Controversy, Crashes, and Comebacks: Key Takeaways from the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP

At last, optimism for Honda? Key discussions from the Emilia Romagna MotoGP

Japanese manufacturers see a glimmer of hope ahead

Enea Bastianini achieved his second victory of the season amid controversy at the 2024 MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Ducati racer stayed in the championship race by clinching his first win since the British Grand Prix. He achieved this by making a bold pass on Jorge Martin, who had led the Emilia Romagna GP for most of the race, during the final lap.

Views on the issue have been divided, and the stewards have chosen not to intervene.

Bastianini now trails the championship leader by 59 points, while Martin increased his lead to 24 points over Francesco Bagnaia, who experienced a strange grand prix that ended with him crashing out despite starting from pole position.

Marc Marquez was handed a podium finish, maintaining his position in the title race, while notable performances came from Fabio Quartararo and the official Honda team riders.

Ducati marked its 100th grand prix victory thanks to Bastianini and also secured the constructors' championship for 2024.

Here are five key takeaways from the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This article will not delve into the specifics of the last lap incident. For an in-depth analysis of that, please refer to our detailed report here:

Bastianini's championship aspirations remain uncertain

Regardless of opinions on Bastianini’s move to pass Martin, it's undeniable that the maneuver was incredibly risky given the high stakes involved if it had failed.

A crash at that moment could have ended Bastianini's chances of winning the title. Additionally, it would have squandered his quickly diminishing opportunities to secure more grand prix victories as the season nears its conclusion.

Instead, things turned out well, and Bastianini remains in contention despite a still considerable gap of 59 points behind Martin.

Throughout the weekend, Bastianini appeared to be trailing behind Bagnaia and Martin, who had a noticeable edge in speed. However, diligent efforts overnight, including Bastianini staying in his garage until 10 PM on Saturday to analyze data, turned his weekend around. From the start of the grand prix, he became a significant contender for the win.

Since the summer break, Bastianini has accumulated more points than any rider except Martin. This demonstrates the Italian's consistent performance. The Emilia Romagna race further showed that he is currently able to compete with the top two in MotoGP.

However, his victory at Silverstone didn't immediately result in more wins. Regularly finishing in first place has been a bit of a shortcoming for Bastianini in MotoGP. Consequently, it's still challenging to consider him a serious contender for the championship at this point.

Bagnaia's errors are proving increasingly expensive

Francesco Bagnaia now has seven Did Not Finish (DNF) results for the season after a late crash in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with only five rounds remaining.

Bagnaia faced a rough beginning to his race on Sunday when issues with his Michelin tires caused him to fall far behind the leaders. Despite being the quickest in practice, securing pole position with a new lap record, and benefiting from a mistake by Martin to win the sprint, the championship gap had narrowed to just four points before the Emilia Romagna GP.

The gap was set to widen during Sunday’s race, regardless of Bagnaia regaining his pace midway. However, the impact on his points standings is much more severe than anticipated, leaving him 24 points behind.

Martin has secured the runner-up position in four out of the last five grand prix races. This has helped to mitigate the negative impact of his strategic mistake during the San Marino Grand Prix. It's a strategy that Bagnaia should consider following.

What makes the situation even more aggravating is that if Bagnaia had slowed down his push to get to the lead, he might have ended up in second place anyway due to Martin being forced off the track by Bastianini’s maneuver on the final lap.

The two competitors would have been tied in points as they headed to Indonesia…

Since the summer break, the top four riders with the highest points in MotoGP are: Martin with 129 points, Bastianini with 127 points, Marquez with 115 points, and Bagnaia with 95 points. #MotoGP pic.twitter.com/Lkz1Qe1KwT

Marquez's title aspirations may be mere posturing.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix served as a reality check for Marc Marquez, as he failed to compete for a third consecutive grand prix win.

A crash during the second quarter didn't do him any favors, resulting in a seventh-place start on the grid. He acknowledged that, given the speed of his Gresini-run GP23, his goal was to finish fourth, and no amount of effort would have altered that outcome.

Bagnaia's fall was a "gift" as it moved him up to third place and keeps him 60 points behind Martin in the championship race.

He anticipates that the upcoming overseas races will further highlight the differences between the GP23 and GP24 models. He believes he requires a bit more to truly compete for the championship. However, his remark about being content with finishing fourth indicates that he hasn't dismissed the chance of securing his ninth title in 2024.

"I realized that taking significant risks would likely result in finishing fourth, approximately four seconds behind the leader," he stated. "Opting for fewer risks would also mean finishing fourth, but about eight seconds behind. Ultimately, it amounts to the same outcome, and that's the approach we chose."

The upcoming flyaway races present various chances for Marquez to compete for victories once more, as the low grip surfaces, inconsistent weather, and specific track designs work to his advantage.

At last, there is a glimmer of optimism for Honda and Yamaha. World champion Fabio Quartararo demonstrated his exceptional skills at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by securing a spot in Q2 on his Yamaha and finishing seventh in the sprint race.

He was set to achieve his first top-six finish of the season, but his bike ran out of fuel on the final lap, resulting in a seventh-place finish instead.

The 2021 world champion faced a significant setback, yet Yamaha's ongoing advancements are showing real promise. Competing once more with the chassis debuted at the San Marino Grand Prix, he also had a new engine at his disposal. However, the bike continued to struggle with grip during qualifying and lacked the power needed for overtaking.

Lower in the rankings, Honda achieved its top performance of the season. Despite Joan Mir and Luca Marini having to sit out the San Marino GP because of illness, they made a strong return, securing 11th and 12th place finishes in the race.

The highest position Mir and Honda achieved this year was 11th place, whereas Marini's best result was 12th.

Although both brands still have a significant journey ahead, the upcoming international races provide a positive uplift. Observing last year's performances at various foreign events, it appears that the conditions might favor Honda and Yamaha as they aim to capitalize on the progress made at Misano.

Significant alterations on the horizon for KTM?

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix presented varied outcomes for KTM's team. Riders Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder both secured top-five positions in qualifying and concluded the sprint within the top six.

Despite showing strong pace during the grand prix and having the potential to secure top five finishes, both riders experienced individual crashes. Concurrently, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez faced vibration problems that hindered their performance, resulting in 16th and 18th place finishes, respectively.

It’s evident that the Misano test held a few weeks after the San Marino Grand Prix provided a significant advantage for KTM. The team introduced their new aerodynamic package during a race weekend for the first time at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The real excitement unfolded away from the racecourse. According to a report by GPOne, Francesco Guidotti is set to leave his position as KTM's team manager next year. He will be succeeded by Dani Pedrosa, a racer with 31 grand prix victories under his belt.

When contacted by Crash.net, KTM, the Austrian company, refuted the speculations.

The news comes after KTM announced earlier this year that it had ended its collaboration with engineer Fabiano Sterlacchini. Sterlacchini, who was recruited from Ducati in mid-2021, is now expected to move to Honda.

Due to KTM not making the progress it anticipated in recent years, and having not secured a dry grand prix victory since Barcelona 2021 or any type of Sunday win since 2022, it is evident that the company believes an internal reorganization is necessary to push the project forward.

Learn More

Sign up for our MotoGP Newsletter

Receive the newest updates, exclusive content, interviews, and special offers from the MotoGP paddock directly in your email.

For further details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Breaking Updates

Additional Reports

Website Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying or reproducing text, images, or drawings, whether in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited in any manner.