Àlex Márquez wins in the tightest sprint in history
The rider from Cervera withstands Pedro Acosta's charges and wins in Montmeló by just 41 thousandths
BarcelonaJust 41 thousandths. That's how close Alex Márquez's victory was in the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix sprint race. The rider from Cervera, who had a magnificent start and great management of the final meters of the race, overtook Pedro Acosta and secured his first win of the season in the short format. Fabio di Giannantonio completed the podium.
Acosta started from pole position, a position he could only maintain at the start of the race, as Jorge Martín soon overtook him. But the Madrilenian from Aprilia, second in the championship, would end up crashing on the third lap and let slip the opportunity to overtake Bezzecchi in the standings. In the end, the Italian, who had not had a good practice session nor a good sprint, finished ninth, which allowed him to score a point in the standings. Thus, Bezzecchi, with 129 points, is a little more of a leader compared to Martín (127).
Marc Márquez was not present, still recovering from the injury he sustained at Le Mans and which forced him to undergo surgery. But his brother Àlex took it upon himself to bring excitement and spectacle to the race, with a ride on the limit that almost cost him a penalty for exceeding track limits.
The risk of a penalty did not prevent Àlex Márquez's victory
With great anticipation in the stands and asphalt at 31 degrees, Àlex Márquez showed his claws from the start. He positioned himself in second place at the first corner and did not lose Acosta's wheel at any moment, whom he ended up overtaking at the halfway point of the race. But the possible penalty weighed on him and that forced the younger of the Márquez brothers to ride a little more carefully in the final laps. Acosta took advantage of this to get closer, positioning himself just a tenth behind Márquez.
The last lap was tense. Acosta tried everything, but he neither managed to find any space nor could he force Àlex Márquez into an error. At the entrance to the finish line, he tried to gain his slipstream, but it was not enough either. By only forty-one thousandths.