Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) just can’t stop breaking records. The #72 has won an incredible fifth Grand Prix in a row, only the third Italian rider ever to do it, and has won the first three GPs of a season for the first time since Marc Marquez did it in 2014. It was also an Aprilia 1-2 for the second time in succession as Jorge Martin followed up Tissot Sprint Gold with a Sunday podium, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) taking third.
Acosta got an almighty launch off the front row for the holeshot, with Bezzecchi also steaming forwards to take over in second. Even more so Martin as he shot up into third. Early drama then saw Acosta deep into Turn 11, with Bezzecchi cutting up the inside on the tighter line. On the exit the two were side-by-side and the two bashed fairings – with a piece of Aprilia breaking off and flying off behind them. Bez retained the lead following that, with Acosta recovering quickly despite the bash and Martin hovering third too.
Behind, it was all heating up in the group. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) vs Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) first, with the yellow machine ahead, before Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was then also able to pick his way past the #93 – followed swiftly by Honda HRC Castrol’s Joan Mir.
By then, it was new record time: crossing the line ahead for each lap until the start of Lap 4, Bezzecchi has officially led more consecutive Grand Prix laps than anyone else in the modern era. The previous record was 103 held by Jorge Lorenzo in 2015, Lap 4 in COTA made it 104 for Bezzecchi.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez was out of the heat of battle and into the Long Lap area. The #93 had the penalty for his incident with Di Giannantonio in the Sprint, and he completed that with no drama. Then Mir was given a Long Lap for a shortcut taken when in the heat of that battle for fourth, but the #36 crashed out not long after.
Meanwhile at the front, Martin had made one luge on Acosta for second and been denied, and a couple of laps later had a huge moment at Turn 1. He saved it but dropped back into the clutches of Diggia, with Bagnaia also homing in on the back of the #49.
At half race distance, it was Bez leading Acosta by around a second, with Martin, Diggia and Bagnaia close behind. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) had attacked Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) for sixth, with Sprint podium finisher Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on their tail. Marc Marquez was down in P9 after his Long Lap, not making many inroads into the #23 ahead.
Ogura and Bastianini were the riders on the move. Ogura was homing in on Bagnaia and Bastianini on Alex Marquez. By Lap 12, the American Flag-liveried Trackhouse machine of Ogura was past Bagnaia in brutal but clean style. Next target: Diggia. The Japanese rider sliced up the inside at Turn 12, another brutal but clean move.
Just after that, Acosta had a moment at Turn 1 – wide or looking for a bike to follow for tyre pressure? Martin was able to just sweep past the KTM, making it an Aprilia 1-2, with Ogura on the march too.
Meanwhile in the fight for sixth, the Bagnaia – Bastianini – Alex Marquez – Marc Marquez quartet was heating up, and drama hit for Ogura. As Marc Marquez elbowed past Alex Marquez and then past Bastianini to tag onto the back of Bagnaia, Ogura was slowing and pulling over out of the group’s way – a technical issue putting paid to his incredible charge.
Bagnaia vs Marc Marquez was then game on for fifth – but not according to Bastianiani. The #23 attacked Marquez first instead of took sixth. The #93 responded. Bastianini wasn’t done, sending it at the end of the back straight. Marquez got him on the cutback. It settled briefly before Marquez attacked Bagnaia, and Bastianini barreled straight through to follow the #93.
Meanwhile at the front, Bezzecchi was just about keeping enough in hand over Martin, and onto the last lap he eked it out to cross the line 1.7 seconds clear. He extended that lap-leading run to an even bigger record of 121 and becomes only the third Italian rider ever to win five in a row after Hall of Famers Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini. He’s also the first rider to win the first three GPs of the season since Marc Marquez did it in 2014.
Martin makes it an Aprilia 1-2, the first time the factory has achieved that twice in a row, and only just loses that Championship lead gained with his Sprint Gold medal. Acosta held on to third place for a podium on Sunday to add a trophy to replace the medal lost on Saturday.
Diggia takes fourth, in an ultimately lonely ride to the flag but comes home as top Ducati.Marc Marquez did hold on to fifth ahead of Bastianini – just – with Alex Marquez taking P7. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP team) slots into eighth, with he and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) getting past Bagnaia late on.
