MotoGP™ – Impeccable Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) holds off Quartararo in Jerez showdown.

As the lights went out in Jerez, the roars went up as the thousands of fans trackside celebrated their return to the grandstands after three years away. It was the poleman Bagnaia who launched himself into the lead, with Quartararo settling into second behind. Espargaro and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) were literally elbow-to-elbow off the line, with the Aprilia man diving under the eight-time World Champion into the opening corner only to run wide and allow the Honda man through to fifth. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller was third on the opening lap, ahead of LCR Honda Idemitsu’s Takaaki Nakagami.

Marquez was aggressive again on the opening lap as he fired up the inside, and sat up, Nakagami to claim fourth. The Japanese rider, forced wide by Marquez, also saw Espargaro squeeze through. Seconds later Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin crashed out for the fourth time in six races and, on his 200th Grand Prix appearance, HRC’s Stefan Bradl also hit the deck at the final corner.

Only a handful of laps had been completed but the leading duo were already flexing their muscles, edging further and further clear of Miller. By Lap 5 it was 1.5 seconds and that gap just continued to grow. Meanwhile, the Australian was more concerned about hanging onto the final podium places with both Marquez and Espargaro applying increasing amounts of pressure on the factory Ducati man. Darryn Binder (WithU RNF Yamaha) crashed out at Turn 2, before a big moment in the World Championship fight took place. After a sluggish start, Alex Rins’ day got worse when the Team Suzuki Ecstar man was forced to straight-line his GSX-RR through the Turn 11 gravel trap after a big moment on the front end. Pramac Racing’s disaster day continued when Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 5.

They started the final lap with Bagnaia holding an advantage of just half a second. It would require something special from the World Champion on the final lap. As they came through the fourth and final sector Quartararo was closing and closing, now just a quarter of a second away from the former Moto2™ World Champion. But Bagnaia stood firm, withstanding the almighty pressure, to take a vital victory in Jerez. A first for Bagnaia since the season-closing race in Valencia last year and a second for the Bologna factory in Andalucia in as many years. Quartararo’s third podium visit of the season saw him stretch out his Championship leader from nothing to eight points, however.

Much like the duel for victory, the scrap over third took its time to come to life but when it did, it was pulsating. There were five laps left when Marquez made an inch-perfect move up the inside of Miller at Turn 5. Espargaro behind knew he had to respond or risked seeing the Respol Honda clear off into the distance. And the Aprilia man had an answer on the same lap as he braked hard and late into the final corner. Through went the Spaniard but it would quickly get even better for him.

Marquez was wide into the final corner and the front-end of his RC213V folded, before he somehow, in true Marc Marquez style, picked it up off of his elbow to continue on. Espargaro and Miller both swooped through to demote the eight-time World Champion to fifth. Espargaro checked out, quickly putting half a second into Miller but Marquez wasn’t done. The factory Honda man risked it all on the final lap to take fourth, diving up the inside of Miller at Turn 8 in spectacular style.

Ahead of them, though, Espargaro was coming across the line to take a pivotal podium for the Noale factory. Not only does the Spaniard sit second in the standings, eight points adrift of Quartararo, but Aprilia officially lost their MotoGP™ concession status after six long, hard years. Behind Marquez and Miller in fourth and fifth was Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Joan, who drifted into late contention but couldn’t find a move on the men in front of them.

Nakagami eventually came across the line in seventh, four seconds clear of Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) who claimed eighth. The erstwhile Championship leader picked off rookie Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), who matched his best MotoGP™ result despite that in ninth. The final place inside the top ten went the way of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder.

MotoGP™ Top 10:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – 25 laps
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) + 0.285
3. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 10.977
4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) + 12.676
5. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) + 12.957
6. Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) + 13.934
7. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) + 14.929
8. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) + 18.436
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 18.830
10. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 20.056.

Gran Premio Red Bull de España

MotoGP™ RAC Classification 2022

Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto

, May 1st 2022

27º C

Clear

Track condition: Dry

Humidity: 35%

Ground: 44º

1	25	63 FrancescoBagnaia Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	161.7	41’00.5540
2	20	20 FabioQuartararo Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™	Yamaha	161.7	+0.285
3	16	41 AleixEspargaro Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	161	+10.977
4	13	93 MarcMarquez Repsol Honda Team	Honda	160.9	+12.676
5	11	43 JackMiller Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	160.9	+12.957
6	10	36 JoanMir Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	160.8	+13.934
7	9	30 TakaakiNakagami LCR Honda IDEMITSU	Honda	160.8	+14.929
8	8	23 EneaBastianini Gresini Racing MotoGP™	Ducati	160.5	+18.436
9	7	72 MarcoBezzecchi Mooney VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	160.5	+18.830
10	6	33 BradBinder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	160.4	+20.056
11	5	44 PolEspargaro Repsol Honda Team	Honda	160.4	+20.856
12	4	88 MiguelOliveira Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	160.2	+23.131
13	3	73 AlexMarquez LCR Honda Castrol	Honda	160.1	+25.306
14	2	12 MaverickViñales Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	160	+27.358
15	1	21 FrancoMorbidelli Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™	Yamaha	159.9	+27.519
16		10 LucaMarini Mooney VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	159.8	+29.278
17		4 AndreaDovizioso WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team	Yamaha	159.4	+35.204
18		49 FabioDi Giannantonio Gresini Racing MotoGP™	Ducati	159.4	+35.361
19		42 AlexRins Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	159.2	+38.922
20		87 RemyGardner Tech3 KTM Factory Racing	KTM	158.9	+43.378
21		32 LorenzoSavadori Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	158.9	+44.299
22		89 JorgeMartin Pramac Racing	Ducati	157.6	+67.681

Non-classified riders

		40 DarrynBinder WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team	Yamaha	157.7	5 Laps
		6 StefanBradl Repsol Honda Team	Honda	156	10 Laps
		5 JohannZarco Pramac Racing	Ducati	160	9 Laps

Championship Standings MotoGP™ 2022

MotoGP™ Championship 2022

1	20 Fabio Quartararo		Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™	Yamaha	89
2	41 Aleix Espargaro		Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	82
3	23 Enea Bastianini		Gresini Racing MotoGP™	Ducati	69
4	42 Alex Rins		Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	69
5	63 Francesco Bagnaia		Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	56
6	36 Joan Mir		Team SUZUKI ECSTAR	Suzuki	56
7	5 Johann Zarco		Pramac Racing	Ducati	51
8	33 Brad Binder		Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	48
9	93 Marc Marquez		Repsol Honda Team	Honda	44
10	88 Miguel Oliveira		Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM	43
11	43 Jack Miller		Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati	42
12	44 Pol Espargaro		Repsol Honda Team	Honda	35
13	89 Jorge Martin		Pramac Racing	Ducati	28
14	12 Maverick Viñales		Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	27
15	30 Takaaki Nakagami		LCR Honda IDEMITSU	Honda	21
16	21 Franco Morbidelli		Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™	Yamaha	18
17	73 Alex Marquez		LCR Honda Castrol	Honda	16
18	72 Marco Bezzecchi		Mooney VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	15
19	10 Luca Marini		Mooney VR46 Racing Team	Ducati	14
20	4 Andrea Dovizioso		WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team	Yamaha	8
21	40 Darryn Binder		WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team	Yamaha	6
22	87 Remy Gardner		Tech3 KTM Factory Racing	KTM	3
23	25 Raul Fernandez		Tech3 KTM Factory Racing	KTM	0
24	49 Fabio Di Giannantonio		Gresini Racing MotoGP™	Ducati	0
25	6 Stefan Bradl		Repsol Honda Team	Honda	0
26	32 Lorenzo Savadori		Aprilia Racing	Aprilia	0