TUSCANY (Italy) — Defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati won the Italian motorcycle Grand Prix sprint and closed in on championship leader Jorge Martin in the standings after the Pramac Racing rider crashed at the Mugello circuit.
Gresini Racing’s Marc Marquez finished second for the fifth time in a sprint this season while Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta came third after Martin lost control and slid into the gravel with four laps to go.
Bagnaia’s first sprint victory of the season helped the Italian to close the gap to Martin to 27 points heading into the race, where the Ducati rider will start on the second row after receiving a three-place penalty.
“I enjoyed every single lap. The last part of the race was tough but the bike is working perfectly. I’m very happy, winning here again is incredible,” Bagnaia said according to Reuters.
The factory Ducatis had a dream start when Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini moved up to first and second but polesitter Martin quickly took back second place.
Bastianini, who is in danger of losing his seat on the factory team, attempted to overtake Martin once again but this time they collided on turn one when the Pramac rider tried to take the place back, leading to the red Ducati crashing out.
But before Martin could focus on reeling in Bagnaia, he had Marquez breathing down his neck and although the Gresini rider failed to make his first attempt stick, he took second place with six laps to go when he dived inside the San Donato bend.
Martin struggled to match Marquez’s pace and as he tried to give chase, he lost control on turn one and slid into the gravel — a gift for Acosta who moved up to the third and final podium spot.
With three laps to go, the top three riders were too far apart to battle for position as Bagnaia took the chequered flag — a week after he crashed while leading the
Catalan Grand Prix sprint on the final lap.
“The pace is super good. Looks like Pecco (Bagnaia) is a bit faster than us,” said Marquez, who is chasing his first victory on a Ducati machine and sits third in the championship — five points behind Bagnaia.
“I started fourth (on the grid) and the start was not so good… But the race pace was there, I feel good.
Next time around, Enea Bastianini tried to overtake Martin into Turn 1, but he went in too hot and collided with the Pramac as his rival capitalised and cut back underneath.
Martin would progress on in second place while Bastianini ended up out on the spot. The stewards opted to take no further action, leaving Martin to venture onwards.
Pedro Acosta had been confirmed as a KTM rider for 2025 on the eve of the race and he completed an overtake on his future team-mate Binder for fourth.
Franco Morbidelli was sustaining a much more encouraging weekend on the Pramac and he became the next to pass Binder’s KTM to rise into the top five positions.
Bagnaia was beginning to utilise his strong practice race pace to open up a near-one second gap over Martin, who had Marquez courting him behind in close pursuit.
Marquez would attempt a late braking move on his compatriot down the inside at Turn 1 on Lap 5, but the Gresini Ducati rider was unsuccessful the first time around.
However, the next lap would witness the eight-time champion go to the inside on the start-finish straight to establish a fine move on the current championship leader.
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