In a thrilling and chaotic Barcelona sprint race, Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro emerged victorious after a series of dramatic crashes, including a last-lap fall by reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia. This victory marks Espargaro's first sprint win of the season and comes just two days after announcing his retirement from racing at the end of the 2024 season.
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The race saw a series of unfortunate events for several front-runners. Bagnaia, who appeared to have the race secured, crashed out on Turn 5 during the final lap. Prior to this, Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez and KTM's Brad Binder also crashed while leading the race at different stages.
Fernandez started from third and quickly moved into the lead after an intense battle with Binder and Bagnaia. However, his hopes for victory were dashed when he crashed at Turn 10, just as he was extending his lead. Binder then took over the lead but also fell victim to Turn 5, leaving Bagnaia in the lead.
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As the race progressed, Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta fought fiercely for the lead, but Bagnaia managed to maintain his position until his last-lap crash. This unexpected turn of events handed the lead to Espargaro, who had steadily climbed back into contention after a challenging start.
Marc Marquez put on another impressive comeback performance, charging from 14th on the grid to finish second, his third time in a row. He overtook Acosta on the final lap, who settled for third place on his 20th birthday. Acosta had initially challenged Bagnaia for the lead but ultimately couldn't hold off Marquez's late surge.
Championship leader Jorge Martin managed to salvage a fourth-place finish despite a difficult race, his lead over Marquez only closing by a singular point down to 37. Enea Bastianini secured fifth place bumping him up to third in the title hunt right behind Marc, followed by Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth and Jack Miller in seventh.
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The race was particularly challenging for several riders. Miguel Oliveira from Trackhouse Aprilia and LCR Honda's Johann Zarco both crashed out. Alex Marquez had a tough race after being hit by Franco Morbidelli on the opening lap, for which Morbidelli received a long-lap penalty.
Despite the chaotic nature of the race, Espargaro's victory was a testament to his resilience and skill, especially at his home Grand Prix.
Final Standings for Barcelona MotoGP Sprint:
1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
2. Marc Marquez (Gresini Ducati)
3. Pedro Acosta (Tech3 KTM)
4. Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati)
5. Enea Bastianini (Ducati)
6. Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati)
7. Jack Miller (KTM)
8. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia)
9. Marco Bezzecchi (VR46 Ducati)
10. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)
11. F. Morbidelli (Pramac Ducati)
12. A. Rins (Yamaha)
13. T. Nakagami (LCR Honda)
14. A. Marquez (Gresini)
15. J. Mir (Honda)
16. L. Marini (Honda)
17. A. Fernandez (Tech3 KTM)
18. S. Bradl (Honda Test Team)
DNF:
19. F. Bagnaia (Ducati)
20. M. Oliveira (Trackhouse Aprilia)
21. R. Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia)
22. J. Zarco (LCR Honda)
23. B. Binder (KTM)
Image credits: motorsportimages and gold&goose
