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MotoGP: Bagnaia controls in Italian GP win from Pramac pair

11/06/2023

Francesco Bagnaia eased in to win MotoGP Italian GP from Jorge Martin as Johann Zarco passed Luca Marini for third.

It was a storming start from KTM’s Jack Miller in MotoGP Italian GP at Mugello but pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia got through him to take the lead on his Ducati, with Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin passing VR46 Ducati’s Luca Marini for third.

Honda’s Marc Marquez dropped to fifth along with Gresini Ducati’s Alex Marquez, with KTM’s Brad Binder in eighth from Ducati’s Enea Bastianini and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro as Pramac’s Johann Zarco dropped outside of the Top 10.

He gained ground slowly as Bagnaia led the way from Martin who cleared Miller soon. The Australian then had Marini, M Marquez, A Marquez and Binder to fend off. A Marquez made a striking move at Turn 1 in between M Marquez and Miller to shot through them.

But he went wide and had a minor touch with Miller which allowed Marini and M Marquez to be third and fourth. Both Binder and Miller started to lose places with A Marquez up to fifth from Zarco who moved up five places after losing ground on Lap 1.

Bezzecchi was ninth from Espargaro behind Binder and Miller in the Top 10, with Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli leading teammate Fabio Quartararo. While chasing Marini for the podium, Marquez took a wide moment and crashed out from fourth in a big moment.

A Marquez moved up to fourth from Zarco with Binder and Miller just behind. The Australian was passed by Bezzecchi but the KTM rider came back on him to retake seventh. Espargaro ran ninth from Morbidelli with Bastianini in 11th ahead of Quartararo.

As things settled down a bit apart from a third place fight between Marini and Marquez, there was a crash for returning RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira. Having failed the first time, Marquez tried again to pass Marini at Turn 1 and it stuck this time to be third.

But he couldn’t hold on for long as Marquez crashed out allowing Marini back to third from Zarco with Binder in fifth. At a distant was Miller in sixth from Espargaro who cleared Bezzecchi, with Morbidelli in ninth from Bastianini in the Top 10.

A wide moment from Marini allowed Zarco to take third but the Italian came back at Turn 1 to retake it. The two then had a minor moment with Zarco getting back ahead in third. Espargaro, meanwhile, passed Miller for sixth with Bezzecchi not far behind.

At the front, Bagnaia eased to win MotoGP Italian GP from Martin as Zarco made it two Pramac riders on the podium, disallowing Marini a home podium. Binder was a sound fifth from Espargaro, Miller and Bezzecchi, with Bastianini up to ninth.

Morbidelli was 10th holding off teammate Quartararo as Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales was 12th from LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami – the lead Honda rider. Gresini’s Fabio di Giannantonio was 14th with GASGAS Tech 3’s Augusto Fernandez taking the final point in 15th.

Ducati’s Michele Pirro was just outside in 16th from RNF’s Raul Fernandez who lost the final point in the closing stages. Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori ended up 18th from Tech 3’s Jonas Folger. DNF: A Marquez, Oliveira, M Marquez.