Although he signed the pole position In the Italian GP, Jorge Martín did not have it all with him this Saturday in Mugello, where he could not take advantage of his status as king of the ‘sprint’. Pecco Bagnaia, who had just scored three consecutive zeros in the short races, made up for it in front of his audience by leading from flag to flag after a magnificent start that allowed him to display his best pace at home. Right behind him, sending another warning to sailors, Marc Márquez finished, adding his fifth podium of the year in the format, the great novelty of the contest that debuted last year.
The marvelous display of the three-time Italian champion and the strength of the eight-time Spanish champion pushed the world leader, who had scored points until now every Saturday in 2024, more than necessary. An unexpected, inexplicable fall, when he was running third with four laps to go, meant the first significant setback for the Pramac from Madrid, who found himself very far from the pace of his two great rivals for the title. “Pecco is the strongest by far, but it’s normal, this is his track,” he warned after signing his third pole position of the year. “The rhythm is super good, maybe Pecco has something more,” Márquez also acknowledged.
Bagnaia, full of joy, made the stands roar like his teacher, Valentino Rossi, did in his day, and highlighted the importance of breaking his losing streak in the sprints. “I’ve enjoyed all the laps, and finishing a sprint is always good. Winning after four grand prix without doing so was important,” he pointed out from the podium. Martín, who based his candidacy for the title last year on his explosiveness on the motorcycle, ideal for the Saturday format, maintains a score of 50-26 in the short races over the defender of the crown, the best manager of the long races Sunday.
The Madrid native, who on Thursday revealed that he finally saw himself wearing red, although nothing has been signed yet, saw how Márquez once again gave reasons to doubt the Ducati bosses. Several sources close to the negotiation assure EL PAÍS that there is still no definitive resolution on this matter. The three candidates for the seat next to Bagnaia in the official team garage fought face to face on the track, and Martín did not give an inch over Enea Bastianini on the third lap, causing a slight touch between the two that sent the Rimini rider down. In the sixth lap, Márquez tore off the stickers from the Madrid native, and that ended up destabilizing him.
The number one, at that time, had already stood out in the lead, and only stopped pushing when he saw Martín’s fall on one of the circuit’s giant screens. Realizing that Márquez did not consider the battle lost, he once again got the best of his rhythm and chased away ghosts towards an incontestable victory that leaves him 27 points behind the leader. Both he and the Catalan, 29 points behind the lead, as well as the rookie Pedro Acosta, who completed the podium on a very important day, had plenty of reasons to smile and stick out their chests.
Pedro Acosta renews with KTM long term
The great sensation of this beginning of the year, at 20 years old, announced by surprise his new relationship with KTM, which ties him as an official rider of the Austrian factory until 2026. The Murcian talent, who rose from seventh to third place this Saturday, will change the colors of the GasGas satellite for the orange of the factory team starting in 2025, becoming the great bet for the future of the European brand, which is still chasing its first world title in the premier category.
Acosta, once again, surpassed the rest of his teammates with an insulting superiority, and in the third round he beat Brad Binder, who, barring a major surprise, will be his teammate next year. The South African, current project leader in Mattinghofen, had a great start, going from 13th to fourth place in the first corner, although he fell backwards and finished sixth, also benefiting from the falls of Bastianini and Martín in front.
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