After a delayed start due to unseasonal rain, the first ever MotoGP Sprint race in India saw Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin take a dominant victory, leading every lap and crossing the chequered flag 1.4 seconds ahead of fellow Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.
- Marc Marquez completed the podium.
- Turn 1 incident marred pole-sitter Bezzecchi’s race
- Brad Binder was the top KTM rider in 4th
Disastrous Sprint for Mooney VR46
Having spent all weekend establishing itself as the strongest team at the Indian GP, the Mooney VR46 squad had a disastrous sprint race, with both its riders involved in a turn 1 incident on lap one. Having gotten a strong start from 4th place, Luca Marini left his braking a little too late and ended up slamming into the rear of teammate and pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi. The former crashed out, while the latter was pushed wide and dropped to last position, before making an impressive recovery through the field to finish in 5th. Despite his salvage effort and the 5 points it earned him, Bezzecchi sees his gap to the championship lead grow to 69 points.
Martin stamps his authority
As the dust settled from the turn 1 incident, it was Jorge Martin who emerged in the lead, and he held that position for the entirety of the race. He was followed by Ducati Lenovo man Francesco Bagnaia, who gradually dropped back over the course of the race, before slightly reducing the gap towards the end. The Italian continues to lead the world championship standings, but sees his lead cut down to 33 points by a hard-charging Martin.
Mixed fortunes for Repsol Honda
Rounding out the podium was Repsol Honda man Marc Marquez, who resisted race-long pressure from Red Bull KTM rider Brad Binder to hold onto 3rd place. A strong showing for the Japanese manufacturer thus far was slightly dampened when Joan Mir failed to capitalise on his second row starting position, crashing out at turn 3 soon after having run wide at turn 1 and lost 4th position.
Heading into tomorrow’s 21-lap main race, Bezzecchi will once again set off from pole position, ahead of Bagnaia and Martin. Full qualifying results are available here. Marini, meanwhile, has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone after today’s crash, and will miss the rest of the weekend.
India MotoGP Sprint results
| India MotoGP Sprint results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Team |
| 1 | Jorge Martin | Prima Pramac |
| 2 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati |
| 3 | Marc Marquez | Repsol Honda |
| 4 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM |
| 5 | Marco Bezzecchi | Mooney VR46 |
| 6 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha |
| 7 | Jack Miller | Red Bull KTM |
| 8 | Maverick Vinales | Aprilia |
| 9 | Raul Fernandez | RNF MotoGP |
| 10 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Gresini Racing |
| 11 | Augusto Fernandez | GasGas |
| 12 | Miguel Oliveira | RNF MotoGP |
| 13 | Takaaki Nakagami | LCR Honda |
| 14 | Michele Pirro | Ducati |
| 15 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha |
| NC | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia |
| NC | Johann Zarco | Prima Pramac |
| NC | Joan Mir | Repsol Honda |
| NC | Luca Marini | Mooney VR46 |
| NC | Stefan Bradl | Repsol Honda |
| NC | Pol Espargaro | GasGas |
source https://www.autocarindia.com/motor-sports-news/martin-takes-dominant-win-in-first-ever-indian-motogp-sprint-429387#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=Autocar+India+All+Articles+feed
