Fabio Di Giannantonio secured his first win since Qatar 2023. But the sweet taste of victory was marred by concern after two horrific crashes brought out the red flags.
After an already chaotic weekend in Catalunya, there was no doubts that the main Grand Prix race was going to be just as wild. But nothing could prepare spectators for the events that would unfold. With two separate massive crashes, the red flags were brought out twice during the race. For the MotoGP riders and all of their crew, it was a tough day at the Catalan GP.
Race Start
There was trouble for Brad Binder as the grid lined up for the race start. He could be seen being pushed off the grid and into the pit lane due to a technical issue with his KTM. It was an unwelcome setback for the South African, who had managed to qualify on the third row. As the lights went out, Pedro Acosta got a good start from pole, hanging on to the number one spot and getting the holeshot at they barrelled through Turn 1. Álex Márquez and Raúl Fernández were hot on his heels, and Fernández quickly managed to get past to snatch second place. Meanwhile, Jorge Martín managed to get himself up into fourth. There was a little bit of light contact between Martín and Márquez, but they both carried on without any issue.
By Lap 3, Márquez’s fortunes began to shift. The Gresini rider found himself being absolutely mobbed, dropping back two places as Martín went past. Johann Zarco took full advantage to follow the Aprilia through. Márquez managed to get one place back as the Honda ran slightly wide. By the end of the lap, Acosta led from Fernández. Martín, Márquez and Zarco made up the remainder of the top five.
Fernández was showing incredible pace, setting the fastest lap of the race so far on Lap 5. The Trackhouse rider managed to pass the KTM to take the lead, but Acosta wasn’t letting him get away. Behind them Márquez managed to get back past Martín, whilst Fabio Di Giannantonio was all over the back of Zarco. Further back, Enea Bastianini managed to slip by Fabio Quartararo for 13th.
No Letting Up
Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was already having a tough day by Lap 6. The Italian was struggling down in 10th before running wide and losing a further two positions. Up at the front on Lap 7, Fernández set yet another fastest lap. But it wasn’t enough to keep Acosta at bay, with the KTM sailing past through Turn 1. It was a short-lived success, as Fernández got straight back into the lead by Turn 2. On Lap 8, Di Giannantonio moved up into fifth and immediately set his sights on Martín ahead of him.
On Lap 9, Acosta tried to repeat his move on Fernández and managed to make it stick this time around, putting himself back in the lead of the race. Soon after, Fermín Aldeguer made a neat move on Luca Marini to take ninth. Meanwhile the front runners of Acosta, Fernández and Márquez were forming a tight trio. Behind them, Martín was closing in and ready to snap up any opportunities that presented themselves.
As they approached Turn 1 on Lap 10, Márquez shot past Fernández. The Gresini rider was now free to hunt down Acosta in a bid to snatch the lead away. Márquez took no time in piling on the pressure, and spectators prepared for a Spanish showdown. Down in 13th, disaster struck for Bastianini. The KTM rider crashed out of the race in Sector 1, bringing out the yellow flags.
Red Flag
Márquez made his move and briefly passed Acosta as they started Lap 12, but some brilliant defending from Acosta saw him back in front as they hit Turn 1. Márquez was hanging on to the back of the KTM, ready to pounce. However, in a terrifying twist, Acosta’s bike suddenly lost power. Márquez was so close behind him, there was simply no time to react. He hit the back of the KTM at speed. This in turn caused the Gresini to rocket towards the grass, where it threw Márquez over the handlebars and slammed him into the ground. The bike exploded into bits as it tumbled – there was debris everywhere. The front fork and wheel detached entirely, before bouncing back onto the track and hitting the side of Di Giannantonio’s bike, pitching him into the gravel at Turn 10.
The red flags were immediately brought out. The world collectively held its breath – this was a big one, and nobody knew what condition Márquez was in. There was barely a bike left as it finally settled on the track, Marshals leapt into action to clear the remains as the ambulance arrived to tend to Márquez. Thankfully, it was only moments before confirmation was received that Márquez was conscious. Di Giannantonio had managed to get back up, although he was clearly in pain and clutching his left hand.
As riders waited to hear if and when the race would restart, and as they were undoubtedly trying to process what had happened, Di Giannantonio made his way slowly back to the pits on his recovered bike. The ambulance took Márquez to the medical centre, although this would later turn into a trip to hospital.
A Brief Restart
The quick-start procedure was initiated, and riders made their way back out to line up on the grid once more. Those who had damaged bikes hopped onto their second bike, and were ready to racing once again. There’s no doubt that they would all still be thinking of Márquez. But it was time to put the visors down and focus on the 13 laps ahead.
As the lights went out for the second time today, it was Acosta who once again retained his lead into Turn 1. Almost immediately, yellow flags waved as Zarco, Bagnaia and Marini crashed in Turn 1. As quickly as the yellows came out, the red flags waved once more. It was obvious something had gone horribly wrong.
Zarco had braked incredibly late into the first corner, hitting the back of Bagnaia’s Ducati. As they tumbled, Marini was sideswiped, simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marshals ran out into the gravel to aid the stricken riders, and more worry radiated from the scene when an ambulance arrived. As it turns out, Zarco’s left leg had gotten stuck in the wheel of the Ducati, locking the wheel and dragging him through the gravel. The ambulance took Zarco to the medical centre, whilst Marini and Bagnaia ran back to the pits. Bagnaia was seen icing his left wrist as he sat in the garage, and as not even one lap had been completed since the restart, both Bagnaia and Marini were eligible to rejoin the race.
Third Time’s The Charm
The quick-start procedure kicked in once more, and now there were now even more terrible scenes for the riders to have to put at the backs of their minds. With 12 laps to run, everything was still to play for.
For the third time, Acosta got the holeshot. Martín was right behind him, pushing to get redemption for the weekend and maximum points out of today’s race. But Martín’s troubles were far from over. As he made his way through the second sector, Fernández caught the Aprilia’s rear wheel, knocking Martín to the ground and taking the title challenger out of contention. Astonishingly, no penalty was given after investigation by the Stewards, who deemed it to be a first-lap racing incident. At the end of the first lap, it was Acosta leading from Mir, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo (who had made the most of the chaos, getting his Yamaha up the order).
As the pack made their way around for the second lap, Ai Ogura reminded everyone of the skills he’s displayed numerous times this season, slipping past Bezzecchi with seemingly little trouble. Two laps later, Di Giannantonio made a move on Bagnaia to snatch third, whilst Aldeguer skipped past Quartararo for fifth. Aldeguer’s next target was Bagnaia, with the Gresini rider able to pass the Ducati to take fourth. Ahead of him, Di Giannantonio was closing in on Joan Mir and Pedro Acosta at an astonishing rate.
Final Push
Despite his earlier troubles, Brad Binder had recovered well, and on the eighth lap he managed to pass Moreira to take 10th position. Slightly further back, Viñales passed the Pramac of Jack Miller, moving himself up to 14th. Up at the front, however, Acosta was giving a masterclass on how to make your bike as wide as possible as he defended from Mir. With the Honda rider focused on trying to grasp the lead, Di Giannantonio pounced and snatched second from Mir.
Di Giannantonio was soon on the back of Acosta like a rash. It looked like we were on for a repeat of the epic scrap that was witnessed in Le Mans, and Di Giannantonio took no time in speeding past Acosta to take the lead. Acosta did manage to briefly regain the lead as Di Giannantonio ran wide, but quickly found himself back in second. It was clear that the KTM was starting to struggle with tyre wear, not helped by the immense speed that Di Giannantonio was able to produce coming out of the final corner.
On the last lap, Acosta’s pain only worsened as Mir passed him to take second. Aldeguer quickly followed suit, dropping Acosta to fourth. He now found himself trying to defend through the final corners as Ai Ogura was all over him, but they wouldn’t even get to cross the line. Ogura made contact with Acosta, sending them both into the gravel.
As the chequered flag waved, it was Di Giannantonio who claimed victory – his first since Qatar 2023. Behind him came Mir, with Aldeguer claiming the final podium spot. Ogura and Bagnaia claimed fourth and fifth respectively, with Bezzecchi, Quartararo, Marini, Binder and Moreira making up the rest of the top 10.
Post-Race Penalties
Whilst the podium celebrations were still taking place, the Steward announced that a number of riders were being investigated for low tyre pressures. One of these riders was Joan Mir, who currently held second, and Francesco Bagnaia in fifth. At the same time, Ogura was given a 3-second penalty for his last-lap collision with Acosta, dropping him from fourth to eighth. Hours after the race concluded, confirmation started to filter through of those affected by tyre pressure penalties.
Joan Mir was handed a 16-second penalty, dropping him from second all the way down to 13th. Raúl Fernández, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Jack Miller and Álex Rins were all also slapped with a 16-second penalty each, as each of them fell short of the tyre pressure parameters. Miraculously, Bagnaia was cleared and could celebrate his promotion to third.
Injury Updates
There was somewhat positive news as Álex Márquez posted a photo from his hospital bed. It was good to see that his signature smile was still present despite the pain. The Gresini team confirmed that he had suffered a marginal fracture of the C7 vertebrae, which will have further evaluation next week, and a right clavicle fracture for which he will undergo surgery to stabilise with a plate.
Meanwhile there was also some good news for Johann Zarco. There was a brief update from LCR Honda CEO Lucio Cecchinello in a post-race interview that Zarco was at hospital awaiting an MRI, but that he didn’t have a broken femur. Zarco himself later posted on his social media that the ligaments in his knee had given out, and there was a small fracture in his fibula. He will be kept in overnight for observation, but it seems that the Frenchman has escaped largely unharmed.
Whilst we all love an wild race, today’s Catalan GP was a lot more than anyone would have bargained for. Thankfully, everyone has some time to recover before it all starts again in Italy on 29th-31st May.
Feature image courtesy of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team