(Reuters) – Reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia won the sprint at the Indonesia Grand Prix in Mandalika on Saturday to make up ground on Jorge Martin in the world championship standings after the Pramac Racing rider crashed while leading.
The Italian Ducati rider’s sprint victory in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit moved him up to 329 points, 12 behind Martin, ahead of Sunday’s race.
Bagnaia turned up the aggression after rocketing off the line to move from fourth to second, and took the lead when Martin, who had taken pole in qualifying earlier in the day with a lap record, crashed in the first lap.
After moving in front, Bagnaia coasted to victory and crossed the finish line ahead of Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini and Gresini Racing’s Marc Marquez.
“Everybody knows how important it was to gain points. We gained 12, so thanks to the mistake of Jorge, we are close back again,” Bagnaia said.
“From the start of the weekend, it’s not been ideal for us. I’m struggling a bit. But during the qualifying and this morning in FP2, then the race, I started to learn many more things.
“When I saw Jorge crash, I just said, ‘OK, I don’t have to push’. I’m very happy. Thanks to my team that always is doing a perfect job. Tomorrow will be tough, but in any case, happy for today.”
Marquez crashed twice in qualifying and started in the fourth row, but got a remarkable start to move up to fifth in the first lap.
“The Q2 is a nightmare for me at the moment, but still we keep working, we try to understand what’s going on,” Marquez said.
“In the race, suddenly, when the tyres started to drop, I feel better and better and better.
“After that qualifying and practice, the third position on the podium was more than better.”
Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 Racing, who began on the front row, was second for the first half of the sprint but dropped to fourth after he locked up his front tyre and nearly crashed into Bagnaia.
After dropping out of the lead Martin did his best to work his way back up from the bottom but could not secure any points, frantically overtaking a string of riders to finish 10th.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and William Mallard)
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