Italian GP Saturday Sprint Round Up

Bagnaia resists Marquez to claim first Sprint spoils since 2023, Martin crashes out at Mugello

The #1 reigns supreme in Italy after a dramatic Tissot Sprint that sees the Championship gap cut to just 27 points

Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team clinched victory in the Tissot Sprint at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, marking his first win in the sprint race since the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix. Bagnaia bounced back from his last lap crash in Barcelona to deliver a stellar performance on Saturday, taking an early lead and successfully fending off Marc Marquez of Gresini Racing MotoGP™ in a tense battle over the final laps. Pedro Acosta of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 completed the sprint podium, fresh from the announcement of his move to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for the 2025 season.

However, the race saw Championship leader Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing crash out in the latter stages, following a collision with Enea Bastianini of the Ducati Lenovo Team.

Bagnaia made a strong start from second position, securing the holeshot as he led the pack into San Donato with a comfortable margin. Meanwhile, teammate Bastianini also made a rapid start to move into second place, overtaking polesitter Martin. Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing made a remarkable ascent from 13th on the grid to challenge in the top five, while Maverick Viñales of Aprilia Racing lost ground to Binder and Marquez.

The battle between Binder and Marquez intensified, with Marquez making a daring move to overtake Binder down the main straight. Despite the drama unfolding ahead, Bagnaia maintained his lead, while Martin reclaimed the lead from Bastianini. However, a collision between Martin and Bastianini resulted in Bastianini sliding out of the sprint, with the incident under investigation by the FIM MotoGP™ Stewards.

Ultimately, no further action was taken regarding the incident, allowing Bagnaia to extend his lead as Marquez chased him down. With Martin’s unfortunate crash, Bagnaia and Marquez engaged in a captivating duel at the front, with Bagnaia ultimately emerging victorious with a lead of 1.469 seconds as he crossed the finish line. Marquez secured second place, while Acosta finished third.

Bagnaia’s triumph in the sprint race sends a strong message as he narrows the gap to 27 points at the top of the Championship standings. Despite Marquez’s consistent performance, Bagnaia’s victory positions him ahead of Marquez for Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, Acosta’s podium finish adds to the excitement of his confirmed move to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team for the 2025 season.

Martin, on the other hand, will be disappointed by his mistake, which marks his first failure to score in a sprint race since the format was introduced. As the dust settles on another dramatic sprint race, all eyes are on Sunday’s Grand Prix to see if Martin can bounce back and regain ground in the Championship standings. The race promises to be thrilling, with contenders vying for victory at Mugello.

RESULTS

Moto 2 Roberts sets new lap record to deny Garcia by just 0.078

Joe Roberts of the OnlyFans American Racing Team secured pole position in a thrilling qualifying session at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo, setting a new lap record with a late charge. Roberts, who is in contention for the World Championship against Sergio Garcia of MT Helmets – MSI, will lead the pack from the front, with Garcia starting alongside him in second place. Meanwhile, MB Conveyors SpeedUp’s Alonso Lopez completed the front row, securing third position on the grid.

However, before Q2 commenced, there was drama for Fermin Aldeguer of MB Conveyors SpeedUp, who was unable to participate due to a shoulder issue. His condition will be assessed ahead of the Moto2™ race, and if he starts, he will do so from a lower grid position after missing out on the qualifying session.

In Q2, Garcia initially set the pace with a time of 1:49.955, but Roberts produced a remarkable performance in the final minutes to snatch second place and set a new lap record. Alonso Lopez also made a late surge, displacing Manuel Gonzalez of Gresini Racing Moto2™ from the front row.

On the second row, Gonzalez will start alongside Darryn Binder of Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP, who had an eventful qualifying session after advancing through Q1 and setting seven fast laps in Q2. Marcos Ramirez of OnlyFans American Racing, another Q1 graduate, completes the second row.

Mattia Pasini, the Team Ciatti Boscoscuro wildcard, impressed once again and will start from the third row, followed by Somkiat Chantra of IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia and Aron Canet of Fantic Racing. Notably, riders like Ai Ogura of MT Helmets – MSI and Jake Dixon of CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team will start further back, along with Aldeguer, who is slated to start from 18th position if he races on Sunday.

Moto2™ action at Mugello kicks off on Sunday at 12:15 local time (UTC +2), promising an exciting race ahead. Be sure to tune in!

RESULTS

Alonso heads Ortola, Rueda on the chase as Moto3™ line up to take on Mugello

A thrilling Moto3™ qualifying session concluded with David Alonso of CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team seizing pole position after an outstanding performance throughout the weekend at the Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo. The #80 rider secured pole position on his final lap in a frenetic session, narrowly edging out Ivan Ortola of MT Helmets – MSI, who came closest to challenging him. Completing the front row at Mugello is Jose Antonio Rueda of Red Bull KTM Ajo, marking his sixth front-row start of the season.

As Q2 commenced, Jerez winner Collin Veijer of Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP quickly showed his pace, with Alonso initially slotting into third position. Veijer improved his time on the second run, but all attention turned to Alonso, who briefly claimed the top spot. Ortola then surged ahead on his final run, only for Alonso to respond with a remarkable time of 1:54.194 on his last lap of qualifying. Rueda also made a late charge, securing third place and displacing Veijer from the front row.

Veijer will lead the second row of the grid despite a late crash at Scarperia, with Daniel Holgado of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 alongside him in fifth position, less than a second behind. Rookie Luca Lunetta of SIC58 Squadra Corse completes the second row in sixth place.

Another rookie, Jacob Roulstone of Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, starts from seventh on the grid, alongside Taiyo Furusato of Honda Team Asia, who has impressed throughout the weekend. After advancing through Q1, Joel Kelso of BOE Motorsport rounds off the third row in ninth position.

The question remains: Can anyone catch Alonso? The answer will unfold at 11:00 (UTC +2)!

RESULTS

Official MotoGP Press Release