Joan Mir requires a top-two finish from the next race in Japan to clinch the Moto3 world championship after a controversial win at Aragon. The Spaniard won a shortened race ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Enea Bastianini but his tactics on the final lap angered his rivals and earned him a six-place grid penalty for the Japanese GP.
The race got underway 45 minutes later than scheduled after heavy fog brought the programme to a standstill early on Sunday morning. With the schedule so condensed and fears that the MotoGP race may have to be delayed, race direction took the decision to reduce the Moto3 race to thirteen laps, effectively rendering it a sprint race.
For the opening dozen laps, Bastianini fought over the lead with the two Gresini Hondas of Di Giannantonio and polesitter Jorge Martin but as the final 5km began, Mir blasted his way to the front with a sensational late dive on the brakes for turn one, climbing three places. Di Giannantonio kept himself in range though and looked well placed heading onto the back straight for the final time.
It was here that the controversy unfolded as Mir weaved left and right, attempting to deny Di Giannantonio a slipstream into the final corner. The two nearly collided at high speed, a fact that angered not only Fabio, but Bastianini too, as Mir held the pair at bay for his eighth victory of the season. His last lap tactics would ensure that he will travel to Motegi with a six-place grid penalty hanging over his head.
Di Giannantonio and Bastianini completed the podium with their respective team-mates, Jorge Martin and Aron Canet next up in fourth and fifth. John McPhee was sixth ahead of leading KTM rider Marcos Ramirez and the outstanding Dennis Foggia who edged out the experienced Philipp Oettl and Romano Fenati on just his second GP start.
Moto3 Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon: Race Result
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