2024 San Marino MotoGP: Jorge Martin stuns Francesco Bagnaia for Misano sprint win

Championship leader extends his points advantage

Jorge Martin, Pramac Ducati, San Marino MotoGP 2024
Jorge Martin, Pramac Ducati, San Marino MotoGP 2024
© Gold and Goose

Jorge Martin stunned Francesco Bagnaia to come from fourth on the grid to lead every lap of the MotoGP𝔉 San Marino Gra🍸nd Prix sprint to swell his championship lead.

Pramac rider Mar🥂tin endured a scrappy qualifyin🐲g that left him a disappointing fourth on the grid.

But the Spaniard nailed his launch off the line to lead into Turn 1 on the opening lap and resisted early pressure from Bagnaia before eventually taking the chequered flag 1.495ꦬs clear.

Martin has extended his championship lead to 26𝓡 points.

Franco Morbidelli completed the podium for the first time in any MotoGP race since 2021 afꦍter resisting a last-lap move from Enea Bastianini to finish third on his Pramac Ducati.

Marc Marquez recovered💖 to fifth after starting ninth.

Friday’s long ru🐼n pace suggested Martin and Bagnaia would be the riders to beat in Saturday’s sprint.

Martin jumped Bagnaia into Turn 1 from fourth on the grid and took a half-a-second lea♔d by the end of the opening tour.

Th🧜at gap remained stable for the first half of the 13-lap sprint, as Bagnaia kept his chief title riv🦂al in sight.

But as the race wore on, Martin began to break Bagnaia’s reso♚lve and would beat him by almost 1.5s to score his first sprint win since Germany in July.

In the early part of the race, Morbidelli ran with the leading two but would soon find himself cast o𝔉ver a second adrif🐼t.

After qualifying down in eighth, Enea Bastianini rallied to put Morbidelli under pressure🐠 for the final podium spot.

Factory Ducati rider Bastianini threw his bike up the inside of Morbidelli at Turn 8 on the last lap, but ran in too hot⛦ and allowed the Pramac GP24 back thr🐓ough to complete the podium.

Marc Marquez put a brave move on Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta🔯 into Turn 13 on the last lap to snatch fifth from the GASG☂AS rider.

Tওhat overtak🍎e ensured Marquez held onto third in the standings, but is level on 234 points with Bastianini as the pair slide 77 adrift of Martin.

Brad Binder was seventh ahead of factory KTM rider Jack Miller, while Yamaha’s Fab❀io Quartararo too🌞k the final point in ninth.

Alex Marquez was 0.337s outside of the points in 10th on the sister Gresini Ducati, while no Aprilia featured in the top 10 in the sprint - with Maverick Vinales the best 🐲🅷of the RS-GPs in 11th.

Johann Zarco was the top Honda rider for 💫LꦚCR in 13th.

After qualifying on the fr♓ont row, Marco Bezzecchi’s race was a disaster from the off as he plummeted down to eighth on the opening lap.

He would crash out on lap five at Turn 2. On the second t♛our, his VR46 Ducati team-mate Fabio Di Gia🅺nnantonio fell off at Turn 14. He would rejoin, but pitted into retirement late on.

Honda wildcard Stefan Bradl also retired. 

Full sprint results from the 2024 MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix

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