Pecco's championship bid took a massive knock as the champ was left picking his bike out of the gravel with his title rivals completing the top two.
Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) made a statement and a half as he destroyed the field at the IndianOil Grand Prix of India. The Italian put in an inch-perfect performance to take victory by a convincing 8.649s. Jorge Martin (Primac Pramac Racing) left absolutely everything he had out on the circuit as the Spaniard came under threat from Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) to take 2nd place. The Pramac rider capitalised on Bagnaia hitting the deck as he clawed the Championship lead down to just 13 points. Martin also had his hands full with Fabio Quartararo after he fended off the 2021 World Champion in an epic last-lap scrap which saw the Frenchman return to the podium onboard his Yamaha M1.
Martin tried all he could to break the factory Ducati man but Bagnaia wasn't going anywhere. The Italian made his move with eight laps to go as he tried to break the Spaniard. The pressure got to Bagnaia shortly after though as a tiny mistake saw the front end wash out from underneath him as his title hopes took a massive blow with his rivals now sat 1st and 2nd in the race.
Last lap drama
We didn’t see much of the race leader Marco Bezzecchi as he brought home an incredible victory, showing the paddock exactly what he's made of and adding 25 points to his title bid. Martin really began to struggle in the closing stages with the Indian heat proving incredibly difficult to overcome onboard his 250hp beast. The Spaniard made a costly mistake with the chequered flag drawing closer. The 4th-placed Quartararo smelt blood as he slotted himself ahead of Martin.
Quartararo then quickly came under attack from Martin as the Spaniard forced his way back past. The Frenchman did all he could to take 2nd but an impressive defensive performance coupled with Ducati power consolidated P2 for Jorge Martin.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was embroiled in an epic battle with Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) for 4th place. The South African got the better of the Spaniard after flying his way through the pack from 13th on the grid.
Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) bagged P6 ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing).
Marc Marquez made an incredible recovery to finish in 9th place, seven seconds up the road from Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP™ Team) who rounded out the top 10.
The Championship has been turned on its head once again in MotoGP™ as the first-ever IndianOil Grand Prix of India threw up an absolute treat. MotoGP™ now turns its attention to the Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan from the 29th of September to the 1st of October.
Top 10
1 MARCO BEZZECCHI (MOONEY VR46 RACING TEAM)
2 Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) +8.649
3 Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) +8.855
4 Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +12.643
5 Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) +13.214
6 Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) +14.673
7 Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) +16.946
8 Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) +17.191
9 Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) +19.118
10 Raul Fernandez (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) +26.504
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