Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) secured his 93rd career win across all classes on Sunday, a fitting number for the #93, made even sweeter by conquering Ducati’s home turf. With the win, Marc Marquez has stretched his Championship lead to 40 points over Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing), who took second position on Sunday. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) clinched the final spot on the podium, defeating Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) in Italy. It was another magical trip to Mugello, and these are some of the biggest Talking Points from Round 9!
"I remember 2019 against Petrucci and Dovizioso"
It was another stunning ride from Marc Marquez, who worked hard to secure victory following an intense Mugello duel. The #93 went head-to-head with Alex Marquez and Bagnaia, allowing the #93 to reminisce about previous fights at Mugello. It was a special day for Marc, who was able to celebrate success on Ducati territory, with the Spaniard discussing his emotions after the Grand Prix.
Marc Marquez: "Super happy and proud to win with an Italian bike, Italian team, Ducati Factory, at an Italian circuit at Mugello. I feel that the whole weekend was super special for the whole team. I feel part of the team.
"Today, after a normal start, we had a great fight against Pecco and Alex. The second part of the race was a bit more calm.
"I fought against Ducati a lot of times here. I remember 2019 against Petrucci and Dovizioso. Today was a bit easier with that extra power on the straight. The Ducati engine is working really good."
"I was risking a crash"
Pecco Bagnaia endured another tough weekend, with the Italian struggling to find the feeling needed to push in the latter stages of the Grand Prix. Bagnaia charged hard at the start, battling with the Marquez brothers and briefly leading on Sunday. However, there is still work to do, with the #63 'risking a crash' before dropping to fourth position at the chequered flag.
Bagnaia: "I wanted to stay at the front. Like always, when you are racing, you prefer to stay at the front. But I was quite confident in the first part of the race. I was feeling good, and then after six laps, the front started to drop. I had to slow down because I was risking a crash. The problem is that this season is always like this; I cannot do what I want on the bike
"Today, I was almost on the ground in the last corner, when I tried just to do the same line as I always have. So like this, it's a shame, it is what it is, from the first race, it's like this. Maybe I start well, then I spend the race watching the brothers, what they are doing, hoping for a mistake from them to maybe have a chance to overtake, but like this, it's not possible."
"Today is not a P4 race"
Fabio Di Giannantonio had a magical day, standing on the podium in front of a roaring home crowd. The Italian showed strong pace throughout, pouncing on Bagnaia with two laps remaining and completing a childhood dream. Di Giannantonio spoke about the special occasion and the moment he decided to push for a podium finish.
Di Giannantonio: "You grow up watching MotoGP races and watching Vale, Capirossi, Biaggi. Being on the podium with so many Italian riders, being on the podium with special livery in front of an amazing crowd, with all the fans down on the straight on the podium. You see it as a dream come true.
"Today, when I was fourth and it was five laps to the end, I said every lap, 'Not P4, not P4, today is not a P4 race.' So I pushed. I pushed to the end. I gave everything and it paid off because in the end we made a quite aggressive overtake on Pecco, but it was the only way to overtake him because he was really strong in the braking zone."
"I just felt the hit"
There was high drama on Sunday as Maverick Viñales’ (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hopes of a strong result were dashed. The #12 was in fourth position before a crash on Lap 9 brought a disappointing end to the day following contact with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Morbidelli received a Long Lap for the incident, later completing a second Long Lap due to failing to correctly comply with the original penalty.
Viñales: "To be honest, I was completely in front because I overtook him out of two, and I just felt the hit. If I saw a wheel, then I would pick it up, of course, because I don't want to crash. I would go straight onto the gravel and it's OK. But I didn't even see him. I don't even see the pictures. I just felt a hit, and then I was without a bike.
"We need to be happy. And now we arrive at tracks where I think it suits quite well for me, so let's continue with all the momentum, and there is no time to regret or to think maybe something is wrong or not. It's time to think about the next race and think about what we can do better"
Morbidelli: "I was trying to manage the tyres as much as possible, but then I made a mistake at Turn 1, then I got engaged in a fight with Maverick, and in the fight we touched and he ended up on the ground. Sorry about that, it’s a big pity. I am happy he is not injured because anything can happen in these types of things.
"I had to pay for that. I made a Long Lap but made a mistake, so I had to pay twice because I made another Long Lap. I just tried to get the maximum, which was P6, and that’s okay because we have a really good potential."
"Now I need to go for it"
Alex Marquez claimed another podium at Mugello, finishing as runner-up following an intense Grand Prix. The #73 briefly took the lead on Lap 6, putting down the hammer before being caught by brother Marc Marquez on Lap 9. It was a further 20 points to his Championship tally as he sits second in the standings – 70 points ahead of Bagnaia. Alex Marquez gave his thoughts following the Italian GP and the decisions he made during the race.
Alex Marquez: "Today was important to give our maximum and especially not to make mistakes. I started in a really good way at the start of the race. I was trying to manage the tyres like Marc did, but at that moment, I saw that he started to fight with Pecco. At that moment, I said, 'I don’t want to go in that fight.' I wanted to wait a little bit to save some energy. When I saw that the pace was I would say quite slow for the overtakes, and I had the opportunity, I said, 'Now I need to go for it.' When I overtook Pecco in turn three, I said, 'Now put your pace.'"