Di Giannantonio wins crash-marred Catalan MotoGP

Fabio Di Giannantonio won the Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday after a race marked by two red flags and serious crashes that sent riders to the hospital.

The VR46 Racing rider secured his second career MotoGP victory and the team’s first since the 2023 Indian Grand Prix. The win was overshadowed by incidents that injured Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco.

Honda’s Joan Mir finished second, followed by Gresini Racing’s Fermin Aldeguer. Pole sitter Pedro Acosta crashed on the final lap after contact from Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura, who received a three-second penalty.

Six riders were under investigation for tire pressure violations, leaving the final standings uncertain.

“Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine,” Di Giannantonio said.

“We’ve been really lucky. We know that our sport is amazing. We try to give an amazing show, but also we are humans and we are in danger. So I really hope that everybody is safe.”

The first major incident occurred on lap 12 when race leader Acosta’s KTM lost power on the straight near turn 10. Marquez, running second, had no time to react and crashed into the back of the stricken bike.

Marquez and his Ducati careened toward the wall before both cartwheeled through the air as he lost control on the gravel.

A wheel from Marquez’s bike struck Di Giannantonio, who went down but managed to return his machine to the pits.

The second red flag came after an even more chaotic restart. LCR Honda’s Zarco braked late on turn one of the first lap and took out Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and Honda’s Luca Marini in a three-rider pileup.

Both Marquez and Zarco were taken to the hospital for further examinations. Medical officials confirmed they were conscious.

The second restart effectively reduced the originally scheduled 24-lap race to a 12-lap sprint.

The chaos continued when Jorge Martin, who started on the front row and was expected to compete for the championship lead, crashed after a collision on lap one. Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez made contact on a turn.

Aprilia team principal Massimo Rivola appeared furious as he walked to the Trackhouse garage to speak with the satellite team.

With Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi finishing sixth, the Italian extended his championship lead over Martin to 13 points.

Despite the chaos, Di Giannantonio passed Mir with four laps remaining and then chased down Acosta, taking the lead with two laps left to deny the 21-year-old his first MotoGP victory.

Acosta’s disappointment deepened when he crashed on the final lap.

“It wasn’t an easy one. They should give more points for this,” Mir said.

“But Johann and Alex, wishing them the best and hopefully we see them in Mugello” for the Italian Grand Prix.