Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia won the FIM MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at the Mugello circuit, in Italy. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP24 on Michelin control tires, the two-time and defending World Champion won the 23-lap race by 0.799 second
Bagnaia’s Italian teammate Enea Bastianini took a runner-up finish in front of his home fans.
Jorge Martin made it an all-Ducati podium by placing third on his Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.
Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez finished fourth on his Gresini Ducati.
Rookie sensation Pedro Acosta got fifth on his Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 machine.
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Nuvola azzurra: Bagnaia reigns as Bastianini charges past Martin and Marquez at Mugello
Ducati Lenovo paint Mugello blue as the reigning Champion lays down the gauntlet and the Beast has his Sprint revenge
Sunday, 02 June 2024
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed a near-perfect weekend on home turf with a masterclass victory in the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo. The Italian stormed to the lead from lights out and then kept it on perfect rails to stay a tantalising distance ahead of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) for much of the race, with the gap going up and down but never quite in range for an attack. That instead came from Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the #23 put together an almighty final charge.
The Beast duelled Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and then put in a late burst of lightning speed to catch Martin, that enough to put him within striking distance at the final corner. And strike he did. Slicing up the inside and keeping it clean as anything, the #23 served his Tissot Sprint revenge to make it a Ducati Lenovo 1-2, with Martin forced to settle for third.
As the lights went out, Bagnaia went full Bagnaia. Second around San Donato as he threaded the needle from the second row, he immediately then lined up and pickpocketed Martin to go into the lead. From there, the hammer was down as Martin dug in to hold on, with Bastianini third ahead of Marc Marquez and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing).
The chess game was on from there on out. Three tenths, six tenths, eight tenths, five tenths; Martin wasn’t getting dropped but he wasn’t consistently able to stay close enough to attack the #1 in the lead.
Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was on the march. Marquez made a move on Bastianini into San Donato and headed wide, with the #23 hitting back immediately, and that put the rookie superstar right on Marquez’ tail. The GASGAS shadowed him round the lap but couldn’t find a way through, then heading wide at the final corner and forced to watch the Gresini disappear out of striking distance.
At the front, the chess match rolled on. Bagnaia led Martin led Bastianini, with Marquez then starting to harry the #23. Acosta was a few tenths further back, with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) starting to come under pressure from Viñales with 12 to go. It was tense holding stations, with the one small ripple in the calm coming as Martin went deep into San Donato with 10 laps to go, but he gathered it back up.
By six laps to go, it wasn’t check mate but it was starting to heat up into a grandstand finish. Marc Marquez finally made a move on Bastianini, attacking into San Donato with a clean move that gave the #23 no right of reply. His mission seemed then to catch Martin, but Martin was starting to cut the gap to the front once again. By three laps to go, it had been halved from the eight or nine tenth maximum Bagnaia had had at any point. Game on?
Very much so, but not for the #89. Instead, Bagnaia threw down the gauntlet and disappeared again as Bastianini stole the spotlight. Through on Marc Marquez at Scarperia, the exact same style of move the #93 had pulled on him, the Beast was on a charge and his next target was the other half of the Sprint tangle that had sent him into the gravel.
Locked on and flying, as Bagnaia crossed the line to take his third Italian GP win in a row as part of his second Mugello double, Bastianini was homing in. Into the very final corner the Ducati Lenovo Team rider found space on the inside to complete the fairtytale 1-2 for the team, and in some serious style as pandemonium erupted in the grandstands. Over the line with time in hand over Martin, Bastianini followed Bagnaia home – and Martin’s lead is cut to just 18 points.
Still, it was another podium finish and a good haul of points, and it was ahead of fellow frontrunner Marc Marquez, who was forced to settle for fourth. Acosta ended up in a lonelier ride for fifth after he’d lost touch with the front group.
Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) caught Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) and got past him, and then managed to catch Viñales and Morbidelli to create a three-way fight for sixth. He made made it past the Aprilia just as the race entered the final three laps, but Morbidelli managed to stay ahead to take P6 ahead of the VR46 rider, Viñales and Alex Marquez.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) didn’t get the same stellar start as he did in Saturday, but the South African held off Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) to complete the top ten.
It’s now just 18 points separating Martin from Bagnaia at the top of the Championship, and after a maximum of 259 have already been on the table. Will the tale twist again at Assen? We’ll find out in a few weeks as MotoGP™ now resets and reloads before heading for the Cathedral. And Ducati keep pondering their 2025 line-up.
Roberts fights off Gonzalez on the last lap to take first victory since 2022
In a blockbuster Moto2™ race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) took victory in a nail-biting last lap decider, the American repelling the best efforts of Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) to take top honours for the first time since the 2022 Portuguese GP. Completing the podium was MB Conveyors SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez, who was elbows out in the front fight, as ever.
Off like a rocket at the start, Roberts led early on the opening lap. He had close competition though, with Lopez and a Darryn Binder (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) following on eagerly. A flying start also came in from Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) as well, who stormed to seventh after starting 12th.
Lopez would follow Roberts until lap four before he pounced at San Donato, but it wouldn’t be until Turn 3 before he could make the move stick. Unfortunately for the MB Conveyors Speed Up team, it was glory for one and disaster for another in that moment as Lopez’ teammate Fermin Aledguer crashed out after contact from Jeremy Alcoba (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team).
Still in the lead, Lopez now had Gonzalez behind as he had found his way through on Roberts. Slightly further back in the lead pack, disaster stuck for Binder who skittled into the gravel at Arrabbiata 1, an early end to what had been a strong weekend all round.
In a six-rider battle for the lead, everything was building to a grandstand last half of the race. The action kicked off as Roberts and Lopez ran wide at Turn 1 – giving them both more work to do – and allowing Gonzalez and Canet to the lead. But it wouldn’t be long before Roberts would then return the favour and find his way through to the front with just three laps remaining, asking questions of the others at the front.
As a dramatic finish loomed, Roberts entered the final lap in the lead. Gonzalez got a fantastic slipstream and attacked round San Donato, but the American hit back at the next available chance, diving to the inside at Turn 2. Under the highest of pressure, Roberts held strong to take his first victory since the 2022 Portuguese GP by just 0.067s. Gonzalez’ search for a first Moto2™ win goes on, and Lopez picked up third podium of the season.
Claiming fourth was Championship leader Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI), whose advantage in the standings has reduced to seven points. Behind Garcia was teammate Ogura, who Garcia pipped on the last lap, ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) and home hero Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Izan Guevara (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) claimed eighth as IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia’s Somkiat Chantra and OnlyFans American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez rounded out the top 10.
Next up is the TT Circuit Assen in three weeks’ time for what is set to be yet another dramatic Grand Prix, so join us for more at the Cathedral!
Alonso just keeps the edge on Veijer to extend his lead to 37 points
David Alonso (CFMoto Valresa Aspar Team) remains the rider to beat in Moto3™, taking his fifth win of the season in style at Mugello. The Colombian led from the front for much of a shortened 11-lap dash and held off a late charge from Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) to take another 25-point haul. Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) charged up from P13 on the grid to secure third and his first ever Grand Prix podium.
The initial start was red-flagged following a crash for Fillippo Farioli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Xabi Zurutuza (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Zurutuza heading to hospital for further examination. Once back underway, the distance was reduced to 11 laps of Mugello, with one clear aim for most: keep up with Alonso.
There was drama nearly immediately as Dani Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) tagged riders at Turn 1 and sent Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Stefano Nepa (LEVEL UP-MTA) crashing out, with the #96 given a double Long Lap for irresponsible riding.
Meanwhile at the front, it was a breakway group of six making their moves: Alonso, Veijer, Yamanaka, Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports).
With four to go, it looked like Alonso was trying to make a break, and it took Veijer a couple of laps to take over in second and get enough breathing space to start trying to close the Colombian down. But that he did, and by the start of the final lap the Dutchman was within a couple of tenths, with Ortola in third.
Ultimately, however, he couldn’t get close enough to make a move, and then there was drama in the fight for the final place on the podium too as Ortola slid out at Turn 12, ending his rostrum hopes. One of the quickest remounts of all time saw him still take sixth, but Yamanaka was up the road to take his maiden Grand Prix podium and continue his impressive consistency running near the front in 2024.
Fourth went to Furusato as he was the final rider within a couple of seconds of the front, with Muñoz forced to settle for fifth further down the road. Ortola remounted for that sixth ahead of another impressive ride from rookie Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing), rookie Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Matteo Bertelle (Kopron Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the top ten in a closer group battle.
The gap is now 37 points for Alonso at the top. Now it’s next stop Assen after a spring break, but the question remains the same: can anyone stop the Colombian? Veijer nearly managed it at Mugello, and on his home turf in the Netherlands, he’ll try and find another kitchen sink to add to his armory.
