Marc Márquez, a Ducati rider, triumphed at the Italian Grand Prix held at the Mugello circuit on Sunday. He crossed the finish line ahead of his brother Alex Márquez, further solidifying his lead in the riders’ championship.
Race Highlights
At the start of the race, Alex Márquez, representing Gresini Racing, briefly took the lead before Marc regained control. Fabio Di Giannantonio from VR46 Racing finished in third place after managing to overtake his fellow Italian Francesco Bagnaia, who had dominated the previous three races at Mugello. Bagnaia also led in the early laps but was overshadowed by the Márquez brothers, ultimately finishing in fourth place in front of his home crowd.
Marc’s 93rd Career Victory
This victory marks Marc’s 93rd career win, matching the number of his motorcycle. To celebrate, he waved a Ducati flag in front of fans who had previously viewed him as a rival during his time with Honda.
« C’est un sentiment incroyable… trois Ducati sur le podium, gagner ici [à Mugello] en rouge, » a déclaré Marc, qui devance désormais son frère de 40 points, tandis que Bagnaia accuse un retard de 110 points en troisième position.
« J’avais déjà compris ce matin que c’était super spécial pour eux, même pour moi, car je me sens partie intégrante d’eux. Vraiment heureux. Nous avons géré la course… j’étais calme, et puis quand les pneus ont un peu baissé, j’ai commencé à donner tout ce que j’avais. Heureux d’obtenir les 37 points lors de ce week-end incroyable. »
After achieving his 100th career pole with a record lap and winning an unexpected victory in Saturday’s sprint, Marc Márquez found himself engaged in a sibling battle, a recurring theme this season, with Bagnaia. The early laps provided a thrilling display of close racing between the two Ducati machines, their vibrant Italian liveries weaving through the winding turns of Mugello, while Alex Márquez remained in the background.
The crowd erupted with joy when Bagnaia briefly took the lead over Márquez after the first turn. However, the following moments were filled with high-speed drama as they exchanged positions, sometimes dangerously close to each other. An accident nearly occurred when Bagnaia, pushing his bike to the limit, touched Marc’s rear tire, forcing him to brake sharply and yield his position to Alex.
Fans witnessed a spectacular moment when the three riders entered the first turn side by side, a bold gamble that saw Alex Márquez briefly take the lead, only to drop back to third at the braking point and regain the lead moments later on the exit. However, Marc ultimately managed to break away, leaving his brother battling to defend second place against a determined Bagnaia.
However, the Italian lacked the pace in the final laps to make a comeback and quickly had to defend his podium position, with Di Giannantonio looking to overtake his compatriot. Two laps from the end, Di Giannantonio took his chance at turn seven, passing the two-time champion and pulling away to secure his first podium at Mugello.
« Je savais que je devais prendre beaucoup de risques pour le dépasser, mais à la fin, lors du dernier tour, je me suis dit : ‘D’accord, allons-y,’ et nous l’avons fait, » a déclaré Di Giannantonio. « Mon premier podium en MotoGP à Mugello, devant ce fantastique groupe de fans. »