Pecco on point at Italian GP

After snatching the lead from a fast-starting Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM) at the second corner of the 23-lap Italian Grand Prix, held at the Mugello circuit on June 11, Lenovo Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia put in a peerless performance to celebrate the win and extend his title lead over Marco Bezzechi (Mooney VR46 Ducati).

He didn’t put a wheel wrong as the chase behind him ensued, starting with Prima Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin muscling his way past Miller through to second with Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) and both Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) all desperate to keep the Italian in check.

Whether he was sucked in from the slipstream or determined to make up for his three-place grid penalty early on in proceedings, Alex Marquez out-braked himself at the end of the straight to start lap three while somehow missing all four riders ahead of him, but clipping Miller as he turned back onto the racing line, which left the gesticulating Aussie down in a luckless sixth place.

It was Marini who emerged third and who quickly got his head down to try and reel in what was now an early break being made by Bagnaia and Martin ahead, with Marc Marquez going with him. Miller never managed to regroup, however, with both Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati) and Red Bull KTM teammate Brad Binder getting past him by lap six, and he wasn’t able to make any further progress as the race unravelled.

Marc Marquez suffered his fourth consecutive DNF one lap later as he took a wide line in the final corner to get better drive over Marini, losing the front in the process, while title contender Bezzechi also found his way past Miller to take seventh.

With Bagnaia and Martin now 1.5sec up the road, it was Alex Marquez who took the fight to third-placed Marini. While the pair would exchange places at the end of the straight for the next two laps, with Marquez eventually making a pass stick, Marini kept the pressure on his fellow Ducati rider and the Spaniard buckled, sliding out of the race with nine laps to go.

By now Bagnaia had a comfortable 1.3sec advantage over Martin, who in turn was 2.2sec ahead of Marini, but the Mooney VR46 rider still couldn’t relax as Zarco, just one tenth behind Marini but 2.5sec ahead of Binder in fifth, now fancied his chance of a podium finish.

A small mistake by Marini on the final corner of the 17th lap was enough to let Zarco ease by at the start of the 18th, but although Marini fought back immediately, the 32-year-old Frenchman was back in front by turn three, which he held to the line to make it a Prima Pramac double podium alongside Bagnaia.

Binder finished fifth, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) eventually found a way past Miller for sixth after the Aussie spent the last half of the race defending the Spaniard, while Bezzechi salvaged eight points for eighth place, ahead of the returning Enea Bastianini (Lenovo Ducati) in ninth.

Franco Morbidelli (Monster Yamaha) was the best-finishing Yamaha in 19th ahead of teammate Fabio Quartararo in 11th.

Taking both Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s GP wins puts Bagnaia (131pts) 21 points clear of Bezzechi (110), whose best result came with a second place in the Sprint. Jorge Martin (107), who left Mugello with a second in the Sprint and a third on Sunday, moves to within just three points of Bezzechi. Binder stays in fourth on 92 points ahead of Zarco (88) in fifth.

The MotoGP Championship now heads to Sachsenring, Germany, this weekend (June 18) – and a circuit where Marc Marquez has triumphed on his previous 11 visits.