Massive strategy fumble hurts Martin as Marquez wins

The Pramac rider rose from fourth on the grid to second on the opening lap to trail factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

‘Pecco’ controlled the pace with Martin second and his Pramac teammate Franco Morbidelli left to squabble over the final place on the podium with Tech3 rider Pedro Acosta.

Acosta lost one of his wing elements when he made contact with Morbidelli at Turn 5 on the second lap.

The MotoGP rookie eventually got through on Lap 4, but went wide at the high speed Turn 13 and fell at Turn 14.

Here comes the rain

and Morbidelli is the first victim

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The first sign of inclement weather came on Lap 7 when Morbidelli crashed out.

The leading riders all began to slow their pace dramatically and with 21 laps to go Martin pitted to change bikes.

JORGE MARTIN IS THE FIRST RIDER TO SWAP BIKES

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He was the only rider inside the top 10 to make the change and gamble on the track getting wetter.

However, the expected heavy falls never arrived and Martin was left stranded on wet weather tyres.

By Lap 10, Martin was back in the pits and on the bike he began the race with.

Through all the congestion caused by the slippery conditions, Marc Marquez quickly climbed his way to the lead of the race.

KTM rider Jack Miller also prevailed when the track was at its wettest, moving up to third. However, as the track dried, he faded and eventually finished eighth.

Marc Marquez now leads in Misano 👀

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Bagnaia threatened to take the lead back from Marquez in the closing stages but the Gresini rider ultimately held sway.

Martin’s mistake proved beneficial for Bagnaia. Having come into the race 26 points behind he left only seven points in arrears.

“In hindsight, a second place under these conditions was the best result we could have aimed at,” said Bagnaia.

“Once the rain started falling, I saw Franco crashing out and I chose to ride in a bit of a safer way, while Marc ended up being the stronger and braver of us all.

“I did all I could to stay with him and had a shot at the lead on a couple of occasions at the ‘Curvone’ corner, but I was never incisive enough to make it happen.

“In the final laps, I saw that Enea’s gap went up to more than three seconds and in that moment, I lost some of the concentration, also due to the fact that my fitness condition wasn’t ideal.

“We did our best, unlike yesterday, so I’m happy.”

Martin said he regretted the decision, especially considering his place as the points leader.

“Yeah, for sure, rolling the dice maybe sometimes is not the best choice when you are battling for a championship,” Martin said.

“So next time I won’t do it. I will stick to Pecco’s decision and do the same. I’ve learned my lesson, and now it’s time to look ahead.”

MotoGP will return to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on September 20-22.

Results: San Marino Motorcycle Grand Prix, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli