Bagnaia Wins Solidarity Sprint race in Barcelona, Martin third as Championship decider roars on to Sunday

Francesco Bagnaia took a dominant victory in the Sprint race of the Solidarity Grand Prix at Barcelona. Jorge Martin duelled with Enea Bastianini throughout the race, the Italian overtaking Martin on the final lap. The championship goes on to the final Grand Prix of the year.

Bagnaia dominated the field, consistently ahead by just over one second as a battle raged on behind, between Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini.

It was a busy, bustling start on the run down into Turn 1, with Bagnaia holding a slim lead, as Martin and Marc Marquez closed onto the back of Bagnaia’s Ducati Desmosedici GP24 into Turn 1. Marc Marquez would run deep at Turn 1, avoiding both of the championship contenders and subsequently losing a couple of places to Enea Bastianini and Pedro Acosta, who attempted to get up the inside of Jorge Martin into Turn 3, to no avail.

Bastianini had managed to dive up the inside at Turn 1 and found himself in the lead of the race, until Francesco Bagnaia would find a small gap mid-corner at Turn 3, a risky and bold place to overtake, with the reigning champion just about able to fit the Ducati into the gap and reclaim the lead of the race.

Acosta would get checked up by Martin, forcing the KTM rider to brake a little bit earlier. Acosta would therefore be on the inside of Marquez, and at less of a lean angle as well. The pair made heavy contact, somehow neither of them crashing out of the race. However, Acosta’s Red Bull GasGas KTM would lose the front fairing aero bodywork, eventually coming into the pits to retire from the race. Marquez would run wide at Turn 3, losing multiple places.

As the gaps started to form, Bagnaia led Bastianini in the early stages of the race, opening the gap to well over one second. Meanwhile, Jorge Martin sensed an opportunity to pass Bastianini, coming through on the Italian at Turn 1. The pair began an enthralling battle that lasted multiple laps, both of them exchanging overtakes at Turn 1 predominantly.

Franco Morbidelli would sit behind Martin for multiple laps, the Prima Pramac squad controlling the podium places as Martin simply needed to remain within the Top 3 to score a strong amount of points, even if beaten by Bagnaia.

However, Morbidelli would be overtaken by Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro, dropping well off the pace and allowing for the leaders to build an even steadier lead.

Alex Marquez and Espargaro would get closer each lap, to the rear of Jorge Martin, as the Spaniard kept duelling with Bastianini, both of them actually losing some time to the riders behind, who remained within striking distance. Meanwhile, further behind for the final points paying positions, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo and Brad Binder would battle, with Bezzecchi coming out on top, and Binder rounding out the points positions.

In the dying laps, Jorge Martin held a slim margin over Enea Bastianini, with the Italian behind getting closer lap by lap. Eventually, on the final lap of the race at Turn 5, Bastianini would manage to draw alongside and outbrake Martin, claiming second place. Bastianini rode fast for the rest of the lap, able to maintain Martin and hold the championship leader at bay.

Francesco Bagnaia would round the final corner to take a dominant victory, the reigning champion now just 19 points behind Jorge Martin as we head into the final Grand Prix of the 2024 season, with the World Championship still on the line between the pair of them. Bagnaia though, essentially needs Martin to have crashed out of the Grand Prix on Sunday, as the deficit is incredibly large.

MotoGP Solidarity Sprint Race – Results

1st Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati
2nd Enea Bastianini, Ducati
3rd Jorge Martin, Prima Pramac
4th Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia
5th Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing
6th Franco Morbidelli, Prima Pramac
7th Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing
8th Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing
9th Brad Binder, Red Bull Factory KTM
10th Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha
11th Johann Zarco, LCR Honda
12th Maverick Vinales, Aprilia
13th Joan Mir, Repsol Honda
14th Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing
15th Luca Marini, Repsol Honda
16th Alex Rins, Yamaha
17th Takaaki Nakagami, LCR Honda
18th Miguel Oliveira, Trackhouse Racing
19th Jack Miller, Red Bull Factory KTM
20th Augusto Fernandez, Red Bull GasGas KTM
21st Michele Pirro, VR46 Racing
22nd Stefan Bradl, Honda Test Team
DNF Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GasGas KTM

Featured Image: Ducati Corse Media