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Alex Marquez achieved his first MotoGP win at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, which also allowed him to reclaim the lead in the world championship standings.
In a dramatic turn of events, his brother and former points leader, Marc Marquez, crashed his factory Ducati on the third lap, leaving him behind Alex in the championship race.
For Yamaha, Fabio Quartararo secured his first podium finish of the season, holding off challenges from Francesco Bagnaia on his factory Ducati to take second place.
This victory marked the 200th win for Spanish riders in MotoGP history and extended Ducati’s winning streak to 22 races, equaling the record set by Honda from 1997 to 1998.
Quartararo had an excellent start from pole position, while Marc struggled off the line and fell behind Bagnaia. This led to an intense first lap battle between the two Ducatis, reminiscent of their earlier fierce competition in the sprint race at the Americas GP. Despite Marc’s aggressive attempts to pass, including a moment of contact, Bagnaia managed to hold his ground. By the end of the second lap, Marc was still looking to overtake him.
As Quartararo capitalized on their duel to build a small lead, Marc continued seeking an opening to pass Bagnaia. However, on lap three, he pushed his Ducati too hard entering the Martinez corner and crashed, effectively ending his chances for points.
With Marc out of the way, Alex quickly overtook Bagnaia on lap four, taking second place and solidifying his position as a frontrunner.
The race settled into a rhythm with Quartararo, Alex Marquez, and Bagnaia establishing themselves as the primary contenders, leaving Maverick Vinales (KTM) trailing behind.
On lap 11, Alex made a decisive move on Quartararo, taking the lead by slipping past the Yamaha rider at the first corner.
It became apparent that Quartararo had no answers for Alex’s pace, while Bagnaia remained close behind but struggled to find a way past Quartararo, who thoroughly enjoyed his time on the podium.
Vinales, despite slipping back in the final laps, secured a commendable fourth position, marking KTM’s best result of the season after facing setbacks in previous races.
Further back, Fabio di Giannantonio drove his VR46 Ducati to a fifth-place finish, leading a pack of factory KTMs driven by Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta.
The race was marred by several incidents, including Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) dropping out of contention on lap six, along with crashes from Joan Mir and Franco Morbidelli, both of whom faced difficult races.
These incidents enabled Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) to capture eighth place, while Enea Bastianini finished ninth and Luca Marini rounded out the top ten for Honda.
Marc Marquez managed to recover from his early mishap to finish in 12th place, garnering four points, behind LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco.
MotoGP Spanish GP results
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