MotoGP: Marc Marquez took an impressive MotoGP victory ahead of Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia in changeable conditions at Misano.
They were four words that were being whispered around the paddock at Misano after last Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix, and they were four words that couldn’t be dismissed outright. There was no denying it any longer.
But what about right here, right now? It’s tantamount to a free swing for a rider with absolutely nothing to lose. If Bagnaia or Martin win, they should; this year’s GP24 is a significant step above the GP23 Marquez is campaigning, while both Bagnaia and Martin have infinitely more experience on Ducati machinery than Marquez’s 13 race weekends.
Seven days later, he was at it again when a brief rain shower turned last Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix on its head.
In 2015, Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were tied on 211 points with seven rounds remaining; Lorenzo won that year’s title in Valencia, after the controversial Rossi/Marquez clash at Malaysia that preceded it, by five points. The Spaniard’s greatest deficit that season was 29 points, after Argentina in round three.
Last year, Bagnaia led Martin by 13 points with seven rounds left, briefly lost the lead to the Spaniard with five rounds left in Indonesia, then regrouped to win the title by 39 points, that number ballooning when he won the final race in Valencia as Martin crashed out. Bagnaia’s double championship defence has been a study of extremes; his seven Grand Prix wins in 2024 matches his full-season totals from 2023 and 2022 with 35 per cent of this campaign still to play out, but he already has more non-finishes than he had in 2023 and 2022 .
Martin’s Misano gaffe was costly in the moment, and could have longer-term consequences. Adding another layer of intrigue to Marquez potentially being in a title fight with Bagnaia and Martin is that they’ve never gone head-to-head before.
King Clinic Jack Miller Front Wheel Rim Rain Shower Andrea Dovizioso Maverick Vinales Malaysia North America Portugal Series Leader Body Language Podium Finish Way Home Austria Dramatic Late-Season Surge Machinery Disadvantage Format Shift Francesco Bagnaia Stealth Title Contention History Lesson Eastern Asia UNCHARTERED TERRITORY MEETS Fabio Quartararo Entertaining Championship Thoughts Europe Japan Championship Picture Grands Prix Western Europe Savage Speed Northern America Desperate Times Calling Points Deficit Desperate Attempt South-Eastern Asia Southern Europe Gabriel BOUYS Desperate Situation World Championship Davide Tardozzi United States Of America Late-Race Battles Honda Motor Company Ltd. Double Championship Defence Class-Leading Factory Team Six-Time World Champion Agence France Presse Oceania Jorge Lorenzo Race Weekends America Province Of Valencia Succession Plan Asphalt Skating Rink Title Credentials Banana Skins Points Finishes Getty Images Inc. Exercising Caution Looming Ever-Larger Title Contenders Broken Tyre Valve Championship Conversation Matt Clayton Australia And New Zealand Joan Mir Championship Challenge Formation Lap Robert Cianflone Post-Race Press Conference Valentino Rossi DAZN Spain Desperate Measures Title Chase Marc Marquez Turning Point Asia Team Manager History Shows Fraught Title Fights World Title Pit Talk San Marino Australia Valencia Indonesia World Championship Point Two-Horse Championship
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