Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia won his first ever MotoGP race, holding off Marc Marquez in Aragon to become the eighth different winner this season.
The Italian, who qualified on pole after destroying Marquez’s lap record on Saturday, had led for the whole race until the Spaniard attacked numerous times on the final three laps.
Reminiscent of Marquez’s battles with Bagnaia’s compatriot Andrea Dovizioso, the lead changed hands seven times in the final three laps as Marquez, a six-time winner around Aragon – including five MotoGP wins – threw everything at Bagnaia.
Each time the Spaniard overtook, however, Bagnaia saw the move coming, allowing Marquez to go in too deep before cutting back and riding underneath the Repsol Honda rider.
That pattern continued as Marquez made one last desperate move at turn 12 on the final lap. Again, however, he went in too deep, this time running off track and allowing Bagnaia to streak away.
It was a brilliant and well-deserved victory for the 24-year-old, only the second Ducati rider to win in Aragon after Casey Stoner at the first Grand Prix there back in 2010.
It has also been a long time coming for the 2018 Moto2 world champion, Bagnaia finishing second five times in his MotoGP career before finally standing on the top step.
With championship leader Fabio Quartararo finishing down in eighth, the Italian also re-ignited his championship bid, closing the gap to the Frenchman to 53 points ahead of next week’s race in Misano, a track that he scored his first ever MotoGP podium at last season.
Defending champion Joan Mir also closed the gap to Quartararo by finishing third, his fifth podium finish of the season.
Mir finished 6 seconds ahead of Aleix Espargaro, who beat the second Ducati of Jack Miller.
Enea Bastianini took a brilliant sixth-place on his two-year old Avintia Ducati, the reigning Moto2 champion enjoying his best ever finish in MotoGP to date.
Brad Binder was the highest of the KTM finishers in seventh, ahead of Quartararo. Despite his second worst finish of the season, the championship leader will be satisfied with another solid points haul around a track he says is his worst, especially with the Pramac Ducati of Jorge Martin and the LCR Honda of Takaaki Nakagami both finishing less than 0.5 seconds behind.
Elsewhere, Cal Crutchlow finished just outside of the points in 16th, the Aragon GP likely being the Briton’s last ever MotoGP race with Franco Morbidelli returning from injury next weekend.
Crutchlow’s compatriot Jake Dixon crashed on the second lap on the Petronas Yamaha, joining Alex Marquez as the only other rider to DNF.
Finally, Maverick Vinales finished in 19th place in his first race for Aprilia, one place ahead of Valentino Rossi.
Full race result:
- Pecco Bagnaia (Factory Ducati)
- Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda)
- Joan Mir (Suzuki)
- Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
- Jack Miller (Factory Ducati)
- Enea Bastianini (Avintia Ducati)
- Brad Binder (Factory KTM)
- Fabio Quartararo (Factory Yamaha)
- Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati)
- Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda)
- Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM)
- Alex Rins (Suzuki)
- Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda)
- Miguel Oliveira (Factory KTM)
- Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM)
- Cal Crutchlow (Factory Yamaha)
- Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati)
- Maverick Vinales (Aprilia)
- Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha)
- Luca Marini (Avintia Ducati)
DNF – Jake Dixon (Petronas Yamaha), Alex Marquez (LCR Honda)
