Bagnaia slashes Martin deficit of Aragon crash with Misano runner-up finish

Francesco Bagnaia feels a “maximum” second place in the San Marino Grand Prix has provided the ideal result to slash into Jorge Martin’s MotoGP points lead.

For the second year in a row Bagnaia performed a ‘phoenix’ effect at his home grand prix, following 2023 when he kept his pursuit of a second title on course with a podium finish at Misano just one week after a massive smash in Barcelona.

This time Bagnaia steadily pursued Marc Marquez to complete a brace of second positions in San Marino seven days after his painful crash at Aragon that had handed main rival Martin a 23-point advantage.

Pramac’s Martin made the wrong call to enter the pitlane during the flag-to-flag grand prix as rain briefly feel at Misano, while running second to Bagnaia, and could only finish a lapped 15th. As a result, Bagnaia recouped a considerable margin to stand seven points from his title rival at the top of the championship.

“It doesn’t taste like a victory because it isn’t a victory but it is still very good,” he said after the race in Misano. “I’m a believer! I want to win but today second place was a huge result in terms of the championship.

“Yesterday I was angry because I had the chance…but I didn’t take it,” he said of his runner-up result behind Martin in the Saturday sprint; a result that had pushed the gap up to 26 points. “But today was the maximum I could do.”

Bagnaia also felt the recovery from his heavy Aragon crash added shine to his results in Misano.

“After Aragon it was a really tough Monday,” the Italian explained. “I wasn’t able to do much, and the pain was starting, a lot. We worked a lot with my crew and my physio and they did a fantastic job in the end. I’m very proud of what we did.”

Marc Marquez’s second successive win means that four Ducati riders – Martin, Bagnaia, Marquez and Enea Bastianini – are now separated by just 62 points respectively.

“I never think they are out,” Bagnaia warned of his rivals. “I know their potential and the potential of their bike. As long as you are mathematically there then you need to believe.”