Marc Marquez continued his resurgence, winning the San Marino and Rimini Riviera MotoGP on Sunday, his second victory in as many weeks. The Spaniard started from ninth on the grid but fought his way to the front, overtaking pole-sitter Francesco Bagnaia for the win. This victory comes after a three-year drought for Marquez and puts him within striking distance of the championship lead, though he still trails his fellow Spaniard, Jorge Martin, by 53 points.
Martin’s race, however, took a disastrous turn when he gambled on switching to rain tires with 20 laps remaining. The rain, while initially threatening, eased almost immediately after he pitted, leaving him stranded in 15th place. This costly decision cost him valuable points and likely dealt a significant blow to his championship aspirations. The gamble backfired, as he was the only one of the title contenders to make the change. Martin, who had been in a strong position after dominating the sprint race on Saturday, gained only one point on Sunday.
The main beneficiary of Martin’s misfortune was Bagnaia, who closed the gap on the championship lead to just seven points. Despite losing the race to Marquez, Bagnaia will be boosted by the fact that the Emilia Romagna GP, a replacement for the cancelled Kazakhstan race, will be held at the same Misano circuit later in September, offering him another chance to close the gap.
