Divyank Kushagra Bansal 
Ducati Lenovo rider and reigning MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia came out swinging and secured a hard-fought victory in the Catalunya GP on Sunday. The Italian rider was followed by Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin in second and Gresini Racing rider Marc Marquez in third. In the overall championship, Martin continues to have a substantial 39- and 41-point lead over Bagnaia (116 points) and Marquez (114 points), respectively, to be on top of the leaderboard. The battle between the latter two remains tight, with just two points setting the two apart after six rounds.
While Martin had his work cut out to defend the race lead from Bagnaia after Red Bull GasGas Tech3 rider Pedro Acosta crashed out (he managed to remount and finished in points), behind them, the battle for the final step on the podium boiled down to the duel between Marc Marquez and Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro. Though it seemed like a photo finish for both, ultimately, Marquez emerged on top by taking the chequered flag just 0.052 seconds ahead of the Aprilia rider. This made it race podiums in a row for Marquez for the first time since 2019, and a noteworthy comeback ride, as he started the race from P14 on the grid.
Despite a strong show, Martin was unable to match Bagnaia’s relentless chase, as the latter managed to shave off about a tenth of a second with each passing lap. With just six laps to go, the reigning champion made his move on Martin and from there on, the Pramac Racing rider could only follow as Bagnaia kept up the pace and increased the gap over the remaining laps.
Next week, the MotoGP bandwagon will be in Mugello, Italy for the next round – Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo.
