Marc Márquez wins after a close battle at San Marino
- Isha Reshmi Mohan
- Sep 14
- 4 min read
Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan
After what could definitely be considered a ‘long time’ without a predictable race winner, Marc Márquez wins at San Marino, but only after a tough fight from Marco Bezzecchi right up to the end of the race.
Grand Prix Results
Marc Márquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, 41:20.898
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, +0.568
Álex Márquez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +7.734
Franco Morbidelli, Pertamina VR46 Team, +10.379
Fabio DiGiannantonio, Pertamina VR46 Team, +11.330
Fermín Aldeguer, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +16.069
Luca Marini, Honda HRC Team, +17.965
Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha, +20.964
Miguel Oliviera, Yamaha Pramac Team, +21.565
Brad Binder, Redbull KTM Factory Racing, +23.109
Raul Fernandez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +24.592
Jack Miller, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, +27.492
Jorge Martín, Aprilia Racing, +29.937
Augusto Fernandez, Yamaha Factory Team, +1:01.504
Somkiat Chantra, Idemitsu Honda LCR, +1:01.932
Johann Zarco, Honda LCR Team, +1 Lap
OUT Enea Bastianini, Redbull KTM Tech 3
OUT Àlex Rins, Monster Energy Yamaha
OUT Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo Team
OUT Pedro Acosta, KTM Factory Team
OUT Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Team
OUT Joan Mir, Honda HRC Team
OUT Maverick Viñales, Redbull KTM Tech 3
Sprint Session
Claiming his first pole at his home GP, Marco Bezzecchi continued his strong form throughout the day.
There wasn’t much action behind him in the opening laps, except for an early and inevitable move from Marc, who moved up to second place on the first lap.
Quartararo slipped up on lap 5 at turn 2, a worrying sign for the Yamaha bikes this weekend, especially after Oliveira’s earlier crash.
On lap 6, Marc made an early overtake but lost the position almost immediately at turn 15 when he crashed, handing the spot back to Bezzecchi. A possible issue with the front of his bike may have made the rest of the session a comfortable win for Bezzecchi.
This victory also ended the Marquez family’s streak of taking all the sprint wins so far this season.
Despite crashing and missing the minimum requirement of a P7 finish, Marc is still expected to get match point at Motegi as Álex didn’t win the sprint either.
Right in the backyard of the VR46 fans, the VR46 team duo fought for the final spot on the podium in the closing stages of the session, which was eventually claimed by Diggiantonio.
Race Report
Issues started before the lights went out, with Jorge Martín’s Aprilia stopping on the sighting lap, forcing him to rush back to switch bikes. Since he couldn’t make it in before the pit lane closed, he had to start his warm-up lap from the pit lane and was handed a double long-lap penalty.
The broadcast direction finally allowed viewers to see more of the midfield battles rather than just the front row, which was filled with plenty of action. A break away from the monotony, unfortunately marked by a quarter of the grid dropping out in the first quarter of the race.
It didn’t take too long for the first crash of many in the race. Just moments after the lights went off, Zarco and Mir crashed in Sector 1 at Turn 4. Rough for the Hondas. Zarco decides to rejoin and finishes last, behind Somkiat Chantra, while Mir retires from the session.
Despite a terrible ending to the sprint session, Marc Márquez swiftly moved to P2 in the first lap from P4, chasing down Marco Bezzecchi for the lead.
A bit further down the grid, Franco Morbidelli and Acosta fought for fifth place, which was claimed by the latter on Lap 4 as he went on to chase Quartararo. It looked almost inevitable for the KTM to overtake, and just two laps later, he clinched fourth place.
But what was meant to be a great high ended just as quickly for Acosta, as his bike ran into chain issues on Lap 8, putting him on the list of retirees, which also included Ai Ogura and Maverick Viñales by then, and Francesco Bagnaia in the very next lap.
By Lap 12, Marc moved in to finally take the lead after a mistake from Bezzecchi and cruised ahead, widening the gap from the rest of the grid.
Adding to KTM’s misfortunes, on Lap 13 Bastianini went down in Sector 4. Three of the four KTMs were now off the grid.
Although the last 10 laps started to settle down in terms of positions, the fight for the win was a lot more intense compared to previous races, right up to the end.
Bezzecchi began pushing for the win again shortly after Marc received a track limits warning, maintaining a 0.4-second gap between them, showing signs of matching Marquez’s Ducati, bringing in hope for more competition for the rest of season.
An overall exciting race weekend from a solid circuit, which has now also confirmed to remain on the MotoGP calendar until 2031.
Be sure to catch the next race at Motegi, Japan on the 28th of September at 6 am BST!
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