Bagnaia Navigates Drama Filled Italian GP Sprint to Win

After an early qualifying Francesco Bagnaia secured pole ahead of Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez in P2 and P3 respectively. The Sprint race occurred later in the afternoon. From the start rain was on the forecast for the Sprint Race. The race was started and the chaos ensued. Into turn 1 Alex Marquez and Brad Binder came together which resulted in Marquez being sent into the gravel. Binder has handed a long lap penalty for his involvement in the incident.

When the rain started the pack began to shuffle as riders were then allowed to swap bikes in the pits for one equipped with rain tires. Despite an early off during a scuffle between Marc Marquez and Jake Miller (KTM Racing) the two riders were able to finish in the top 10 during the Sprint Race. Despite the pressure from behind Bagnaia was able to hold his lead after trading positions with Mrco Bezzecchi for a few laps. Bezzecchi seemingly threw everything he had at Bagnaia given the conditions.

By the end of lap 4 Alex Rins had to retire from the race after crashing. Early reports state that he broke his leg in the incident. Rins underwent surgery shortly after the race. We will report more on the injury in time. Prima Pramac Racing Riders Johan Zarco P4 and Jorge Martin P3 secured two top 5 finished for the team. Bezzecchi’s Mooney VR46 Racing teammate Luca Marini rounded out the top 5.

Top 10 In Sprint Race

1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team)
2. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +0.369
3. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) +0.952
4. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) +1.009
5. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) +3.668
6. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +3.772
7. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) +3.905
8. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) +6.062
9. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) +6.431
10. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) +6.458

Full Sprint Race Results

The MotoGP season is back in action this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini, Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira are declared fit for the Italian Grand Prix. After being on the injury report after the French Grand Prix all of the riders will be back in action this weekend. Bastianini has not yet raced a full weekend this season due to suffering a back injury in the first Sprint Race of the season in Portimão. As reported by Reuters, Bastianini stated, “After so many weeks off it won’t be easy. In any case, I’m motivated. It’s our home race and I’m aiming to do well.”

Championship leader Bagnaia suffered an ankle injury in the last race. The injury does not appear to be affecting him in terms of on track performance. Bagnaia and Bastinaini have not raced together since the beginning of the Sprint Race in Portimão. Race fitness issues may come into play for Bastianini this weekend. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR25 Racing Team) ran second fastest in FP with Alex Rins (LCR Honda CASTROL) running third. Rins seemed to be in good form in the session.

Woes for Marc Marquez

Fellow Honda Rider and 8 time world Champion Marc Marquez had a lack luster session finishing P8. He stated, “We had a difficult day today, Mugello is always a bit of a tough track for us and I had to use a lot of energy today to get into Q2. This was our target so I am satisfied we were able to achieve it but we need to improve a few points for the next two days. It was a busy day trying things today as well, which should help us to come up with some solutions for tomorrow. The goal for tomorrow is to try and stay inside the top ten, the weather is still looking a bit uncertain so this might offer us some more opportunities.”

The Italian Grand Prix will take place at Mugello. Mugello is a 3.26 mile long course that features 15 turns and a 3744 ft long straight. A fan favorite for top speed. The riders will head in to FP3 and Qualifying tomorrow morning.

Full Italian Grand Prix FP2 Results

Mooney VR46 Racing Team has announced that Luca Marini suffered a right wrist injury during his scuffle with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) at the French GP. Marquez was uninjured in the incident. It does not appear that the injury will keep Marini out of the Italian Grand Prix in 3 weeks time. The Mooney VR46 team released the following tweet describing the issue.

Luca Marini currently sits 6th in the championship. We speculate that he will not want to let an injury he prevent him from scoring points in Italy. Northern Italy has seen mass flooding recently due to record seasonal rains. We’ve already seen a cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for Formula 1. That circuit resides 1 hour north of Mugello. Mugello did not experience the major flooding that is plaguing Emilia Romagna, Bologna. We anticipate that as we move into the summer months the rain will be a non factor in June.

The team reports that Marini injured the trapezius bone in his right wrist. The Italian team stated that Marini will be monitored in an ongoing fashion. They will determine if there are any set backs as we approach the upcoming Italian Grand Prix. The race weekend will take place June 9-11th at Mugello.

Injuries Ahead of Mugello

Marini as well as championship leader Francesco Bagnaia suffered injuries in France. Bagnaia (Ducati) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) were involved in an incident that resulted in Bagnaia breaking his ankle. The team posted an update on his condition stating, “[Bagnaia] was still feeling some pain in his right ankle, after last Sunday’s crash in France, he underwent further checks in Misano, which found a small partial talus bone fracture. This minor injury will not prevent his participation in the next Italian GP,” in a recent tweet update. All in all, we hope to see both riders back on the grid in Italy.

For more information be sure to check out MotoGP.com for video coverage of the events leading up to the Italian Grand Prix.

Controversy was sparked in this week by 2022 MotoGP world champion and current champion leader Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia. Bagnaia stated in an interview that there needs to be a bigger gap between the factory racing tames and independents in the MotoGP championship. He expressed safety concerns as well as concerns with pace when compared to the factory production bikes. His comments were puzzling to the President of the Teams’ Association (IRTA) President Herve Poncharal has responded to the comments from Bagnaia in a French publication Paddock GP:

“What I think about it is that, often on Sunday evening when I go home before going to bed, I have not lived enough MotoGP, so I read everything that is written on all the national and international websites, and I came across an Italian website where there was an interview with Pecco Bagnaia who was talking a little bit about his problem with Maverick Viñales.”

“And then I was reading like that and I was very surprised from the reigning World Champion, from someone who is respectable, I have a lot of respect and admiration for him, and he is always quite calm in his comments, to read an enormous thing, I could even say huge bullshit, because Pecco Bagnaia, like any rider, comes from Moto3, he went through Moto2, he arrived in MotoGP in an Independent Team that you can call private or satellite.”

“You can call it whatever you want, and he was happy to have a high performance bike that allowed him to be noticed. And then, as he progressed in the MotoGP class, he was offered a factory ride, which is kind of the dream ride that every talented rider wants to have.”

Poncharal Continued his Thoughts

“As you have noticed, the first four positions at the French Grand Prix were four Independent teams, and it is fabulous to see that the race for the title is wide open, that there is a point between Bezzecchi who is a young rider, who wins on a private team Ducati bike and who is one point behind Bagnaia on the official bike from the same factory. It’s great for everyone, it’s great for the sport, it’s a great emulation and it allows us, the Independent teams, to convince our partners, that we can call sponsors too, to join us because we tell them that we’re not just here to fill the grid but that we’re also here to perform! We can win races and eventually go for the title.”

Ex-MotoGP and current WSBK rider Danilo Petrucci was called up to MotoGP to replace the injured Enea Bastianini (Ducati). The French Grand Prix this past weekend was the 1000th Grand Prix in MotoGP history.

Petrucci previously described the weekend as “a mission impossible.” However his experience came through for him at the French GP. While he didn’t secure a podium Petrucci showed that he still has what it takes to race at the top level of motorcycle racing. Petrucci finished 11th on grid. Petrucci said, “The race turned out to be very complicated, but I was faster than on Saturday. I was trying to stay with the group in front where Franco Morbidelli was. The track was very difficult; I chose the medium front tire and I think I was the only Ducati with that. Maybe the hard one would have been better, but I’ve never used the tire before so I was a little bit afraid.”

He continued, “It was good, it was good. It was unbelievable, because to come back to MotoGP with this bike – the best bike I’ve ever ridden in my life – on this track where I’ve done some podiums and a win, it was really a gift and I’m very proud. I can only thank Ducati for this great opportunity.”

We don’t know how long Petrucci will fill in for the injured Enea Bastianini. We will report back when there is a more clear return date for Bastianini on record.

For more information on developing stories on the MotoGP grid check out MotoGP.com

The 2023 MotoGP French Grand Prix at Le Mans was a race full of on track incidents. 8 riders DNF the grand prix. Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) was handed a 3 place grid drop penalty for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. Gresini Ducati protested the decision but their efforts proved to be futile as the FIM struck down the challenge. The FIM described the move that caused the crash as “overly ambitious”. Adding that the penalty was granted due to, “irresponsible riding causing danger to other competitors.”

Marquez explained the incident from his point of view to Crash.net, “I was behind Johann and after turn 5 I was not expecting him to be braking really soon. Then I was trying to avoid him on the inside.”

They closed the gas so early and then I touched just a little bit Brad. Brad’s line is really inside there and he was trying to defend and I just touched him a little bit, but I saw that he lost some positions. So I’m sorry for that because it was not my intention to go against Brad. I just touched him just a little bit, but you know, for him it was a big one because he went really, really off wide.”

For more news on MotoGP an FIM decisions check out MotoGP.com

This morning the French Grand Prix at Le Mans took place to cap off the race weekend. The race was full of on track incidents that led to 8 factory riders retiring from the race. Unfortunately for Ducati one of those riders was Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) came together on lap 5 of the race after Vinales attempted in inside pass that proved to be more than he could muster. Both riders were forced into retirement. Bagnaia and Vinales had some words over the incident that involved a period of shoving track side. The two riders appear to have escaped without major injury.

Marco Bezzecchi claimed victory at Le Mans bringing him one point behind the championship leader Bagnaia. Saturday’s Sprint race winner, Jorge Martin capitalized on the DNF incidents and was able to secure a P2 finish in the Grand Prix. His second podium of the weekend. Teammate Johann Zarco rounded out the podium in third which was a great result for the Prima Pramac Team.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) and Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing) also had an on track clash. The incident resulted in both of them retiring from the race. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) who was seemingly cruising to a podium finish also crashed out of the race with 2 laps to go. Marquez would have secured a second place finish before the crash and will leave this race empty handed. Marc Marquez had 3 crashes on the weekend.

Jack Miller who was competing for a podium this weekend also DNF the Grand Prix. Alex Rins (LCR Honda CASTROL) and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) completed the DNF list. Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Lenovo) fill in for Enea Bastianini finished 11th in his MotoGP return.

Full Race Results are available Below

MotoGP Championship Standings

The MotoGP world had its head turned upside down with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) winning the French GP sprint race. The race ended with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) dropping back from pole after qualifying fastest to P3. Jack Miller (KTM Racing) was knocking on the door for a podium finish but crashed out of the sprint race. The incident occurred on the second lap of the race after he lost the front end of his KTM.

It was an unfortunate day for the KTMs as three out of the four on grid did not finish the sprint race. The lone KTM rider that finished the race was Brad Binder. Binder finished on the podium in P2 after running P10 in qualifying. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) finished P4. Marquez who had a seemingly good fight for the front fell to P5. With Bagnaia not securing the win his championship lead was reduced to 23 points over second place holder Brad Binder who improved his position after the sprint. Jorge Martin’s teammate Johann Zarco finished 5th to round out the top 5 on a great day for the Ducatis. Ducati as a manufacturer had 5 bikes in the top 10.

Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha Monster Energy) crashed out of the French GP sprint race. The sprint was another another disappointing finish for the former champion. Speculation is rising that Quartararo is very unhappy with the direction of the Yamaha side. Jonas Folger and Augusto Fernandez also had crash incidents during the sprint.

Full Sprint Race Results are Below.

MotoGP qualifying at the French GP at Le Mans has concluded and championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) secured pole. Marc Marquez (Team HRC) takes P2 is his first qualifying session back form injury since Portugal. Marquez seemed to be cruising to what would have been his 65th pole position but Bganai had other plans. Luca Marini rouded out the top three falling 0.137s behind Bagnaia. Jack Miller (KTM Racing) who ran fastest in FP2 fell 3 tenths behind Bagnaia earning him a best P4 in Q2. Miller and Bagnaia had engine issues in the session.

2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo failed to make it to Q2 and will start 13th on the grid for the Sprint and Grand Prix. Otherwise the session was mostly uneventful. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) crashed at Turn 1 with a few minutes behind the end of the session. Espargaro walked away from the incident without major injury and the yellow flags were withdrawn. Many riders failed to find pace after tire changes resulting in their early times standing for final qualifying. Complete qualifying results are below.

Full Qualifying Results

For more content on the race weekend be sure to check out MotoGP VideoPass.

Jack Miller (KTM Racing) tops FP2 edging ahead of Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) at Le Mans. Miller stole the fastest lap right at the end of the session by a gap of 0.119s after Espargaro and Marco Bezzecchi traded the top spot throughout the session. Marc Marquez (Team HRC) suffered his second crash on the weekend but was able to salvage an 8th fastest on the session.

FP2 yielded multiple crashes. Lorenzo Savadori (RNF Aprilia), Augusto Fernandez (Tech3 GAS GAS) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) in the first 15 minutes. Fabio Quartararo failed to make it into Q2 setting a best 1:31.650s finishing 12th best .

Full FP2 Results are Below

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