Marc Marquez takes it all: the win and a tie for the lead in the world championship

A triumphant weekend at Misano for Marc Marquez, who—after winning Saturday’s sprint race—also took Sunday’s race and caught up with Jorge Martin (who finished only fifth) at the top of the world championship standings. Rounding out the podium were Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta, while Fermin Aldeguer’s comeback fell short at fourth place.

It was a Sunday to forget, however, for Marco Bezzecchi, who suffered a very serious crash—one that could prove particularly costly in the title race. The Aprilia rider got off to a good start, keeping Marc Marquez and Jorge Martin behind him, but he let his enthusiasm get the better of him: he tried to pull away but slid out at the end of the first lap, leaving the way clear for his two title rivals. For Bezzecchi, this marks his fifth zero-point finish of the season.

The disappointing day for the Italian team was capped off a few laps later by a crash from Pecco Bagnaia, who is in an increasingly dire situation. Valentino Rossi had spoken about the former world champion on Saturday; speaking to Sky, he didn’t hide his concern for his friend and protégé: “I see him struggling; he’s not riding well. It seems to me that he’s losing a lot of grip under braking, as if the engine braking and the electronics settings aren’t right. I saw him struggling this Friday as well.”

Thanks to this victory, Marc Marquez has become the new leader of the World Championship, tied with Jorge Martin: both now have 274 points in the standings. Bezzecchi trails by 33 points and will now need something close to a miracle to close the gap.