MotoGP Spanish GP: Marquez wins chaotic sprint race despite crash

Marc Marquez led home a Ducati 1-2-3 despite crashing midway through a rain-affected MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix sprint race at Jerez on Saturday.

The Spaniard kept his cool after the accident to claim a race in which everybody was required to change to wet-weather bikes after the heavens opened. He came home ahead of his factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli.

World championship leader Marco Bezzecchi failed to score after he crashed his factory Aprilia.

The 12-lap race began dry, albeit with dark clouds threatening to unleash their contents at any moment. 

Marquez had no trouble converting his pole position into an early lead, and was able to pull out a gap as surprise front-row starter Zarco began to bottle up the riders behind him, led by Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez. 

Once the younger Marquez had cleared Zarco's LCR Honda, however, he began to reel in his brother at a rapid rate. On lap seven, the blue Ducati slipped past the red one at Turn 8 and the race looked to be sewn up provided conditions remained similar.

Spots of rain were already around at the point, making a decision to come in and change to a dry-weather bike look marginal. But then the downpour turned serious, which turned the race into what will likely go down as the maddest sprint seen since the Saturday races were introduced in 2023.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

The first drama was Marquez crashing at the final turn, just a lap after losing the lead. Crucially, however, he was still in a position to make it into the pits after picking up his bike, and change to a wet-weather package. It was this, ironically, that gave him the chance to win, since it was the perfect moment to pit - Brad Binder (KTM), Bagnaia and Morbidelli were among those to join him in pitlane on the same lap as the rain intensified.

When it all shook out, Binder's KTM was leading those on wet-weather machinery and there were four laps left to run; the 2023 Jerez sprint winner the effective leader of the race on a soaking track. He was followed by Bagnaia and Marquez. 

Meanwhile, Alex Marquez's decision to push on for another lap on slicks cost him dear, as he fell at Turn 8. The majority of the field had done the same and were reduced to walking pace. Even that was too fast for many, with Pedro Acosta among several to crash. 

With three laps left, Fermin Aldeguer was leading for Gresini, but only because he was stubbornly pushing on with slicks. He was a sitting duck, and it was only a matter of time before Binder and the factory Ducatis would pass him. 

Binder was set for victory as the leading bike with the correct tyres, but threw that shot away even before he got the chance to cruise past Aldeguer, falling with only two laps remaining. That ultimately made it an all-Ducati battle for the lead, with Bagnaia in front.

Marquez made short work of his team-mate however, imperiously sweeping past him later in the lap, the action coming thick and fast. 

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Binder managed to pick up his bike and continue, but not before the VR46 duo of Morbidelli and Fabio Di Giannantonio were past. The South African did manage to grab fourth place back from Di Giannantonio on the last lap, however. 

Bezzecchi had a nightmare day after a bad start left him battling Bagnaia in the lower reaches of the field. Unlike Bagnaia, however, the points leader was unable to take advantage of the weather chaos, falling late in the race and failing to finish.

Saturday was no better for Bezzecchi's Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin, who was already on the sidelines by the time the chaos unfolded. He had gone off the track at the start of lap two, his front brakes glowing red, and had to retire for reasons likely related to that glow.

MotoGP Spanish GP - Sprint race results

All Stats

 

Cla	Rider	#		Bike	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h	Retirement	Points
1	M. Marquez Ducati Team	93		Ducati	12	21'25.651				12
2	F. Bagnaia Ducati Team	63		Ducati	12	+3.050 21'28.701	3.050			9
3	F. Morbidelli Team VR46	21		Ducati	12	+7.493 21'33.144	4.443			7
4	B. Binder Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	33		KTM	12	+8.752 21'34.403	1.259			6
5	F. Di Giannantonio Team VR46	49		Ducati	12	+9.237 21'34.888	0.485			5
6	R. Fernández Trackhouse Racing Team	25		Aprilia	12	+11.958 21'37.609	2.721			4
7	F. Quartararo Yamaha Factory Racing	20		Yamaha	12	+13.525 21'39.176	1.567			3
8	J. Zarco Team LCR	5		Honda	12	+14.522 21'40.173	0.997			2
9	L. Marini Honda HRC	10		Honda	12	+15.769 21'41.420	1.247			1
10	A. Rins Yamaha Factory Racing	42		Yamaha	12	+15.821 21'41.472	0.052
11	E. Bastianini Tech 3	23		KTM	12	+16.190 21'41.841	0.369
12	P. Acosta Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	37		KTM	12	+17.985 21'43.636	1.795
13	A. Fernandez Yamaha Factory Racing	47		Yamaha	12	+19.777 21'45.428	1.792
14	D. Moreira Team LCR	11		Honda	12	+21.583 21'47.234	1.806
15	A. Ogura Trackhouse Racing Team	79		Aprilia	12	+31.079 21'56.730	9.496
16	J. Miller Pramac Racing	43		Yamaha	12	+44.686 22'10.337	13.607
17	F. Aldeguer Gresini Racing	54		Ducati	12	+58.756 22'24.407	14.070
dnf	J. Mir Honda HRC	36		Honda	9	+3 Laps 16'54.351	3 Laps		Retirement
dnf	M. Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing Team	72		Aprilia	9	+3 Laps 16'10.076			Retirement
dnf	A. Marquez Gresini Racing	73		Ducati	8	+4 Laps 14'18.023	1 Lap		Retirement
dnf	L. Savadori Aprilia Racing Team	32		Aprilia	7	+5 Laps 12'11.210	1 Lap		Retirement
dnf	T. Razgatlioglu Pramac Racing	7		Yamaha	7	+5 Laps 12'11.258	0.048		Retirement
dnf	J. Martin Aprilia Racing Team	89		Aprilia	1	+11 Laps 3'33.947	6 Laps		Retirement
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