Talyta França
Francesco Bagnaia compensates himself after the Sprint race's dramatic exit by triumphing over title leader Jorge Martin to claim his first victory in the Catalan MotoGP circuit at Barcelona.
The Italian not only secured his first title at the circuit but ended a chain of crashes and unluck that surrounded Ducati’s team in the past years. The decisive moment came at Turn 5, the same spot where Bagnaia crashed one day before, during the Sprint race, and lost the leadership to Aleix Espargaro. This time, he took the lead from Spain's Jorge Martin with just five laps remaining, securing the top spot on the podium.
Martin, who had maintained a strong lead for much of the race, finished second, trailing Bagnaia by +1.740s. Meanwhile, Spain's Marc Marquez, starting from the 14th position, made an impressive comeback to claim third place, finishing +10.491s behind the leader.
Amidst the celebrations, there were also moments of disappointment, notably for 20-year-old KTM rider Pedro Acosta. Despite a promising performance that saw him briefly hold second place, Acosta crashed out at Turn 10, missing out on a potential podium finish on home soil.
“Aside from the crashes, it was the two best weekends of the season. The bike was good enough to be on the podium,” said Acosta in an interview reported by Crash.
Sunday's results reshaped the championship standings, with Martin commanding an impressive 39-point lead in the MotoGP. Meanwhile, Bagnaia's victory pushed him up the rankings and marked a significant moment for Ducati, breaking their six-year dry spell without a rider atop the Catalunya podium.