The 2024 MotoGP season so far
25 July 2024At face value, MotoGP in 2024 may look surprisingly similar to the 2023 championship; Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín doing battle at the top of the table with the rest of the pack in hot pursuit.
But in reality, the struggle for dominance this season has been far more intense than last year, and starring roles for rising rookies and returning veterans have kept everyone on their toes.
Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar
The season kicked off under the lights of the Lusail International Circuit and it was Martín who announced his statement of intent on the 2024 season, winning from pole in the Sprint race.
Brad Binder and 2023 MotoGP British Grand Prix winner Aleix Espargaró took second and third respectively while champions Bagnaia and Marc Márquez battled through the pack to round out the top five.
In the Grand Prix proper, Martín once again got the holeshot but Bagnaia was eager to take control of the race, snatching the lead for his own before the end of the first lap.
The #1 rider would go untroubled at the front for the duration to win the first full-length race of the season, with Binder making it a pair of second-place finishes from the Sprint and Grand Prix while Martín completed a strong opening event in third.
Grande Prémio Tissot de Portugal
After Jack Miller and Bagnaia duked it out for the early lead, an uncharacteristic mistake for the double champion allowed Maverick Viñales to claim victory ahead of a duelling M Márquez and Martín.
On Sunday, Martín meant business and claimed an early lead and left the chasing pack to battle amongst themselves. Among them, was M Márquez and Bagnaia who made contact on Lap 1.
As the race progressed, the opportunistic youngster Pedro Acosta took fourth from the two champions and with three laps to go, Márquez overtook Bagnaia into Turn 5, but when the Italian tried to cut underneath him, the pair made contact taking them both out of contention.
The race was far from over, and on the final lap, Viñales crashed out promoting the sensational rookie Acosta into third for a career first podium. He finished behind factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini and a victorious Martín.
Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas
At the Circuit of the Americas, there was only one rider’s name on everyone’s lips: Marc Marquez. With his record at the circuit, he was always going to be one of the favourites and he was in the mix throughout the weekend.
Saturday’s Sprint race replicated the podium result of the Sprint in Portugal the round before; Viñales took back-to-back wins on Saturday from Márquez while Martín snatched the final spot on the podium from the ever-impressive Acosta.
Once again, it was Acosta raising eyebrows up and down the paddock as he surged into the lead on Lap 1 of the Grand Prix. Between himself, Martín and Márquez, the trio contested the lead for much of the race, passing and repassing one another lap by lap.
Fans were treated to a thrilling battle at the front of the field, but all good things must come to an end and with 10 laps to go, Márquez crashed out of the lead, dashing the hopes of the American crowd. Viñales then overhauled Acosta in the closing stages to do the double on US soil followed by Acosta and Bastianini.
Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España
From a battle for the ages in the American Grand Prix to a war of attrition in the Spanish Sprint, the Circuito de Jerez caught out much of the field with damp patches of track at the infamous Turn 5.
Márquez launched from pole in front of an expectant home crowd, but it was Binder who led Martín into Turn 1. Jorge quickly made his way past Binder to take the lead, but it was Binder and Bagnaia who made contact at Turn 1 shortly after, signalling the end of the latter’s race.
Riders were beginning to get caught out though, and Álex Rins, Alex Márquez, Binder and Bastianini were all claimed by Turn 5. Meanwhile, Marc Márquez had sliced past Martín to retake the lead, but, shortly after, became Turn 5’s latest victim, crashing out of the lead. With only 15 riders crossing the line, it was Martín who stood on the top step followed by Acosta and Fabio Quartararo who took Yamaha’s first podium of the season.
To the delight of the crowd, Márquez got the holeshot at the start of the Grand Prix, followed by Martín and Marco Bezzechi. But it was reigning champion Bagnaia who was on the move, lunging down the outside of Bezzechi and Martín to take second on Lap 1.
Then, the trio of Bagnaia, Márquez and Martín did battle for the lead giving no quarter and expecting none in return. Martín blinked first and crashed out while leading the race, leaving the great champions Bagnaia and Márquez to go head-to-head in the final five laps.
The lead changed continuously, but by the final lap, it was Bagnaia who looked assured on the final lap, taking victory from Márquez and Bezzechi in third.
Michelin® Grand Prix de France
Taking his third Sprint victory of the season, Martín controlled the race for its duration. the real star of the French GP Sprint was Márquez, who made an astonishing nine places on Lap 1 to vault from 13th to fourth while Bagnaia slipped from second to 15th in the same period before retiring.
A double long-lap penalty for Espargaró and a crash for Bezzechi promoted Márquez to second at the flag; a truly remarkable result from that far down the grid. Viñales completed the podium in third.
On Sunday, Bagnaia had no such troubles and masterfully seized the lead from Martín at Turn 2. But, once again, the one to watch was Márquez who had made his way into eighth by the end of the first tour.
Márquez continued his march through the field and by the closing stages, the trio had converged at the front of the pack. With three laps to go, they were running line astern, separated by mere tenths of a second.
On the last lap, Márquez made a daring lunge for second, relegating Bagnaia to third and enabling Martín to cross the line to win a titanic battle at Le Mans.
Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
Like Jerez earlier in the season, the second Sprint in Spain was also one of attrition. The battling quartet of Bagnaia, Acosta, Binder and Raúl Fernández all had their turn at the head of the pack, and each of them – bar Acosta – crashed out while leading the race.
Eventually, it was Espargaró who took a home win ahead of Márquez (from 14th on the grid) and birthday boy Acosta.
In the Grand Prix itself, the top two exiting Turn 1 were the same as in the Sprint, Bagnaia from Acosta. Martín was making moves early in the race, though, and scythed past Acosta first, followed by Bagnaia with Acosta following him through.
In an attempt to close the gap to Martín, Acosta pushed his tyres too hard and crashed out of second place, handing the position back to Bagnaia. Eventually, the Italian reclaimed the lead from his title rival to win, while Márquez capped off another impressive ride through the field to finish third.
Gran Premio d’Italia Brembo
On Italian soil, a lot rested on the shoulders of home favourite Bagnaia and the entire Ducati factory team. He didn’t disappoint, either, leading from the off in the Sprint to take a comfortable victory.
Meanwhile, Márquez, Martín and Bastianini battled for the runner-up spot with the latter two riders crashing out of contention. Eventually, it was Márquez who took second in front of Acosta who picked up his third Sprint podium of the season.
Martín and Bastianini would redeem themselves in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Bagnaia snatched the lead from pole man Martín into Turn 2 on Lap 1. But it was the duelling pair of Bastianini and Márquez who were attracting the attention of the crowds.
In the final handful of laps, Márquez got past the factory Ducati rider for third, but Bastianini retook the position on the penultimate lap and began to close on Martín for second. In an inspired move, Bastianini nipped underneath Martín on the last corner of the last lap to complete a factory Ducati 1-2.
Motul TT Assen
In the famed TT Assen, Bagnaia was pursued by Martín in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix itself. Try as he might, the Spaniard couldn’t challenge the reigning champion and the pair eventually finished first and second in both races.
Viñales bested Alex Márquez for the final spot on the podium in the Sprint while Bastianini claimed third in Sunday’s feature race.
Ultimately, there was little to say about the Assen weekend other than Bagnaia was untouchable. He was on imperious form and continued his quest to return to the top of the standings.
Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland
After Bagnaia’s domination in the Netherlands, Martín wanted to bounce back in Germany to put a stop to his momentum. And bounce back he did.
Despite a shrewd move at Turn 1 to cut underneath both Martín and Miguel Olivera on the first lap, Bagnaia slipped back during the Sprint and finished third. Martín made his way back past the #1 rider to take the win and Olivera followed him through to second.
The top three finishers in the Sprint left Turn 1 of the Grand Prix in the same order as they crossed the line the day before. But Bagnaia looked to make amends and passed Olivera into the last corner on Lap 1 and used the same move to snatch the lead from Martín a lap later.
The two championship protagonists traded blows throughout the race, but with two laps to go disaster struck; Martín crashed out of the lead at Turn 1, handing the win and the points lead to his rival in Bagnaia. The Márquez brothers – led by Marc – completed the top three for a double Gressini podium.
Monster Energy British Grand Prix
Heading to the MotoGP British Grand Prix, just ten points separate Bagnaia at the top of the pile from Martín, with Márquez lurking a further 56 behind. Another twist in the tale of the 2024 MotoGP season is sure to follow as the riders prepare to take on the historic Silverstone circuit.
