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Jack Miller was victorious in MotoGP’s Spanish Grand Prix ahead of his Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who leapfrogged the troubled Fabio Quartararo into the lead of the championship standings.
The fourth round of the 2021 MotoGP championship came in the form of the Spanish Grand Prix, held at the legendary Jerez circuit. Located in the South of Spain, the circuit offers a mix of challenges and thrills which makes it a favourite for both riders and fans.
Starting Grid
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo lined up on pole after the Frenchman clinched his fourth consecutive pole position in MotoGP by setting a blistering 1:36.755 time in Saturday’s qualifying session.
Alongside the Yamaha rider on the front row was SRT’s Franco Morbidelli and Ducati’s Jack Miller in third, the Australian started from the front row for the first time this season.
Big names started further back than people would’ve expected. Marc Marquez qualified in 14th and started from the middle of the fifth row behind his Repsol Honda teammate Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard took a heavy tumble at the end of the FP3 session, but thankfully he didn’t aggravate any injuries.
Nine-time champion Valentino Rossi started from 17th – his time over a second slower than his teammate Morbidelli in second.
As It Happened
Off the line it was Jack Miller who got the hole-shot, he led over Morbidelli and Bagnaia in third. Pole sitter Quartararo got a poor start as he dropped to fourth, however managed to hold off Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.
At the end of lap two, the Championship leader regained his top three status as he executed a tidy move on Bagnaia at the infamous turn 13.
As like last time out in Portugal, Honda’s Marc Marquez got a fantastic start, however found himself falling back down the order over the next few laps.
On lap three, Suzuki’s Alex Rins ran wide into the challenging turn six and lost the rear. The Spaniard remounted and continued with his race after his second crash in as many Grand Prix’s.
Quartararo made two more identical overtakes at turn 13 on the next two laps. The first of which being on Morbidelli and then taking the race lead from Miller as the Frenchman found himself starting to pull away from the rest of the field.
On lap eight, the Yamaha rider broke the all-time race lap record around the Jerez Circuit, setting a 1:37.770 as he continued to show dominant pace.
The very next lap, Ducati’s Bagnaia overtook Espargaro at turn six as he set out on his quest to chase a podium place.
After several laps of being all over his teammate’s rear tyre, Marc Marquez broke into the top 10 for the first time in the race as he overtook Pol Espargaro.
That same lap, race leader Fabio Quartararo lost 0.7 seconds to second place Miller. A mistake at turn six was to be the start of a despairing downfall for the Frenchman.
Francesco Bagnaia got into the podium spots as he placed his Factory Ducati up the inside of his compatriot Morbidelli at turn one at the start of lap 15.
A lap later, Miller mirrored his teammate’s move as he took the lead of the race from the struggling Quartararo, the Australian then started to pull out a comfortable gap over the Frenchman who continued to lose time.
Morbidelli was next to overtake his former SRT teammate, as the Italian promoted himself into the top three. The Championship leader continued to fall down the order like a stone, as he lost 10 positions within five laps.
Throughout the latter stages of the race, Bagnaia tried to close the gap to Miller, however, the Australian matched his teammate’s efforts.
In the end, it was Ducati’s Jack Miller that was triumphant in Spain, a track which his team had not won at since 2006, ahead of his teammate Bagnaia and Morbidelli who came home in third.
The Ducati duo claimed the Italian outfit’s first one-two finish since the Czech Republic Grand Prix back in August 2018. Miller was victorious for the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix in challenging conditions in June 2016.
The leader for the majority of the race Quartararo finished in 13th, as he winced in agony after crossing the line. The Frenchman confirmed in his port-race media debrief that he was struck down with an arm pump.
An emotional Jack Miller gave his thoughts after the race in parc ferme:
“I knew I had a bit of a gap behind me so if I could get past Fabio, because I knew he was struggling, and keep my head down and not make any mistakes then I could punch out the laps. Those last seven or eight laps were the longest laps I’ve ever had in my career! It’s indescribable what I’m feeling now, it’s a flood of emotions. Happy, sad, everything. I wish my parents were here to celebrate it with me but they’re back at home, so I know they’ll be celebrating.”
In the riders’ championship, there is a new leader. Francesco Bagnaia’s second-place finish was enough to send him to the summit of the standings by two points over Fabio Quartararo after four races.
What’s Next?
MotoGP are next in action at the French Grand Prix staged at the Le Mans Circuit in a fortnight’s time, where Fabio Quartararo will be hoping to get back to winning ways on home soil and retake the lead of the Championship from Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
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