Alex Marquez led from start to finish to claim his second career win in the Catalunya Moto3 Grand Prix. The Spanish teenager translated his qualifying dominance into the easiest of victories while a frantic fight for second raged behind him, Enea Bastianini eventually coming out on top for the best result of his fledgling Grand Prix career.
In such a close class where races are often contested between several riders, Marquez’s early pace was quite sensational to build up a one second lead which ultimately proved enough to break the tow of second placed Efren Vazquez. The constant squabbling in the chasing pack, allied to the retirement of Alex Rins with a broken gear linkage, ensured Marquez would have the front of the race all to himself.
As expected, the battle for best of the rest would be decided in the final few laps with seven riders laying claim to the two remaining podium positions. Vazquez looked to have a firm grip on second after passing Bastianini two laps from home and Romano Fenati also looked to have timed his attack well having risen from sixteenth on the grid.
The drag race to turn one on the final lap was always going to play a huge role in deciding the fight for second and it appeared to be advantage Niklas Ajo after a sizeable slipstream helped him climb from sixth but a near highside at turn eight destroyed any hopes the Finn would have of a first career podium. Bastianini would claim that honour for himself after picking his way through the mayhem, baulking Fenati while he was at it, while Vazquez took the final place on the rostrum.
Jack Miller’s championship lead had looked in serious jeopardy with the Australian lying an uncompetitive eighth for much of the race but the last lap shenanigans saw him ghost into fourth, one place ahead of his title rival Fenati, while Niklas Ajo fell to eighth behind Brad Binder and Isaac Vinales. John McPhee rode another impressive race to finish ninth while Francesco Bagnaia completed the top ten.
