Turmoil and Triumph at Emilia Romagna GP: Bastianini’s Controversial Win and a Tough Weekend for Factory KTM Duo

Factory KTM Pair Faces Challenges at Emilia Romagna MotoGP

Difficult Weekend for Jack Miller and Brad Binder

Enea Bastianini secured his second victory of the 2024 MotoGP campaign under contentious conditions during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The final maneuver to pass championship frontrunner Jorge Martin on the last lap has been a topic of intense discussion and is expected to remain so as the racing community moves on to Indonesia in the coming days.

Martin has widened his lead in the championship to 24 points, even though he came in second, after Francesco Bagnaia, who started from pole position, fell while in third place during a peculiar race for the Ducati team's rider.

Marc Marquez has slipped in the championship standings, yet an unexpected third-place finish at Misano has mitigated the impact and maintained his contention.

The Japanese team achieved impressive outcomes, whereas KTM's leading riders did not live up to their speedy potential.

For the second consecutive event at Misano, no participant exits with an impeccable record.

Enea Bastianini – 8

Bastianini's efforts to improve his performance from the sprint to the main race are commendable. Although his qualifying position was strong, in third, he wasn't quite matching the pace of Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia over the course of the weekend. Indications from Friday's longer runs hinted that he might only contend for third place. However, his dedication to improvement, evidenced by his late-night data analysis session in the garage until 10pm on Saturday, paid off as he became a contender for the win right from the start. Despite the contentious nature of his last-lap maneuver on Martin, Bastianini's ability to position himself for, and execute, such a move is worthy of high praise.

Jorge Martin – 7

During a crucial weekend where Martin aimed to demonstrate his dominance following his tactical error at the San Marino GP, he consistently appeared to come up short. Despite bettering his qualifying position from the prior event at Misano, he couldn't keep pace with Bagnaia. An avoidable error in the sprint race, where he went beyond the track boundaries resulting in a caution, likely cost him the win due to the distraction it caused. Although he performed well in the main race, it wasn't sufficient to shake off Bastianini, and regardless of one's view on the controversy, Martin was left vulnerable. Indeed, he increased his lead in the championship, but it was far from a compelling performance.

Marc Marquez's Performance at Misano – Round 6

The subsequent weekend at Misano proved to be a reality check for Marquez following his consecutive victories under unpredictable weather conditions. Throughout the event, his speed fell short of challenging the frontrunners, and if not for Bagnaia's unfortunate accident during the race, securing a fourth-place finish was the most he could aspire to. A significant mishap during qualifying relegated him to the seventh spot on the grid; a more favorable position might have allowed him to conjure a more competitive performance.

Francesco Bagnaia – 5

Evaluating Bagnaia's performance over the weekend presents a challenge. A rating of six might seem too generous, but anything lower feels unfairly critical. Bagnaia showed exceptional form from the onset of the event on Friday. He demonstrated impressive speed in single laps and his pace during the race was formidable. He capitalized on this momentum on Saturday, securing the pole position by a substantial lead and setting a new lap record, followed by a win in the sprint race due to an error by Martin. However, Bagnaia didn't have the best start again on Saturday, and it seemed Martin's blunder was his sole opportunity for victory. During the main race, Bagnaia struggled with his tyres not performing optimally in the first half, and his attempt to recover lost ground while in third place led to a crash. This mistake was significant, widening the gap in the standings between him and Martin by 24 points. On a day where minimizing losses was crucial, Bagnaia inadvertently compounded his challenges.

Marco Bezzecchi – 7

This weekend, the VR46 competitor didn't reach the top three positions in qualifying like he did at the last Misano event, yet starting from sixth position was respectable. Finishing eighth in the sprint race left a bit to be desired, however, securing fourth place in the grand prix was a well-deserved outcome for being the sole racer to opt for the soft rear tire. Although he couldn't push beyond that, his performance in relation to the distance from the leading GP23 ridden by Marquez was commendable.

Franco Morbidelli – 5

At the previous race in Misano, the Pramac competitor seemed to regain his former prowess, yet there was no indication of a similar fight for the podium this time around. After securing the tenth spot during the qualifiers, he managed a ninth-place finish in the sprint race and climbed to fifth in the main event. These were respectable finishes, yet they paled in comparison to the performance levels the other GP24 bikes achieved throughout the weekend.

Maverick Vinales – 5

For the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Aprilia showed slight progress, yet it wasn't sufficient to challenge the leaders. Vinales led the pack for Aprilia, securing an eighth-place start. However, he didn't score any points, finishing 10th in the sprint and ended the race 15.4 seconds behind the winner in sixth place, a position he inherited after Fabio Quartararo ran out of fuel on the final lap.

Fabio Quartararo – 8

Having clinched the world championship in 2021, Quartararo wasn't expected to replicate his past success at the Emilia Romagna GP, yet he demonstrated his prowess on a grip-challenged and slow M1 by qualifying impressively. From a 10th place start, he advanced to seventh in the sprint race and mirrored this performance in the grand prix. He was on track to secure Yamaha's initial top-five finish of the year until he encountered a fuel shortage.

Aleix Espargaro – 4

Espargaro's last weekend racing in Italy for Aprilia was unremarkable. Despite qualifying for Q2, he finished behind his teammate in 11th place and was outperformed in the races. He ended up 12th in the sprint and 8th in the Grand Prix, finishing more than seven seconds behind Vinales, a performance that fell short of expectations for the Spanish rider on that motorcycle.

Alex Marquez – 4

The reason Alex Marquez has climbed in our rankings is his impressive recovery from the back of the pack to secure a ninth-place finish. However, his disappointing qualifying performance likely cost him a chance at achieving greater success for Gresini during this event.

Miguel Oliveira – 4

For the rider from Portugal, the Misano event was mostly unremarkable. Escaping Q1 was a notable achievement, yet he didn't score in the sprint and only managed to climb from 12th to 10th in the race on Sunday. The only consolation for the Trackhouse team member is the fact that he's not the sole Aprilia rider facing difficulties at the moment.

Joan Mir – 6

After sitting out the San Marino GP due to health issues, just returning to peak condition for this race was an achievement. Throughout the weekend, he was overshadowed by his Honda colleague but managed to elevate his performance during the grand prix, securing the highest finish of the year for both himself and HRC in 11th place. While it may not be a standout achievement, it demonstrates the 2020 world champion's skill in maximizing the performance of a less competitive motorcycle.

Luca Marini – 6

Rating the factory Honda riders differently would be unfair, considering their performance in the Grand Prix. Marini closely followed his teammate Mir, finishing in 12th place during Sunday's race, achieving his season's best. Furthermore, he was the highest-placed Honda rider, both in the qualifying and the sprint race, securing the 16th spot.

Raul Fernandez – 4

For the rest of the season, it seems Fernandez is mainly participating in trial runs on the Trackhouse Aprilia, aiming to assist the Italian brand in enhancements for 2025. However, he didn't quite measure up to the performance of the other Aprilias, and moving up from 14th to 13th place on the grid doesn't reflect a significant achievement.

Fabio Di Giannantonio – 5

Racing for VR46, Di Giannantonio was fortunate to continue competing over the weekend following a significant fall during Friday's practice session, which nearly exacerbated a recent shoulder dislocation. Just shy of making it to Q2, Di Giannantonio secured the 13th spot in the sprint and finished 14th in the grand prix after receiving a long lap penalty for going beyond the track limits. Without the penalty, he was poised for a slightly better position at 11th. However, achieving more was challenging as his shoulder weakened.

Johann Zarco – 3

Zarco started the weekend strong, securing the 12th spot in Friday's practice, but his performance declined as the event progressed. He failed to make it close to a Q2 position, ranking as the third fastest Honda during qualifying. In the sprint race, he improved slightly to become the second fastest Honda rider, but fell back to being the third fastest Honda again during the Grand Prix, finishing 15th, several seconds behind the top HRC competitors.

Jack Miller – 3

It was a weekend to forget for the Australian at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, following the excitement of having his MotoGP future confirmed with Pramac. Unfortunately, Miller found himself lagging in speed throughout the event. Starting from a disappointing 19th position hampered his performance in the races. Although he managed to break into the top 10 at one point during the Grand Prix, a problem with vibrations saw him fall back, finishing outside of the points in 16th place.

Takaaki Nakagami – 2

It appeared that Nakagami's LCR Honda was lacking in updates, especially when contrasted with his HRC peers. This seemed to reflect in his performance, with a 20th place in qualifying, 19th in the sprint race, and 17th in the Grand Prix, trailing the top Honda rider, Mir, by more than 10 seconds.

Augusto Fernandez – 2

Fernandez faced challenges with vibration problems during the grand prix, which contributed to his struggle, finishing far back in 18th place. Starting from 18th on the grid also limited his opportunities to advance significantly. Consistently uncomfortable on the RC16, Fernandez experienced yet another event that eroded his confidence.

Brad Binder – 5

Binder experienced a challenging weekend with his KTM team. Advancing from Q1 and securing a fourth-place start with his RC16 was impressive. However, difficulties with tyre warm-up caused him to fall from potential podium positions to sixth in the sprint race. Furthermore, a crash in the main race, when he was competing for a top-five finish, marked a missed chance. Still, Binder earns recognition for getting back on track and completing the race.

Pedro Acosta – 5

The newcomer at Tech3 experienced a weekend similar to Binder's, displaying impressive speed and a strong performance in qualifying, only to falter during the race itself. Acosta was the sole KTM rider to secure a spot in Q2 right from Friday and managed to maintain his fifth position starting in the sprint. However, while competing among the leaders in the grand prix, he faced a crash, marking his second consecutive mishap on a Sunday.

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