Martin wins as Marquez and Bagnaia fall
The answer to the question ‘how many rounds will it take before tensions within the Ducati Motogp ranks flare?’ was revealed last weekend at the Portuguese Grand Prix. That answer is ‘two’. Just 24 hours on from claiming a first podium on the Gresini Ducati with a ride to second place in the sprint at the Algarve International Circuit,
Marc Marquez collided with reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia on lap 23 of 25 in the GP.
Marquez, who’d risen from eighth on the grid after a qualifying crash caused by the accidental early activation of his bike’s rear ride height device, didn’t have the same pace in the long race as he did in the sprint. But acceptance of this led to a patience in waiting for his moment to come.
That moment was on the 23rd lap, after Tech3 rookie sensation Pedro Acosta had finally cleared Bagnaia at Turn 3 two tours earlier. Marquez had a couple of sniffs on that lap, and the following one, before trying his move at Turn 5. Up the inside he jammed his bike, taking advantage of a weak zone on the track for a struggling Bagnaia. Marquez got ahead but ran slightly wide. Bagnaia, looking to stem his early points bleed to Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin, who was well on his way to victory in a ride of maturity, saw an opportunity to get back past.
The pair connected as their lines converged, with both crashing in a heap to the outer edges of the Turn 5 hairpin. Both riders remounted, but Bagnaia retired in the pits, and Marquez finished pointless in 16th. The FIM stewards felt that no further action was warranted upon review, something Bagnaia welcomed.
Marquez’s assessment, unsurprisingly, differed. He felt the clash was Bagnaia’s “mistake”, not least because he saw no sense in risking so much for two points two rounds into a 21-event championship. Now we’re in a three-week period before Bagnaia can make his public retort, and for Ducati to figure out how to stop a situation it was warned about last year spiralling.
When he saw the chaos on the big screens, Martin knew this was now a grand prix he had to win. After taking the holeshot from third on the grid, the Spaniard said getting to the first big stop at Turn 3 in front was key to his march to victory.
Even though the chasing Maverick Vinales, on the factory Aprilia, prevented Martin’s lead from ever swelling much beyond a second, and Enea Bastianini, close behind in third, was lapping well on his Ducati, the 2023 championship runner-up never looked like he could be defeated. His pace remained consistent in the high 1m38s/low 1m39s, Martin noting that he learned from last year’s Indonesian GP, where he crashed while leading by over three seconds, that he didn’t need to have a big gap in front, and that just enough to ensure victory was sufficient.
The maturity Martin has attained from his lessons of 2023 will make him a big threat. His Portugal win was also somewhat emotional, coming as it did at the track on