It was an action-packed Saturday afternoon in Catalunya. Álex Márquez took a win ahead of Pedro Acosta in a tense Catalunya Sprint battle. Just 0.041 seconds separated the two Spanish riders after a last-lap fight, making it the closest sprint race finish in MotoGP history.
Heading into the weekend, much of the attention had been placed on KTM after Pedro Acosta secured his first pole position in 588 days.
Around a circuit that traditionally rewards confidence on corner entry and late-race tyre management, the young KTM rider immediately looked comfortable at the front and controlled the opening stages of the Sprint race.
However, Álex Márquez once again proved why he is becoming one of the most consistent riders in the current championship fight. After following Acosta closely during the early laps, Márquez eventually found his way through on lap four. After this move the race quickly developed into a straight duel between KTM power and the Ducati-powered Gresini. Despite late charge from Acosta, Márquez managed to hold on across the final lap to secure the Sprint victory and make it the Spanish 1-2 in front of the home crowd.
Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the podium after another strong performance. Diggia is continuing what has quietly been a very solid run of form for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in recent rounds. Finishing near the top may be turning into a more regular occurrence, but the elation was clearly on display during the podium ceremony.
KTM Showing Signs Of Progress
For Acosta, Catalunya arguably marked one of KTM’s strongest weekends of the season so far.
The young Spaniard looked rapid throughout practice and qualifying. During the sprint the KTM rider was pushing Álex Márquez all the way to the final corner.
“Just one more lap! Pace quite OK, start quite OK but we’re missing something in the beginning of the race before we can come back, so we need to find a bit more grip. But I’m happy with the rhythm and how we managed the rear tire to be fast at the end. A different tire tomorrow so it’s a question mark. Today we were fast, tomorrow we will see if we can have the same.”
Although he narrowly missed out on victory, the performance further reinforced the feeling that KTM is beginning to close the gap at the front once again.
Meanwhile, Álex admitted there is still work to do ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix, particularly with long-run pace and front-end stability during the closing stages of the Sprint.
“It’s a nice win, but looking ahead to tomorrow, we’re still missing something to be competitive in the long race. It was a great challenge. On the last lap, I felt the bike was close, and I had to push hard because I’d been struggling with the front end for the past four or five laps. Recovering 11 points at the top of the overall standings is definitely positive, and tomorrow we need to make another step forward to stay on the right track and try to get back into the fight for the top spots in the championship.”
Aprilia’s Weekend Quickly Unravels
While the battle at the front provided one of the closest Sprint finishes of the season, the same could not be said for Aprilia.
After dominating at Le Mans only last weekend, Aprilia Racing endured a disastrous Saturday in Barcelona. Jorge Martín crashed for the fourth time this weekend during the Sprint, ending his race at Lap 3. Not what he needs when he’s so close to snatching the championship lead.
Adding to the team’s pressures, his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi was up against it after the crash in Qualifying. During the sprint, having started at 12th, Bez managed to salvage a single (but crucial) championship point from the Sprint race. The contrast between Le Mans and Catalunya could hardly have been bigger for the Aprilia riders.
Francesco Bagnaia also continued to struggle after another difficult qualifying left him starting down the order. Despite being unable to challenge near the front during the Sprint, Pecco did a decent job for Ducati, finishing sixth and gaining four points.
Championship Momentum Beginning To Shift
With only two points between Bezzecchi and Martín, and with Acosta and Álex Márquez showing strong performances, the momentum once again shifts across the championship battle.
The Sprint result allowed Álex Márquez to recover valuable ground in the standings. Meanwhile, KTM’s improving form has only added another contender into the mix heading deeper into the season.
And if Saturday’s Sprint was anything to go by, Sunday’s Grand Prix could deliver even more drama.
Feature image courtesy of BK8 Gresini Racing