In the Australian Grand Prix, Jorge Martin defeated Marc Marquez in the MotoGP sprint race, while Enea Bastianini overtook Francesco Bagnaia to take third place.
Following an amazing Tissot Sprint, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) has increased his lead in the title in the Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, the #89 established a fast pace and quickly achieved triumph. After a difficult start, Martin reached the finish line ahead of Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), while Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) secured the last podium position for the Sprint after an incredible performance from 10th on the grid. Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team, who finished fourth and now has a 16-point gap to Martin in the Championship, trailed ‘The Beast’ as he crossed the finish line.
As the lights went down, there was a lot of excitement as Martin, starting from pole position, made the perfect launch and surged ahead of the pack at Turn 1. Following the defending World Champion’s incredible start from P5 on the grid, the #89 was leading, with Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Bagnaia in pursuit. Marc Marquez had a difficult start to the Sprint, finishing tenth after the #93 went wide at Turn 1. But the eight-time world champion started to gain ground, slicing by Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), catching up to Bastianini and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for P4.
Martin dropped the hammer early, giving Bezzecchi a lead of one second, but now Bagnaia was putting tremendous pressure on him. On lap four, the #1 made the move stick, moving up to second, and Bezzecchi soon found himself under pressure from Marc Marquez, who was accelerating quickly. The order continued to shift, with Marc Marquez focusing on Bagnaia and Bezzecchi dropping to fourth as the margin closed at each sector until the #93 attacked on Lap 8. Unable to keep up with the speed, Bagnaia quickly slid to fourth place as Bastianini exploited a weakness in his teammate’s armor to take the podium spot.
To the dismay of the Australian audience, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had drama when he crashed on Lap 8. Not only did the #43 rider have a difficult day, but two other riders also experienced difficulties during the Sprint: Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP). Amidst this, Bezzecchi and Viñales persisted in their fierce struggle for fifth place, with the #12 passing the Italian at the beginning of Lap 12. All of this happened at Turn 1, though, when Bezzecchi and Viñales clashed and both riders went out. Moments later, Binder’s chances of scoring were dashed as well, when the South African lost the lead at Turn 4.
Martin’s late-race speed was unmatched by anyone, which gave the #89 the opportunity to storm to victory at Phillip Island. As the fight for third place in the Championship continues, Martin crossed the line first by 1.520 seconds over the recuperating Marc Marquez, who crossed in second and, more importantly, ahead of Bastianini. After dropping more points to championship contender Martin, Bagnaia crossed the finish line in fourth place, still needing to find some speed for Sunday. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), who completed ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and finished sixth, completed a confident Saturday ahead of Morbidelli, who finished in fifth place.
Due to running tire pressures below recommended limits, the #49 was penalized eight seconds and dropped to seventh place. Further back, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) was eighth in a solid performance for the #41 as Augusto Fernandez earned the day’s last point, finishing as the only Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 rider following a late collision involving teammate Pedro Acosta.
