Bagnaia wins after intense battle with Bastianini, title race heads to Valencia

As Jorge Martin made a brilliant start to keep the lead pole, all eyes were on MotoGP title contenders Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo, as both riders also made lightning starts.

Bagnaia went from ninth to second by the end of turn two, while Quartararo was up from 12th to fifth. 

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Unable to go with the top two in the championship, Aleix Espargaro was beginning to see his championship hopes fade in very quick fashion as he dropped five positions during the opening few laps. 

A big effort on lap five saw Martin get his lead over Bagnaia to above a second for the first time, as Enea Bastianini remained very close to his future team-mate. 

However, Martin then threw away a great chance of winning his first race of 2022 after crashing out on lap seven.

A gift for Bagnaia but Bastianini remained extremely close to the factory Ducati rider. Behind the leading duo was Quartararo who was on course to keep his title hopes alive, although a fast-charging Marco Bezzecchi was now up to fourth and attempting to close down the Yamaha rider.

Staying close without making an attempt at taking the lead for so long, that all changed for Bastianini on lap 11 as he pounced under braking at turn three. 

Slightly surprised that his fellow Ducati rider came through, Bagnaia took an immediate look over his shoulder before attempting to respond at turn seven, but the Gresini rider shut the down. 

As Bagnaia began to find more pace, the series leader came very close to running into the back of Bastianini at turn seven. 

Another change for the lead then took place at the end of lap 14 as Bagnaia went through under braking at the final corner. 

With the top two squabbling for the lead, reigning world champion Quartararo was rapidly closing on the two leaders while also beginning to gap Bezzecchi.

A stunning 15th lap saw Quartararo take four tenths out of the top two as Bezzecchi lost even more time in fourth. 

Bagnaia and Bastianini managed to slow Quartararo’s momentum on the ensuing couple of laps as the fighting at the front was halted momentarily. 

As the penultimate lap began, Bastianini gained three tenths ahead of a possible final lap showdown. But as he lined up a move heading towards sector four, the Italian very nearly ran into the rear of Bagnaia which saw him lose his opportunity.

Victorious for the seventh time this season, Bagnaia was not able to claim the title as Quartararo delivered a brilliant performance to take third.