Francesco Bagnaia secured a stunning third successive home victory at the Italian Grand Prix, completing a perfect 37 point weekend for the reigning MotoGP champion. Racing in special blue livery in honour of the Italian national team, Bagnaia led a Ducati 1-2 finish, with teammate Enea Bastianini snatching second place from championship leader Jorge Martin with a stunning pass at the final corner of the race.
Bagnaia’s victory at Mugello, following his win in the sprint race on Saturday, coupled with ‘The Beast’s last lap move reduced his points deficit to Martin to just 18. The factory Ducati duo of Bastianini and Bagnaia started from fourth and fifth on the grid with the latter demoted due to a penalty for impeding Alex Marquez during qualifying.
The pair made a brilliant start, quickly moving up to second place and third at Turn 1 with Bagnaia then overtaking Enea and Martin to take the lead at Turn 2. From there, Bagnaia set a blistering pace, managing to fend off Martin’s late challenge and eventually taking the chequered flag by 0.8 seconds from his teammate.
The race began with Martin in pole position, but Bagnaia’s early surge saw him take control. Despite some pressure from Martin, Bagnaia remained unchallenged at the front, even as Martin closed the gap to just two tenths of a second on lap 21. However, Bagnaia’s quick response re-established his dominance, and Martin’s slight mistake at the final corner allowed Bastianini to slip underneath the Spaniard into second place.
Marc Marquez, riding his 2023-spec Gresini Ducati, and dealing with intermittent smoke from his rear, initially chased third place and snatched it from ‘The Beast’. However, true to his nickname, Bastianini was relentless in his pursuit of the eight-time world champion. The #23 quickly repaid the #93 for his earlier pass. Marquez’s pace then faltered, unable to keep up with the young GP24 trio ahead of him, and he ultimately finished fourth, a second behind Bastianini. Marquez now trails Martin by 35 points in the championship standings.
Pedro Acosta, on his Tech3 GasGas KTM, finished fifth as the best KTM rider once again after an early challenge to keep up with the leading Ducati quartet. Franco Morbidelli had his best result since joining Pramac Ducati, finishing sixth, narrowly ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati), who charged from P14 on the grid.
Maverick Viñales was the top Aprilia rider, finishing eighth after a late-race drop in pace. Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Brad Binder (KTM) rounded out the top ten, with Binder outperforming his KTM teammate Jack Miller, who finished 16th.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) finished 11th, followed by Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati). Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Aprilia) and Alex Rins (Yamaha) took the final points positions, with Rins’ 15th place being a minor consolation for Yamaha after a promising start to the weekend.
Notable incidents included crashes from Honda riders Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami, with Augusto Fernandez (Tech3 KTM) also retiring due to a mechanical issue. Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) was the top Honda finisher in a disappointing 19th place.
As the MotoGP season progresses, Bagnaia’s triumph at Mugello significantly tightens the championship race. The next round at the Motul TT Assen promises more action.
Finishing Order:
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati)
2. Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
3. Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati)
4. Marc Marquez (Gresini Ducati)
5. Pedro Acosta (GasGas Tech3 KTM)
6. Franco Morbidelli (Pramac Ducati)
7. Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati)
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia)
9. Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati)
10. Brad Binder (KTM)
11. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
12. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia Racing)
13. Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati)
14. Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Aprilia Racing)
15. Alex Rins (Yamaha)
16. Jack Miller (KTM)
17. Pol Espargaro (KTM wildcard)
18. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)
19. Johann Zarco (Honda LCR)
20. Takaaki Nakagami (Honda LCR) – DNF
21. Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) – DNF
22. Augusto Fernandez (Tech3) – DNF
