Both Quartararo and Nakami crashed hard. Both riders were injured, but, apparently at this point, not seriously enough to prevent their participation in the next round in Japan. Marquez, who was forced to retire due to the damage to his Honda, discusses the first lap incidents here.
With Quartararo out on the first lap, Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) were handed a great opportunity to cut into the championship points lead held by the French rider. Both title contenders ended up on the podium with Bagnaia finishing second and Espargaro third.
The final laps featured another battle between future Ducati teammates Enea Bastianini and Bagnaia. This time, Bastianini made a clean pass on Bagnaia on the final lap and took the win. There appeared to be tension in these two Ducati riders in the post-race press conference, so it will be interesting to watch their battles over the remaining five races.
Both riders indicate there are no “team orders” requiring Bastianini to let Bagnaia place higher, but it is undoubtedly a delicate situation going forward. Bastianini took five championship points away from Bagnaia today on the final lap, leaving Bagnaia ten points behind Quartararo overall.
For full results of today’s race, take a look here. You can find additional details on the MotoGP site.
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