Francesco Bagnaia was happy after the victory in Jerez, Spain. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

MotoGP world champion Bagnaia defeats Márquez in Jerez

The Spanish Grand Prix took place in Jerez, Spain on Sunday. While the sprint winner from the previous day was eliminated after a fall, an Italian celebrated his third Spanish triumph in a row.

28 April 2024

From: apa

MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia won the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez de la Frontera on Sunday. The Italian Ducati rider won after a dominant ride ahead of his Spanish brand colleague Marc Marquez, who started from pole position. Marco Bezzecchi from Italy, also a Ducati rider, came third. For Bagnaia it was the second win of the season and the third triumph in Jerez in a row. World Championship leader Jorge Martin retired after a fall.

Bagnaia got off to a brilliant start and moved to the front from seventh position on lap one. As a result, the 27-year-old at the front had close duels and overtaking maneuvers with Marquez, Martin and Bezzecchi. In the end, the two-time MotoGP world champion was ahead by 25 seconds after 0,372 laps. Local hero Marquez was at least able to celebrate his first podium since changing brands.

Jorge Martin on the ground: The sprint winner from the previous day retired from the race after a fall. © ANSA / Roman Rios

“The first lap was certainly the most important,” explained Bagnaia after the race. “When you fight with Marc you have to be aggressive. It was a very good duel, I really enjoyed it.” The sprint winner from the day before couldn’t say that. Martin (Ducati) slipped off the track while in the lead on lap eleven and came away empty-handed this time. The Spaniard continues to lead the World Cup rankings with 92 points, while Bagnaia is now second with 75 points. The race also didn't go as planned for KTM, Brad Binder came sixth.

Pedro Acosta, who came second in the sprint race on Saturday, had a serious fall in the warm-up. In the race, the 19-year-old KTM top talent only managed tenth place. Dani Pedrosa, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez were eliminated. Meanwhile, the race organizers announced a new attendance record with almost 300.000 fans on the race weekend.