No Dearth of Drama

Marc Márquez had to wait for 1,043 days for his 60th MotoGP race victory, but his 61st race win only took another seven days

- Charan Karthik

WORLD CHAMPION Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) led an all-Italian, allVR46 Academy front row during Qualifying at Misano. Prima Pramac Racing's Franco Morbidelli put in one of his best Qualifying performances that guaranteed him a second place on the grid for the races. Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) rounded off the front row.

All of this meant that the title leader, Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing, was pushed to fourth, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3) the top KTM in fifth, just ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

The Aragon GP winner, Marc Márquez of Gresini Racing, started from the back of the third row after suffering an accident at the start of his final Qualifying run. Incidentally, Misano is hosting two consecutive MotoGP rounds this season, starting with this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix.

Sprint

PRIMA PRAMAC'S MARTIN HAD A fantastic start from fourth and he went to the race lead immediately in the opening chicane, upsetting a fading Bagnaia. Morbidelli, Binder, and Bezzecchi followed behind him in pursuit.

With an unrelenting pace, Martin, Bagnaia, and Morbidelli pulled away from the rest of the group while the factory KTM rider, Binder, fought hard to keep the factory Ducati of Enea Bastianini behind him. At the front, Martin's fierce pace finally got him out of Bagnaia's clasp during the closing laps and the Spaniard took his first Sprint win since Germany and increased his title lead to 26 points over Bagnaia. Bagnaia took silver ahead of Morbidelli, who crossed the line in third after a valiant fight with Bastianini, who took fourth. Márquez finished fifth.

Race