The fourth round of the MotoGP season took place on the historic Jerez de la Frontera track and there was no shortage of surprises and excitement in the MotoGP class. A Grand Prix that gave confirmations, but also some surprises and between overtaking, head-to-head and twists, this is how the protagonists of the premier class behaved in our report cards.
The top 3
Francesco Bagnaia: 10 – full marks to the world champion who, in a difficult race and at the home of his direct opponents, won an important and decisive round for the championship. With Martin’s zero in this Grand Prix, Bagnai capitalized as much as possible on the victory achieved with no small effort. When his rival’s exit with fifteen laps to go seemed to pave the way for him to manage the position, he saw himself attacked by the best Marquez of this championship start, to which he responded with the best Pecco ever. Between braking and crossing paths, the two-time world champion prevailed over his opponent with a true masterpiece. A historical proof.
Marco Bezzecchi: 7.5 – even though he was third on the podium, his race had almost nothing to do with the one contested by those who finished in front of him. What is certain is that after an anonymous start and very distant from Bezzecchi last year, seeing him again appear in the top positions has rekindled the passion for the rider from Romagna, who if he wins or finishes in front, reminds us so much of someone. Nothing exceptional, on the contrary, he was overtaken by the phenomenon Marquez, but took a well-deserved third place that no one seemed capable of stealing from him.
The hero of the day
Marc Marquez: 9 – Looking back at the race, the sumptuous overtaking of Bezzecchi would be enough to crown Marc Marquez the star of the Spanish Grand Prix, but the fight at the end to try to snatch the victory from Bagnaia is material for film archives. It’s a shame for him not to have succeeded in the feat that would have thundered loudly in every corner of the world, but “Pecco” was very capable of managing what he had been pursuing with great stubbornness throughout the race. It’s Marquez’s race and something more than the podium will come soon.
The flops 3
Pedro Acosta: 5.5 – after a sparkling start to the championship, where only the victory was missing to sign what seems like the beginning of a legend, on friendly soil Pedro Acosta sensationally downsized by competing in a completely different Grand Prix. The paradox is that the tenth place probably corresponds as a result to what workers and enthusiasts expected in his debut year in the top category, but we have gotten used to it well and we don’t want to lose the habit of seeing him in front.
Maverick Viñales: 4.5 – after the splendid weekend in Texas, he was expected to star in one of the home races on the calendar. It’s a shame that he contrasted the wonders seen in America with the anonymity of an insipid test that fell short of any coherent prediction. Unless we go back to the old pattern where Viñales alternates excellent races with much lower performances. Ninth place with the official Aprilia screams revenge, also because it seems that he has the experimental bike and not Savadori. Insufficient.
Jorge Martin: 5 – with the crash fifteen laps from the end, Jorge Martin lost the opportunity to extend his lead in the standings, to the detriment of his direct rival. But calculations aside, the current championship leader threw a result into the ground which, however it happened, would have made a difference on a global level and also psychologically on his rivals in the rankings. A classic slide with loss of the front which had no particular consequences, but which underlines a certain fragility in the moment of landing the decisive blows. The limit is not falling on the eleventh lap, but not containing it, when you try to push to the maximum and perhaps beyond physics.
