Yes you can! Yes you can! they chanted Jorge Martin As he arrived at the podium where the sprint medals were handed out at the Valencia Community Grand Prix in Ceste. The half-human, half-robot “Martinator” put his nickname to good use, scoring his ninth sprint win of the year and keeping his world title chances alive until this Sunday’s long race.

As has been going on since Misano martin He once again achieved an infallible result in the short race. Bagnaia He had to walk on eggshells. One in 1st place and the other in 5th place means they arrive this Sunday with a 14 point difference in the standings. If Martin wins and Bagnaia scores his sixth win, the title will go to the Madrid native. The second time was with him in 11th place, and the third time was with him in 15th place and below. Dreams can still come true.

Following the results of Q2 in the morning, the pressure shifted from Bagnaia to Martin.Even though it’s invincible maverick vinales Despite being relegated, Bagnaia was able to maintain second place on the grid despite missing the playoffs. Martin finished 6th and started just behind teammate Zarco, but his only “good news” was after a vibration issue with the soft front rubber that weighed him down and the starting point’s circuit normally Because the two KTMs that started like a shot were also together. This is an important point and a difficult place to overtake.

Bagnaia needed to score four more points than Martin in this Saturday’s sprint to take the MotoGP crown. It has happened up to five times this year, at Austin, Mugello, Assen, Red Bull Ring and Catalunya. But since we opened the can at Le Mans, there has only been one sprint king this year, six of whom have won the last eight sprint races, and now seven of the past nine.

Firstly, the rear rubber strategy is different, with a softer rubber adding a conservative Bagnaia and a riskier medium Martin to the front medium. His Prima Pramac box had a ‘Hasta El Final’ sign on it and he came out determined once again. The start was key, with Bagnaia overtaking Vinales before reaching Turn 1, with Zarco giving way to Martin. At the second corner, Vinales regained the lead and began to push.

Before the end of the first lap Martin attacked Bagnaia relentlessly and they went the distance, with Binder and Marc Marquez slipping past them. At Turn 4, the most delicate of the route, Martín recovered third place and cut himself off, holding an irredeemable Cervera between him and Bagnaia, who was already more than two inches head-to-head.

Even with a late jump, to have a better option for Sunday, the Martinator will have to pass Binder and race leader Vinales, the strongman of the weekend, trailing Marquez and leading four drivers. will be competing for third place. podium and a difference of seven-tenths between them.

Quartararo’s fall on lap 5 almost took over Bagnaia, leaving Bagnaia at the head of the chasing group, leading the three Ducati “friends”, with his friend Bezzecchi acting as a stopper for the Gresini “Dighia”. Alex Marquez took the lead. Valentino Rossi’s watchful gaze this Saturday as he descends on the circuit where he retired two years ago.

Front checks had already begun on the 6th lap, but the Aprilia riders did not give up. Marc Marquez He began to show Martin his bike. With 6 to go in Turn 1, Roses’ lead was taken first by Brad Binder, then by Martin, and five corners later he was passed by Marquez, who had just given the Martinator’s wheels a hard lesson in Turn 6, but Marquez I continued to protect it. Even though his overalls still bear the mark. Before finishing these eight laps, Binder went wide and passed him on the inside “Martinator”. The provisional first goal and Bagnaia’s fifth brought the difference to 14 points on Sunday, with the teams now split at 25 points.

Di Giannantonio allowed himself to be overtaken by Bagnaia for fifth place, and with a third of the race left he became very attached to him. Martin kept Binder at bay, not allowing him to break two-and-a-half seconds by the start of the final lap, but that would be difficult to break when faced with a long race.

And at the Repsol Honda team’s farewell GP. Marc Marquez He finished on the podium three times in the 2023 sprint race, finishing third in Portimao and Ceste in India, all after starting from ninth place.

Sanctions against Bagnaia and Marini

After the technical inspection, the VR46 Marini and Yamaha Morbidelli, which were not eligible for points, were sanctioned for the second violation of the minimum tire pressure regulation (3 seconds), and the classification will not be affected. This is Di Giannantonio’s first violation and the warning continues.

sprint ranking