The Ducati Lenovo Team scored an extraordinary one-two finish at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix, held this afternoon at the Jerez Circuit, where Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia took their Desmosedici GP bikes to the podium, finishing first and second respectively.
This is the second MotoGP success for the Australian rider, obtained at the end of a masterful race. Starting with the third fastest time from the front row of the grid, Miller took an early lead after the start but was passed by Quartararo on lap four and dropped back into second place. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider tried to remain close to the Frenchman and took immediate advantage of his difficulties towards the second part of the race as he continued to push, catching and overtaking him with ten laps to go. Miller crossed the finish line in first, giving Ducati its second win at Jerez de La Frontera since Capirossi's last victory in 2006 and adding 25 points to his position in the overall standings, which currently sees him sixth.
It was a great race also for Francesco Bagnaia, who started with the fourth fastest time today. Third, on the first lap, the Italian had dropped back behind Aleix Espargaro and Franco Morbidelli, but thanks to a steady pace, he could catch both and pass them. On lap 18, Bagnaia finally got past Quartararo and took second place, less than two seconds behind his teammate Jack Miller.
Thanks to today's result, Pecco now leads the overall standings by two points over Quartararo. Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team occupy second place in the manufacturer's and team standings, respectively.
Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team #43) - 1st
"The last two weeks have been tough for me: I couldn't trust myself and what I can do on the bike. Today, when I saw Quartararo struggling, I thought I could try to take the lead, even though I wasn't so confident that I could stay in the lead for so many laps. But finally, I did it and took my first win with Ducati. I can't thank Ducati enough for giving me this opportunity. Wearing these colours is a dream come true for me, and it means a lot. Thank you, Gigi, Paolo, Davide, Claudio and the whole team for having always believed in me."
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) - 2nd
"Today in the race, I felt really comfortable riding the Desmosedici GP bike, thanks to the great work done with my team over the weekend. I started to push after the first four laps not to stress the rear tyre too much: my pace was good and allowed me to catch up with my opponents and pass them. In the end, I was even catching Jack, but with two laps to go, I preferred to defend the second place. Today's result is really incredible, and I hope we can continue like this in the next races, which will be held on tracks favourable to our bike. Tomorrow we will have another day of testing, so we have to stay focused."
Luigi Dall'Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
"I think I'm the happiest person in the world right now: Jerez has always been a difficult track for the Ducati bikes, so to be able to finish first and second today is crucial for us, especially from a technical point of view. Both riders had a sensational race and were fantastic. They knew how to run a mature race: Jack kept a good rhythm and perfectly managed the race, while Pecco did an incredible performance, ending second and taking now the championship lead. Congratulations to both of them, to the team and all of Ducati Corse.”
RAN PREMIO RED BULL DE ESPAÑA - MotoGP Race Classification 2021 Jerez de la Frontera, Sunday, May 02, 2021
Pos. Points Num. Rider Nation Team Bike Km/h Time/Gap
1 25 43 Jack MILLER AUS Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 161.4 41'05.602
2 20 63 Francesco BAGNAIA ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 161.3 +1.912
3 16 21 Franco MORBIDELLI ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 161.2 +2.516
4 13 30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI JPN LCR Honda IDEMITSU Honda 161.2 +3.206
5 11 36 Joan MIR SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 161.1 +4.256
6 10 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 161.1 +5.164
7 9 12 Maverick VIÑALES SPA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 161.0 +5.651
8 8 5 Johann ZARCO FRA Pramac Racing Ducati 160.9 +7.161
9 7 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 160.7 +10.494
10 6 44 Pol ESPARGARO SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 160.6 +11.776
11 5 88 Miguel OLIVEIRA POR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 160.4 +14.766
12 4 6 Stefan BRADL GER Honda HRC Honda 160.3 +17.243
13 3 20 Fabio QUARTARARO FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 160.2 +18.907
14 2 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 160.1 +20.095
15 1 27 Iker LECUONA SPA Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing KTM 160.1 +20.277
16 10 Luca MARINI ITA SKY VR46 Avintia Ducati 160.0 +20.922
17 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Petronas Yamaha SRT Yamaha 159.9 +22.731
18 53 Tito RABAT SPA Pramac Racing Ducati 159.4 +30.314
19 32 Lorenzo SAVADORI ITA Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 159.0 +37.912
20 42 Alex RINS SPA Team SUZUKI ECSTAR Suzuki 158.9 +38.234
Not Classified
33 Brad BINDER RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 156.2 14 Laps
23 Enea BASTIANINI ITA Avintia Esponsorama Ducati 154.9 14 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
73 Alex MARQUEZ SPA LCR Honda CASTROL Honda 0 Lap