Marc Marquez delivered a remarkable performance at the Aragon MotoGP Sprint to claim his first-ever Ducati victory as Jorge Martin reclaimed the championship lead.
The event unfolded at the scenic MotorLand Aragon, where the six-time MotoGP champion demonstrated his prowess on the track, converting his pole position into a commanding first win in any MotoGP event in nearly three years.
Riding for Gresini Racing, Marquez showcased his dominance throughout the weekend, culminating in a performance that delighted thousands of fans at his home event. Meanwhile, the championship landscape took another turn as Jorge Martin reclaimed the title lead with a solid second-place finish.
The Aragon MotoGP Sprint consisted of 11 laps, and the Spaniard started from pole position after a stellar qualifying session where he set a time that was 0.840 seconds faster than his closest rival.
As the lights went out, Marquez executed a flawless start, quickly establishing himself at the front of the pack as Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin followed closely, while rookie Pedro Acosta from Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 secured third place off the grid.
Marquez’s early lead was characterized by a strong pace that left his competitors struggling to keep up. By the end of the first lap, he had already created a gap, which he would steadily increase throughout the race.
However, the opening lap saw some drama, particularly for reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, who experienced a poor start that saw him slip from his starting position. After a slow getaway, the reigning champion found himself battling for positions, eventually finishing in ninth place, which would cost him the championship lead.
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro also made a terrible start to the race as he out-braked himself and tagged the back of Fabio Di Giannantonio’s VR46 Ducato, crashing out during the first lap. LCR Honda Johann Zarco also suffered a crash as well which was a wasted opportunity considering the Frenchman qualified in 10th place.
The race proceeded to claim more casualties on the second tour as Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli saw an end to his run. Meanwhile, Bagnaia was attempting to pursue the top spots, but Alex Marquez was after him along with Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira who was also locked in the battle for fourth place.
But on Lap 4, the Italian made an error which forced him to fall to sixth in that battle and after outbraking himself into Turn 5 he found himself within the grasp of KTM’s Brad Binder.
In the meantime, Marquez focused on maintaining control as he widened his gap to Martin to 0.9 seconds and by Lap 6, he appeared to be guaranteed of victory with a lead of over 1.5 seconds. Further back, Bagnaia’s race was getting worse as Binder overtook him to grab sixth going onto the back straight.
That put the reigning world champion ahead of a group of pursuing riders including teammate Enea Bastianini, Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez. It was not long before the factory Ducati pair found themselves switching places on Lap 8, with Bastianini moving up to seventh as his teammate fell to seventh.
Meanwhile, Marquez was busy making an impression and built up 3.8 seconds on Martin and the Spaniard cruised home to take victory by over three seconds. On the other hand, the runner-up reclaimed the championship lead by three points over Bagnaia, as Pedro Acosta rounded out the podium.
Alex Marquez finished fourth proving that Aragon is a favorite hunting destination for the Gresini brothers as Oliveira rounded out the top five. Binder and Bastianini came in sixth and seventh place, respectively, while Quartararo moved up to eighth place ahead of Bagnaia.
VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi finished in 10th place behind Bagania following a last-lap duel with his Italian stablemate. Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez finished in 11th place ahead of Augusto Fernandez of Tech3 and Jack Miller of KTM.
Following in 14th place was Takaaki Nakagami of LCR Honda, followed by Di Giannantonio and Luca Marini of Repsol Honda in 15th and 16th place, respectively. Yamaha’s Alex Rins, Repsol Honda’s Joan Mir and Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales rounded out the classification.
