Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez won the Australian Grand Prix after a breathtaking battle with Jorge Martin who took the opportunity to slightly increase his championship lead over Francesco Bagnaia, third on Sunday.
The two Spaniards dominated the race, engaging in a fierce battle that turned to the advantage of the Ducati-Gresini rider, who crossed the finish line almost a second ahead of the Ducati-Pramac rider.
Marquez, spectacularly missed start
However, Marquez started the race badly. Just before the start, he removed one of the plastic protections from his visor which became lodged just under his rear wheel, causing it to skid spectacularly when the lights went out.
He was then overtaken by many other competitors and found himself seventh at the end of the first lap while Martin, who had started in pole position, took the lead, followed by Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati VR46) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).
The world championship leader quickly widened the gap while, behind him, Bezzecchi fell. But, like the day before during the sprint race won by Martin, Marquez began a relentless comeback, returning to third place after seven laps behind Bagnaia whom he attacked quickly, the two drivers closing in on Martin.
The three drivers then launched into a bitter battle, their pursuers quickly being relegated to almost four seconds. However, the Italian was gradually being taken away by the two Spaniards who were fighting alone in the lead.
If Martin managed to resist Marquez’s pressure until four laps to the checkered flag, the six-time world champion overtook him without a shot, the Ducati-Pramac rider vainly trying to resist but having to let Marquez slip away as he crossed the line finishing almost a second ahead.
“The ‘tear-off’ ended up under my wheel and I tried to remove it but it was impossible and I skidded at the start. I then thought it would be impossible to catch Martin but I quickly overtook several drivers while trying not to wear out my rear tire too much.“, declared an over the moon Marquez after the finish.
Martin remained cautious
He proves this season that he has returned to the top after several seasons marked by injuries. His decision to leave Honda, with whom he won his six titles, to join the Gresini team, a Ducati customer, turns out to be the right one and he now places himself as the super favorite for a seventh title next year, when he joins the Ducati factory team alongside Bagnaia.
Martin didn’t seem too disappointed. “It was a difficult race and it was very windy. But when I was overtaken by Pecco (Bagnaia) I increased the pace. I then fought with Marquez. He had nothing to lose and I didn’t want to take too many risks.“, confided the Pramac rider who keeps his eyes fixed on his first MotoGP title.
But Bagnaia doesn’t see it that way and stressed on Sunday that the next two races will take place on tracks he prefers (Thailand and Malaysia) before the final in Valencia, Spain, at Martin and… Marquez. “They did a better job than us“, however, he noted on Sunday after the Australian race, looking somewhat disappointed.
Note that the young Spanish prodigy Pedro Acosta (GasGas-Tech3) had to withdraw from the race after injuring his shoulder the day before when he fell during the sprint race. Jorge Martin is now 20 points ahead of Francesco Bagnaia in the world championship with three rounds remaining, with Marc Marquez following with 345 points. On the French side, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) managed to finish in the top ten, in ninth place, while Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) came 12th.
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