MotoGP: Francesco Bagnaia consistent in COTA Sprint

Francesco Bagnaia wins the MotoGP Sprint at COTA, with Honda back on the podium.

Francesco Bagnaia would start the MotoGP Sprint from pole position, ahead of LCR Honda rider, Alex Rins. The Championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi started the race on the second row of the grid.

The revs and the tension would rise on the grid, with Bagnaia leading the way from turn one, in the 10-lap race. Alex Rins took the race lead very quickly from the reigning World Champion, hoping to convert the front-row start.

In third place was Aleix Espargaro after an incredible start on his Aprilia, with all riders handling the bumps. Behind Espargaro was Fabio Quartararo, who started in seventh position. 

Alex Marquez dropped three positions from the start of the Sprint, dropping down to seventh position. Rins dropped a position at turn 12, after running wide, allowing Espargaro through.

Jorge Martin sat quietly in fifth position, with his Prima Pramac Ducati teammate behind in fifth. Quartararo was in a dogfight for fourth position, as he battled with Jorge Martin into turn 12.

Maverick Vinales had to battle his way through the pack, after dropping down to 16^th position at the start.

Bagnaia extended his lead at the front to 0.819 at the front, extending the gap to Espargaro in second. Espargaro had a surprising Sprint, after struggling earlier on in the race weekend.

Miguel Oliveira made his way inside of the top 10 after making his return to track after recovering from a crash at Portimao.

Disaster for Quartararo

Quartararo crashed at turn one on lap six, after asking for too much from his front tyre while trail braking. Michele Pirro had a premature to his race, after crashing also crashing at turn one. Franco Morbidelli was struggling further down the grid, sitting in 15^th position.

An incredible battle for the podium places arose, with Rins and Espargaro trading positions, in the battle for second. This battle allowed Bagnaia to extend his race lead by almost two seconds from Rins in second. Espargaro ran wide at turn 12, after trying to out-brake Alex Rins.

Alex Marquez was another victim to the bumps at turn 12, and crashed with four laps to go, ending his Sprint.

Brad Binder was now inside of the top five positions, battling with both VR46 Ducatis of Bezzecchi and Marini. Binder and Bezzecchi were pushing incredibly hard, with their bikes protesting in the barking zone.

Bagnaia led by almost three seconds on the final lap of the race, after an incredibly consistent ride. 

The battle for third was not over yet with Aleix Espargaro trying to find a way past Jorge Martin. Espargaro tried to line up a move into turn 19, building his momentum in the final sector. 

Bagnaia wins at COTA

At the line it was Bagnaia who won the MotoGP Sprint, adding 12 points to his Championship tally. These 12 points allowed Bagnaia to move closer to Bezzecchi, reducing the gap to just one point.

Rins came home in second position, after a heroic ride onboard the LCR Honda RC213V, finishing 2.545 seconds behind. After the race, Rins admitted that the race was “not easy” after the incredible pace from Bagnaia.

Espargaro could not find a way through at the line, with Martin claiming the final place on the podium. Espargaro ran wide after an overtake attempt at turn 19, allowing Martin to claim third.

Oliveira finished in eighth position, after a strong ride on his CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team, finishing ahead of Fernandez. Maverick Vinales made his way inside the top 10, missing out on points.

Riders will return to track tomorrow, where Francesco Bagnaia will hope to repeat the Sprint success.

Image credit: motogp.com