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.
Marc 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 Johann 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.
The first drama was Marc 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, Brad 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 Marc 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 as he fell with only two laps remaining. That 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.
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
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