Bagnaia Triumphs at Japanese GP – Acosta Crashes Again
Francesco Bagnaia secures his first win at the Japanese Grand Prix as Martin & Marquez complete the podium after another Acosta crash.
The Thailand Sprint had the potential to be a promising first step in Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia journey. Instead, within moments, it turned into a disastrous beginning.
Launching from the third row, the Italian suddenly found himself at the very back after his Aprilia RS-GP snapped left due to rear wheel spin. The former VR46 Pertamina Ducati rider had no choice but to claw his way up from last place.
Speaking after the race, Bezzecchi detailed the issue that caused him to exit Turn 1 at the tail end of the field.
“In the end, my poor start seems to have been down to the dirty grid slot because, looking at the data, I didn’t actually make any mistakes. I did everything exactly as I had in my practice starts during free practice.”
“Maybe it was a spot no one had lined up in before, and that’s just how it went. But there’s still tomorrow, and we’ll try to turn things around.”
“It was a tough day overall. Unfortunately, I ran into a few small issues from the morning session. But the biggest problem was the start. My grid slot wasn’t in the best condition, but these things happen.”
“It could have affected someone else just as easily, and it will keep happening – it’s part of racing. Today, it was my turn to deal with it, and we move on.”
“After that, I was making good progress, but then it became the usual problem when you’re stuck behind a lot of bikes. Without clean air, everything starts overheating after a few laps, making things even harder. It ended up being a typical race at the back.”
“The issue off the line wasn’t just the rear wheel spinning – it was also the fact that my bike completely stepped out to the left.”
“I had to get on the brakes to avoid an accident, and that immediately put me in last place. From that point on, everything got much more complicated.”
A nightmare start made Marco Bezzecchi go from 9th to 19th! 📉#ThaiGP🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/iy5EdyGGZ9
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 1, 2025
Although Bezzecchi’s race was ruined from the start, Aprilia still had reason to celebrate, with rookie Ai Ogura securing an impressive fourth place aboard the Trackhouse RS-GP. Despite his own struggles, Bezzecchi couldn’t help but admire Ogura’s performance.
“Ogura did a fantastic job. Luckily, we’ll be able to analyze his data and try to understand what he’s doing better than us. I’m happy for him and, of course, I congratulate him.”
“I already knew he was going to be fast. Finishing fourth in his very first Sprint is an incredible result, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”
This positive result from Ogura gives Aprilia a boost, but the focus quickly shifts to the longer race ahead. Many riders have voiced concerns about the extreme heat – expected to be even worse than on sprint saturday – but Bezzecchi believes the longer distance will force riders to manage their pace more.
“The heat… well, it’s hot, but this is Thailand. Personally, I felt fine. It wasn’t unbearable. Tomorrow, with twice the laps, it’ll be tougher.”
“But in a Sprint, you have to go flat out from the start, and even your body struggles to keep up. The long race is a different challenge, but it’s still going to be tough.”
