Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) made grabbing a Tissot Sprint gold medal look pretty easy as the Spaniard fends off the challenge of Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) on Saturday afternoon at Mugello. The winning margin was 1.2s at the flag to see the Italian marque enjoy a Saturday 1-2 on familiar turf, and joining the Aprilia duo on the Sprint podium was Friday pacesetter and home hero Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
MM93 HOLESHOT BEFORE FERNANDEZ GRABS LEAD
From the off, we had plenty of action. From the second row, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) – on his injury return – got a flyer and lunged into Turn 1 to pinch the holeshot, but he didn’t stay at the front for long. Fernandez, Martin and then rookie Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) carved their way past the reigning World Champion, and next in line was Di Giannantonio. The Italian moved on through at Turn 12 and suddenly, the #93 was P5.
In P6 was polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) after the title race leader got a sluggish start, but on Lap 2 at the final corner, Bez was also past Marquez.
At the end of Lap 3, Fernandez led Martin by half a second. Di Giannantonio, having moved his way through on Moreira with a beautiful pass at Arrabbiata 1, was 1.4s adrift of the Aprilia duo. Lap 4 then saw Bezzecchi pounce on Moreira to climb into P4, but by this stage, the #72 was over three seconds away from the Sprint leader and 0.9s behind Di Giannantonio in the bronze medal position.
A little further down the order, Enea Bastianini’s (Red Bull KTM Tech3) Sprint ended at Turn 10 as the Italian battled to keep Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) behind him in P7, and soon after, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was in the gravel at the same corner.
MARTIN ON THE PROWL
With four laps to go, Fernandez held onto the P1 baton by seven tenths, with Martin still over a second and a half up the road from Di Giannantonio. And with three laps to go, the factory Aprilia reeled in the Trackhouse Aprilia to see the gap drop to just under half a second. Was the Mugello gold medal pursuit on for Martin?
Well, the answer was yes, because the gap was 0.5s, but Fernandez did respond to keep Martin at arm’s length. And on the penultimate lap, the leader responded again to boast a 0.8s lead on the final lap.
And sure enough, a flawless ride was capped off with a victory as Fernandez fended off Martin for 12 points, with the latter gaining a few points on Bezzecchi ahead of the main event on Sunday. Di Giannantonio delivered a very good ride to come from P7 on the grid to the podium, with the Italian crossing the line 1.1s clear of fourth place Bezzecchi.
SPRINT POINTS SCORERS
From pole, the Italian would have been hoping for more than that, but it’s not a disaster by any means after a tricky start. P5 went the way of Marquez, it’s points in his first Sprint since the Le Mans crash, as P6 was clinched by Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP).
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was quick in the latter stages, but the Italian will lament a poor start. It’s P7 for Pecco on Saturday, and P8 for Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team). The last point went to Acosta, with the #37 losing out to Pecco and Ogura in the closing laps.
COMING UP: ITALIAN GRAND PRIX SUNDAY
Now, we take an overnight breather before one of the best days of the season appears - Grand Prix Sunday at packed Mugello. The one and only Italian Grand Prix. Don't miss a beat.
