Rising Hopes and Controversial Climaxes: Key Takeaways from the Emilia Romagna MotoGP 2024

At last, is there optimism for Honda? Five key discussions from the Emilia Romagna MotoGP

A glimmer of hope appears for Japanese manufacturers

Enea Bastianini secured his second victory of the season amidst contentious conditions at the 2024 MotoGP Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Ducati competitor maintained his championship hopes alive by clinching his first win since the British Grand Prix, achieved through a bold maneuver to pass Jorge Martin, who had been leading the Emilia Romagna GP, on the last lap.

Views on the issue have been divided, leading the officials to decide against taking any measures.

Bastianini now trails the championship leader by 59 points, following an event where Martin increased his advantage to 24 points ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, after the pole position holder experienced an unusual crash during the grand prix.

This presented Marc Marquez with a podium finish, maintaining his contention in the championship race, alongside notable performances from Fabio Quartarazzo and the Honda factory team pair.

Ducati achieved its milestone 100th grand prix victory thanks to Bastianini, and it also secured the constructors' championship for the year 2024.

Here's a rundown of five insights gained from the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. We won't delve into the specifics of the final lap mishap in this article. For an in-depth look at that, you're encouraged to check out our detailed examination here:

Bastianini's championship aspirations remain uncertain

Regardless of your view on Bastianini's maneuver past Martin, it's undeniable that it was a bold move considering the high stakes involved had it failed.

An accident at that point could have potentially dashed Bastianini’s chances at the championship, simultaneously squandering diminishing chances to increase his grand prix victories as the season nears its conclusion.

Consequently, things turned out favorably for Bastianini, allowing him to remain in contention, albeit facing a significant gap of 59 points behind Martin.

Throughout the entire weekend, it appeared that Bastianini was trailing behind Bagnaia and Martin, who both showcased a noticeable lead in speed. However, Bastianini's dedication, evidenced by his late-night session in the garage until 10pm on Saturday reviewing data, paid off significantly. This effort dramatically changed his fortunes, and from the start of the grand prix, he was a major contender for the win.

Following the summer hiatus, Bastianini has outperformed all competitors except for Martin in terms of points. This demonstrates the Italian rider's consistent performance. His recent success in Emilia Romagna has shown once again that he can compete with the top two riders in MotoGP at present.

However, his victory at Silverstone didn't immediately result in more wins. Continually securing first place has proven challenging for Bastianini in MotoGP, making it hard to consider him a real contender for the championship at this point.

Bagnaia's errors proving more detrimental

Francesco Bagnaia's season tally of non-finishes climbs to seven after a late crash at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with only five rounds remaining.

Bagnaia's performance in Sunday's race faced early setbacks due to issues with his Michelin tires, causing him to fall significantly behind the frontrunners. Despite being the quickest in practice sessions, setting a new lap record to secure pole position, and taking advantage of a mistake by Martin in the sprint race to claim victory, the lead in the championship standings was narrowed to a mere four points before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

In Sunday's race, the disparity was inevitably going to increase, despite Bagnaia regaining his speed around the halfway point. However, the impact on his standing in the points race turned out to be significantly more detrimental than it might have, leaving him 24 points behind.

Martin has secured the runner-up position in four out of the last five Grand Prix races. This performance has compensated for the setback he experienced due to a tactical mistake at the San Marino GP. It's exactly the strategy Bagnaia needs to embrace.

Adding to the frustration, had Bagnaia reduced his aggressive push towards the lead, he likely would have remained in second place, especially after Martin was forced off the track by Bastianini's maneuver in the final lap.

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

Leading scorers post-summer hiatus 📊 (Top 4)Martin leads with 129 points, closely followed by Bastianini at 127. Marquez is next with 115 points, and Bagnaia rounds out the list with 95 points. #MotoGP (Image attached) 🏍️— Crash MotoGP (@crash_motogp) September 23, 2024

Marquez's aspirations for a championship title took a hit during the Emilia Romagna GP, where he struggled to compete for his third consecutive grand prix win.

Another setback in Q2 hindered his progress, placing him seventh in the starting lineup. However, he acknowledged that given the speed of his Gresini-operated GP23, his realistic goal was fourth place, and pushing harder wouldn't have made a difference.

Bagnaia's accident turned out to be an unexpected gift as it elevated him to third place, keeping him just 60 points away from Martin in the championship race.

He anticipates that the upcoming away races will further highlight the differences between the GP23 and GP24, and he acknowledges the need for something more to truly compete for the championship. However, his remark on being okay with fourth place indicates that he hasn't dismissed the chance of securing his ninth championship title in 2024.

"He acknowledged that taking significant risks could result in finishing in fourth place, potentially just four seconds behind the first-place contender. Conversely, opting for a more cautious approach might also lead to a fourth-place finish, but this time eight seconds slower than the leader. Ultimately, he concluded that the outcome would be the same, which is the strategy they decided to go with."

The upcoming overseas races present various chances for Marquez to aim for victories once more, as the reduced grip levels, uncertain weather, and the design of specific circuits work to his advantage.

At last, a glimmer of optimism for Honda and Yamaha

During the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, world champion Fabio Quartararo once again demonstrated his prowess, securing a spot in Q2 for his Yamaha and finishing the sprint in seventh place.

He was poised to secure his first top-six finish of the season, but in the final lap, his motorcycle ran out of fuel, relegating him to a seventh-place finish.

The 2021 world champion faced a significant setback, yet Yamaha's ongoing development is truly showing results. He competed once more with the latest frame launched at the San Marino GP and utilized a new engine, although the motorcycle still struggled with traction during qualifying and lacked the acceleration needed for overtaking.

Deeper in the rankings, Honda achieved its top performance of the year. Following the absence of Joan Mir and Luca Marini from the San Marino GP because of health issues, they made a strong comeback, securing the 11th and 12th positions in the race.

Mir and Honda achieved their highest finish of the year in eleventh place, whereas Marini secured the twelfth position, marking his best performance.

Both Honda and Yamaha have a significant journey ahead, but the recent uplift as they move towards the international circuits is encouraging. Considering the outcomes of various international races last year, the upcoming events might favor Honda and Yamaha, offering them a chance to capitalize on the progress made at Misano.

Major shifts on the horizon for KTM?

During the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, KTM experienced varied results. Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder both started among the top five and managed to secure positions within the top six during the sprint.

Both competitors displayed impressive pace in the grand prix, hinting at potential top five finishes, yet each experienced distinct accidents. Concurrently, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez faced challenges with vibration problems during the grand prix, ultimately finishing 16th and 18th respectively as the race concluded.

Undoubtedly, the trial run at Misano shortly after the San Marino Grand Prix provided a significant uplift for KTM, as its newly introduced aerodynamic package made its race weekend premiere at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

However, the real fascination unfolded away from the racetrack. An article by GPOne revealed that Francesco Guidotti would vacate his position as the team manager of KTM in the upcoming year, to be succeeded by Dani Pedrosa, a racer who has clinched victory in 31 grand prix events.

Upon contacting KTM for a statement, the company from Austria dismissed the speculations.

However, these updates come after KTM announced earlier in the year that it had ended its association with engineer Fabiano Sterlacchini, whom it had recruited from Ducati in the middle of 2021, and who is now poised to move to Honda.

KTM, having failed to progress as anticipated in the past few years and without securing a dry grand prix victory since Barcelona 2021 or any type of win on a Sunday since 2022, evidently believes that an organizational overhaul is necessary to propel the project forward.

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