Jorge Martín, victory and leadership on Pedro Acosta’s first podium in MotoGP

MADRID, 24 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Spanish rider Jorge Martín (Ducati) has won this Sunday the victory in the MotoGP race of the Portuguese Grand Prix, the second round of the motorcycle World Championship, a result that allows him to take the lead in the premier category, while Pedro Acosta (KTM), third, has scored his first podium in MotoGP.

Controlling the tires and his income, the Madrid native confirmed with an impeccable race that what happened last year, when he was runner-up in the world, was no coincidence. Thus, he continues without getting off the podium: first in the sprint and third in the race in Qatar, third this Saturday and winner this Sunday.

In the other boxes he was accompanied by the Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and his compatriot Pedro Acosta (KTM), who, at 19 years and 304 days, became the third youngest rider in history to get on the podium on a Sunday in the queen category; Only the American Randy Mamola, in 1979 at 19 years and 261 days, and the Argentine Eduardo Salatino, in 1962 at 19 and 274, achieved it at a younger age than him.

This victory allows the rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes to achieve first place in the overall drivers’ standings, displacing the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who crashed with three laps to go after a collision with Marc Márquez (Ducati). ) in full fight for fourth position.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia), Saturday’s sprint winner, was also unlucky, as a mechanical failure left him out of the race when he was third on the last lap, opening the doors to the podium for the ‘Tiburón de Mazarrón’.

After two Grand Prix, Martín dominates the classification with 60 points, 18 ahead of South African Brad Binder (KTM), fourth this Sunday, and 21 more than Bastianini. ‘Pecco’ is fourth with 37 units, 23 behind the Spanish.

In a great start, Martín overtook polesitter Bastianini – who fell to third place – and tried to pull, followed by the sprint winner, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia). Behind them, Bagnaia and Márquez began a fierce fight that would not end well, and Acosta joined them.

The position changes between the three focused the attention of the test, while the Madrid native, little by little, strengthened his advantage and position. It was on lap 23 when everything went up in the air, after Acosta overtook ‘Pecco’ with five laps remaining to place fourth.

The one from Cervera put his motorcycle into the transalpine, who in his attempt to defend himself ended up touching him and took him over; The eldest of the Márquez was able to return to the track in a delayed position to finally cross the finish line sixteenth, but the two-time world champion put an end to his adventure.

Just one lap later, when he was facing the finish line to face the last of the laps in Portimao, Viñales also ended up in the gravel in turn 1 due to a failure on his Aprilia, which made it easier for Acosta to finish on the podium.

Among the rest of the Spaniards, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) finished eighth, Augusto Fernández (KTM) finished eleventh, Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) was twelfth, Alex Rins (Yamaha) thirteenth and Marc Márquez, sixteenth. Neither Viñales, nor Alex Márquez (Ducati) nor Raúl Fernández (Aprilia) managed to finish.

2024-03-24 15:17:27
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