In what was the closest Tissot Sprint finish (0.041s), Álex Márquez fended off Pedro Acosta to win the MotoGP sprint race of the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalunya. The pair were joined on the podium by Fabio Di Giannantonio. Find out all the action of the Catalan GP MotoGP sprint race below.
The Lead Up to the Sprint
After an interesting and drama-filled qualifying session, KTM had a lot more to celebrate. It was announced that the manufacturer and Tech3 would continue their partnership into the new era of MotoGP. This new multi-year agreement means that four KTM RC16s will remain on the grid next season.
With Pedro Acosta starting on pole, it looked like Saturday afternoon was all going KTM’s way. However, the #37 would need to defend his position against two Ducatis. Franco Morbidelli was riding high after coming through from Q1 to start on the front row. And with Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team founder and MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi watching from the sidelines, there was a bit of added pressure.
With the Aprilia Racing crew further down the grid, it was a Tissot Sprint grid that was bound to throw up some unpredictable results. And it did not disappoint.
Lights Out and All Action
Acosta immediately darted to the middle to defend his first place, but it was all drama for the other Red Bull KTM Factory rider. Brad Binder came down in Turn 1, collecting Joan Mir and adding to the #36’s DNF tally. Meanwhile, Morbidelli was relegated to the back of the order to join his teammate, Fabio Di Giannantonio. This left the charge wide open for Johann Zarco to come up to battle with Acosta and Álex Márquez.
Another mover and shaker was Raúl Fernández, who moved past both VR46 riders to reach P4. It looked like Jorge Martín was picking his way through the pack, but made a mistake in Turn 14. This made it four crashes over the course of the weekend so far.
Halfway Point Makes and Breaks
Zarco seemed to lose speed, going backwards, while Di Giannantonio came past to charge towards Acosta. The #37 fell to third after some brilliant overtakes from both Á.Márquez and Fernández. Unfortunately for Maverick Viñales, he took an early exit through the pit lane. It’s suspected that liquid was leaking from the Red Bull KTM Tech3 machine, which led to the retirement. Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia started the battle for sixth, with the Ducati Lenovo Team rider winning out.
Acosta found some late pace to slip past Fernández into Turn 10, while Á.Márquez extended his lead to over half a second. But the gap slowly closed as Acosta chased the #73 down. Fernández desperately held on, but was no match for Di Giannantonio. As we entered the final lap, no one was certain of victory.
Bezzecchi and Bastianini battled for points contention, with the Aprilia rider barely hanging on to maintain a two-point lead in the championship standings. Acosta very nearly overtook Á.Márquez and was the faster of the two. But the BK8 Gresini Racing rider defended with everything he had to prevail and win the Tissot Sprint of the Catalan GP.
One More Race of the Weekend
Four crashes in one weekend after coming off a double victory at Le Mans is less than ideal for Martín. There is still a chance to rescue the weekend should the #89 keep his bike upright as he charges through, as he attempted in the Sprint. For Acosta, that late pace could easily have changed the result, and it seems inevitable that a victory is on the horizon for the #37. But will it be Catalunya where Acosta is finally crowned a MotoGP Grand Prix winner? All we know is that we will be on the edge of our seats if the race on Sunday is as close as this Tissot Sprint was.