Bastianini clinches dramatic victory at Emilia-Romagna GP; Ducati secures 100th win & constructors’ title
Enea Bastianini secured victory at the Gran Premio Pramac dell'Emilia-Romagna, delivering a dramatic win after a contentious final-lap move. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider overtook Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing in the closing moments to claim the win, as Ducati celebrated their 100th victory in MotoGP and clinched the Constructors' Championship.
Bastianini's triumph came after an intense battle with Martin, who extended his title lead to 24 points following Francesco Bagnaia's crash on Lap 21. Bagnaia, the reigning world champion and Bastianini's teammate, had been in the leading group before a fall ended his race. Martin finished second, while Marc Marquez, racing for Gresini Racing, completed the podium, coming in just under three seconds behind Martin.
At the start, Martin made an excellent launch into Turn 1, briefly leading before Bagnaia took over. Bastianini remained in third, waiting for his opportunity. As the race unfolded, Martin and Bastianini battled for the lead, with Bastianini ultimately making his decisive pass at Turn 4 on the final lap. Despite Martin's visible frustration with the move, race stewards chose not to investigate the incident.
Earlier in the race, Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing crashed on Lap 2 but managed to rejoin the race. Pedro Acosta also saw his race end prematurely due to a crash with 19 laps remaining, which elevated Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) up the order.
Behind the leading trio, Bezzecchi secured fourth place, while a late-race issue for Fabio Quartararo, reportedly running out of fuel, saw him drop from fifth to seventh. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) capitalized on Quartararo's misfortune to finish fifth and sixth, respectively.
Rounding out the top ten were Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing). Joan Mir of Repsol Honda Team finished in 11th place, matching Honda's best result of the season so far.
As the MotoGP season enters a crucial phase, Jorge Martin will head to the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit with a 24-point lead in the championship. The next race in Indonesia is set to take place in one week, where the championship battle is expected to intensify further.
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