sur
