MotoGP Jerez: Francesco Bagnaia holds off Brad Binder for stunning Jerez win, but it's another nightmare for Fabio Quartararo

Francesco Bagnaia has bounced back from crashes in the last two Grand Prix to win his fourth MotoGP race of the season at Jerez.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati MotoGP Jerez 2023
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati MotoGP Jerez 2023

Like the Sprint race, Jack Miller 🏅made the best start of anyone as he immediately took the🎐 lead from Aleix Espargaro. 

Teammate and Sprint race winner, Brad Binder, then followed Miller through aꦫs he out-braked Jorge Martin.

Also like the Sprint race, a red flag was deployed before the en🗹d of lap one as a collision between Fabio Quartararo, Miguel Oliveira and Marco Bezzecchi resulted i🤡n Quartararo and Oliveira crashing out.

Both riders remained down for some time before Quartararo managed to get up under his own power. The same couldn’t be said for Oliveira who was stretchered away👍 before being taken to the medical ce꧙ntre. 

Quartararo was the rider who caused th♒e incident after going for a very narrow gap between Oliveira and Bezzecchi, losing the front-end in the process as he wiped out the RNF Aprilia man.

Prior to the resumption of the Spanish Grand Prix, Quart🌼araro was given a Long-lap penalty for irresponsible riding. 

Starting from pole for the fourth race start this weekend, Espargaro lost out to both KTM riders as Binder swooped around the outside of Miller to lead at ꦺturn one. 

Winner last time out, Alex Rins suffered an early fall as he crashed in sector three. Rins remounted his Honda to continue the race, how💟ever more disaster struck the Japanese manufacturer as Joan Mir crashed on lap two. 

A lap down following his faꦅll, Rins then reꦏtired from the race on lap four. 

After regaining𓂃 the lead on lap three, Miller was pushed back to second place🐻 after Binder came through at the final corner - lap four.

Miller was then pushed down another position as Bagnaia forced his way through, which visibly angered the Australian💧. 

Temp𒁃ers flared on lap six as Miller put a hard 🥃move on Martin, pushing the Ducati rider to the outside of the circuit in the process, before Martin was seen shaking his head in disgust. 

Further back, Quartararo’s dreadful day got worse as he served his Lo🔥ng-lap penalty incorrectly and had to do it for a second time.&ꦍnbsp;

With his earꦯlier overtake deemed too forceful, Bagnaia was given a one-place drop notification, which he obliged🦄 to immediately. The Italian dropped back behind Miller as Binder’s lead grew to nine tenths. 

M🧔iller then ran wide again at turn six on♍ lap ten, which invited Bagnaia to have another look but this time around it was Miller who came out in front. 

Setting a very strong pace in P6, Zarco’s charge towards the front began with 13 laps to go as he gai🔯ned P5 away🅠 from Espargaro. 

After a scruffy lap 15, Miller was eventually passed by Bagnaia 🌟on the approach to the Jorge Lorenzo corner. 

On lap 16 Zarco’s charge ended with a crash at turn five, before c🅷hampionship leader Marco Bezzecchi went down one corner later.

On lap 19 came a stunning new fastest lap from Bagnaia as he closed to within four tenth𓄧s of Bi෴nder.

Lap 20 🧸saw Bagnaia reduce the margin to B🥃inder by another two tenths as the battle for the win was on. 

With three laps to go Bagnaia made his move after lining up B✨inder through turns 13 and 14. The world champion went down the inside at thꦗe final corner as he managed to avoid running wide. 

But after making his way through, Bagnaia came back under pressure from Binder as the South African gav🐼e it everything on the final lap.

However, Bagnaia’s defence was sꦉuperb as he held off the KTM rꩵider, taking his second Grand Prix win of the season.

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