San Marino GP, Marquez irresistible: Bagnaia second and Bastianini third

John

By John

The irrepressible joy of Marc Márquez who in Misano does the double after the triumph in Aragon and the precious second place of Francesco Bagnaia which brings him back into the fight for the World Championship. The San Marino MotoGP Grand Prix rewards the Spaniard of the Ducati team Gresini who is very good at interpreting the race when the rain arrives and capable of recovering in the wet from sixth to first position and then leading until the finish line. Excellent race also for the world champion of the official Ducati who resists the temptation to change the bike for wet tyres, unlike Jorge Martin who stops immediately with his Ducati Pramac, completely getting the strategy wrong and ending up in the back. The leader of the World Championship will finish with a meager fifteenth place which brings him back to just seven points behind Bagnaia, his closest rival for the championship.

A new discovery on the podium Enea Bastianini that makes the Borgo Panigale team’s Sunday more beautiful. Ready to go among the clouds hanging over MIsano with Bagnaia who gets off to a better start than in the sprint, managing to stay ahead at the start from pole position. At the green light Martin is his usual fury, instantly moving from fourth to second position with Franco Morbidelli third, tailed by Pedro Acosta’s KTM (both almost immediately out). Martin immediately tries everything but fails to pass Bagnaia who resists like a champion to the first and final attack of the Spaniard who, when the first drops of rain arrive, gets everything wrong. The leader of the World Championship on Ducati Pramac immediately returns to the pits to change his bike with the one prepared with rain tires, while almost all the others stay on the track, getting the move right.

The rain decreases instead of increasing and the mail gradually dries out. Marc Marquez takes advantage of this and takes a risk, climbing from sixth position to first, also passing Bagnaia who has no interest in forcing the pace with Martin now very far away. With the track now dry, Marc Marquez takes off, Bagnaia, also fresh from the fall in Aragon, settles for the very useful second place in the championship, while behind them a very good Bastianini accompanies them to the podium. And in the rear Martin can do nothing but defend the last place useful for points, fifteenth, in a race where everything went wrong for him.

Marc Marquez, on the other hand, is very happy as he remembers Fausto Gresini after his second consecutive victory this season: «When I crossed the finish line I was very happy, but today maybe someone from heaven, maybe Fausto Gresini, said: ‘Let’s let some rain fall’. This helped me win this race, so this victory is for the Gresini family». The Ducati world champion also smiled from the podium in Misano: «It certainly went better than yesterday, when there was a chance to win and I didn’t take it. Today it was impossible to do more than 2nd. Marc was too fit for me to try to win. Maybe next time I’ll be in top physical condition and I’ll have a chance, but – concludes Bagnaia – Marc in these conditions is definitely very strong. We’ll try again next time, but without the rain the advantage I was gaining was different, and being able to recover 20 points is definitely very positive».