Àlex Rins and Marc Márquez break the odds in Australia and are in the thick of the fight for the MotoGP World Championship
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BarcelonaThis is the most open MotoGP World Championship in decades. The mistakes of Fabio Quartararo, who has not scored in Australia, and the magic around Pecco Bagnaia are giving us a heart attack end to the season with the presence of an Aleix Espargaró who still has options for the title. As the three riders fight until the last moment to inscribe their name on the huge trophy, each race is a new opportunity for Marc Márquez. His injury is now far away and the podiums are starting to become a constant that has brought back very sweet old memories. Àlex Rins, however, snatched the victory by sneaking into a party where no one was expecting him to climb to the top step of the podium with a smile from ear to ear.
The Catalan riders have shaken up the MotoGP World Cup. From the moment the lights went out, every team had an eye on the overall standings. The distances are minimal and, with two races to go before the end of the championship, Pecco Bagnaia has cut more than 90 points to Fabio Quartararo to take the lead. This battle, however, is not two-sided. Aleix Espargaró has never given up, despite the difficulties, the fight for his first World title. In Australia he had a great opportunity to put the favorites against the ropes and that’s what Granollers has done.
The World Cup, closer for Bagnaia
The start was taken relatively calmly, like Marc Márquez. In the first meters there was more to lose than to gain and both secured good positions at the front of the race. The one from Cervera has secured the second position, the place from which he started on the grid, and from there he has negotiated few advances. Catalan is different from the rest of the pilots. His way of understanding races, of interpreting track conditions, are unique. He always has a twist, a very personal point of view that brings him close, on many occasions, to exceptionalism. Although he does not aspire to lift his ninth World title this year, every race is very important.
Harassed by the Ducatis, Márquez remained firm in the podium positions while Aleix Espargaró found it a little more difficult to flow on the asphalt. The one in Granollers and the one in Cervera personify two ways of understanding and managing races. While Espargaró is more conservative, with the pause given by his seniority, Márquez is all nerves. Any space is good to put the wheel in. The Aprilia rider wanted to keep points and take advantage of the opportunity given by Fabio Quatararo’s crash fifteen laps from the end of the race, which deprived him of points. Without scoring, the Frenchman has lost the lead of the World Cup in favor of Pecco Bagnaia who had a heart attack at the end of the race. The one of Granollers, however, has blamed too much the loss of grip of his Aprilia and finished ninth, a little too far away from the new leader in the World Cup.
End of heart attack
The stubbornness of Marc Márquez is a crusher of rivals. With five laps to go, the Honda took a step forward and let the rest go, only to be met with a surprise guest who snuffed out victory on the final lap. Àlex Rins has appeared like an exhalation in the leading group when no one expected him. On his Suzuki, for which every race is a goodbye, he has come back from tenth position to break into the battle for the podium a few laps from the checkered flag. The one from Barcelona has savored every turn, every meter and every bend. The sensations during the last kilometers have been unbeatable and, gritting his teeth against the pressure of Marc Márquez – who has achieved his 100th podium in MotoGP – Rins has crossed the finish line in first position. Pecco Bagnania has closed a podium that has the taste of a World title.
