Marco Bezzecchi conquered the wet Argentine MotoGP VC on a satellite ducati! Reigning World Champion Bagnaia crashes

A new name on the top step of the podium was delivered by the rain-affected second MotoGP grand prix of the season. Marco Bezzecchi of the Mooney VR46 team tamed the challenging conditions with the best bike of all and scored his first win in the top MS category! The podium in Argentina was completely taken by Ducati machines this time. Johann Zarco finished second and Álex Márquez third. On the other hand, last year’s champion Francesco Bagnaia dropped from second place and finished the grand prix out of the points!

The rain took the edge off the drama of the sprint

Sunday’s Grand Prix was affected by gloomy conditions. After the end of the Moto2 race, in which Czech rider Filip Salač finished eighth, it started to rain. And with the forecast promising no improvement, the 17 riders in the most prestigious category were faced with a 25-lap race on the wet Termas de Río Hondo circuit.

Álex Márquez started the race from pole position, with factory teammates Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia next to him on the grid. However, the Spaniard lined up behind Bezzecchi and Bagnaia after pitting and followed them from third position. Saturday’s sprint hero Brad Binder, who had triumphed from the last row at the start the previous day, threw his machine away on the opening lap after making contact with Maverick Viñales on the Aprilia.

Another incident took place at turn seven when Takaaki Nakagami uncompromisingly forced Fabio Quartara off the track. However, the race management did not punish this situation. The French 2021 World Champion dropped to 16th place after the collision with the Japanese Honda rider. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi managed to stretch his lead against Márquez, Bagnaio and the nicely-starting Franco Morbidelli.

However, Bezzecchi wasn’t the only one who began to build a lead on his rivals. The field of riders was gradually breaking up, providing a contrasting spectacle to Saturday’s sprint. By the halfway point of the race, Bezzecchi already had a margin of over three seconds, with the group behind Bagnaia and Morbidelli even over five seconds.

Bagnaia confirmed his reputation as last year’s world champion by crashing

On lap 15, Bagnaia finished off the Italian constructor’s satellite version of Márquez on his factory Ducati. The Italian tried manoeuvres all round during the lap, but in the end the Turin native managed to overpower his Spanish teammate to snatch second place for himself. Bezzecchi, meanwhile, was in control, his lead already 5.6 seconds.

Then came a shock in the form of a crash for the reigning champion. In the penultimate corner, Bagnai’s front wheel came off and he ended up with his machine in the grass. The 26-year-old returned to the race a short while later with no visible damage to his bike, but only in 16th place.

For longer-term MotoGP fans, the first half of last season must have immediately become apparent, with Bagnaia crashing rather than finishing the grand prix in high positions. Still, he eventually took the championship crown ahead of Quartararo, who at one point held a near 100-point lead over Bagnaia.

Bagnai’s crash catapulted Márquez and Morbidelli onto the podium. Behind them, however, Pramac’s Johann Zarco and Quartararo on the factory Yamaha set a hell of a pace. The first-named Frenchman was dangerously close to Morbidelli in third, while the latter worked his way through the field to seventh.

With two laps to go, Zarco got ahead of the already struggling Morbidelli and then took on Márquez on the final circuit. But that was Bezzecchi looking for the chequered flag and the chequered flag, which he crossed the line first in MotoGP.

Not only that, he took the lead in the World Championship standings from Bagnaia with this triumph! Zarco eventually beat Márquez by half a second, with the top 5 completed by Morbidelli and Jorge Martín on the second Pramac Ducati.

MotoGP Argentine Grand Prix results (race 2/21, 25 laps = 120.15 km; top 10 only):

1. Marco Bezzecchi (Ita., Ducati) 44::28.518
2. Johann Zarco (Fra., Ducati) +4.085
3. Álex Márquez (Sp., Ducati) +4.681
4. Franco Morbidelli (Ita., Yamaha) +7.581
5. Jorge Martín (Span., Ducati) +9.746
6. Jack Miller (Aus., KTM) +10.562
7. Fabio Quartararo (Fra., Yamaha) +11.095
8. Luca Marini (Ita., Ducati) +13.694
9. Álex Rins (Span., Honda) +14.327
10. Fabio di Giannantonio (Ita., Ducati) +18.515

2023 MotoGP rider standings (after 2/21; top 10 only)::

1. Marco Bezzecchi (Ita., Ducati) 50
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Ita., Ducati) 41
3. Johann Zarco (Fra., Ducati) 35
4. Álex Márquez (Span., Ducati) 33
5. Maverick Viñales (Span., Aprilia) 32
6. Jack Miller (Aus., KTM) 25
7. Jorge Martín (Span., Ducati) 22
8. Brad Binder (RJA, KTM) 22
9. Franco Morbidelli (Ita., Yamaha) 21
10. Fabio Quartararo (Fra., Yamaha) 18

Source: MotoGP