Italian rider Enea Bastianini on a Ducati delivered a spectacular victory at the Aragon Grand Prix, the fifteenth round of the Motorcycle World Championship. In a race shaped by intense pressure, the Spaniards surged forward after Bastianini overtook his compatriot Francesco Bagnaia, also riding a Ducati, in the final lap. Alex Rins finished third, making a bold push and challenging the championship leader Fabio Quartararo, who faced a harsh moment after contact with Marc Márquez and had to retire from the race on his return to the World Championship this Sunday in the battle for the title.
“The Beast” held back until the final lap before making a decisive move and passing Bagnaia, putting the bike on a stronger line and sealing his fourth victory of the season with a margin of 0.042 seconds. The race began with a sense of double fear for the riders, setting an electric tone for what followed.
On his comeback to the championship after his fourth humeral operation, Márquez started from thirteenth and worked his way up to sixth position before the first turn, gaining ground ahead of Quartararo. The French rider was behind Márquez at Turn 3 when calamity struck; Márquez appeared to suffer a high side as Quartararo’s bike collided with him, leaving the championship leader on the pavement and the race taking an unforeseen turn.
With Márquez’s bike damaged, the eight-time champion remained in contention as another incident unfolded just two corners later near the Corkscrew. Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami collided with Márquez, leaving him stranded in the middle of the track. The crash created a dangerous moment that Maverick Viñales managed to avoid aboard his Aprilia.
Despite the setback, Quartararo continued to lead the standings, though his advantage over Bagnaia was slim and the gap to Aleix Espargaró continued to shrink as the race progressed. The Catalan rider claimed a podium with two laps remaining, overtaking South African Brad Binder on a KTM to secure a strong position in the title fight.
Among the other Spaniards in the field, Jorge Martín finished sixth on a Ducati, Alex Rins was ninth on a Suzuki, and Alex Márquez took twelfth on a Honda. Maverick Viñales, Pol Espargaró, and Raúl Fernández also featured among the competitors, with Espargaró finishing fifteenth and Fernández down in twentieth place as the event drew to a close.