- COP29 fight looms over climate funds for developing world
- Shanghai stocks soar to extend stimulus rally amid Asia-wide drop
- Australia moves to expand Antarctic marine park
- Tragedy of Madrid street sweeper highlights how heatwaves kill
- Survivors wait for aid as Trump's lies help cloud Helene response
- Fleeing Israeli bombs, Lebanon's displaced met with suspicion
- Jila Mossaed, from refugee poet to Swedish Academy
- Will Tesla's robotaxi reveal live up to hype?
- Drugs, people smuggling at heart of Mexico's raging violence
- 'Invisibility' and quantum computing tipped for physics Nobel
- Musk says he is 'all in' on Trump in US election
- Category 5 Hurricane Milton roars towards storm-battered Florida
- Carpenter bomb stuns Guardians as Tigers level series
- Harris, Trump and Biden mark Oct. 7 attacks as US election looms
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street falls
- US judge orders Google to open Android to rival app stores
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights 'sacred' multi-front war
- Nobel scientist uncovered tiny genetic switches with big potential
- Grammy-winning Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney, dies at 91
- UN biodiversity summit in Colombia aims to turn words into action
- Georgia Supreme Court reinstates six-week abortion ban
- 'Dark day': Victims mourned around the globe on Oct. 7 anniversary
- On attacks anniversary, Israel fights multi-front war
- Mexican mayor murdered days after taking office
- Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Milton targets Florida
- Mission to probe smashed asteroid launches despite hurricane
- Biden, Harris mark Oct. 7 with call for Mideast peace
- Dupont set for Toulouse return after post-Olympic holiday
- French rugby bosses tighten discipline after nightmare Argentina tour
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street slips
- Visitors to get rare view of Rome's Trevi Fountain
- Europe's asteroid mission Hera launches despite hurricane
- Man City and Premier League both claim victory in legal case
- Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
- Biden, Harris urge Mideast peace on Oct. 7 anniversary
- Neeskens, tough midfielder in Cruyff's Ajax and Dutch teams
- UN warns world's water cycle becoming ever more erratic
- Oil prices extend gains on Mideast tensions, Wall Street retreats
- Ex-Dutch football star Johan Neeskens dies
- Man Utd battling to improve fortunes, says Evans
- What is microRNA? Nobel-winning discovery explained
- Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test
- Hurricane Milton strengthens fast, threatens Mexico, Florida
- Tunisia's President Saied set for landslide election win
- Barca hoping to return to Camp Nou 'by end of year'
- Trump to open second golf course at Scotland resort in summer 2025
- Super-sub Jhon Duran rewarded with new Aston Villa deal
- US duo win Nobel for gene regulation breakthrough
- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
RBGPF | -1.97% | 58.94 | $ | |
BCC | 1.68% | 141.27 | $ | |
JRI | -0.76% | 13.18 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.09% | 24.79 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.53% | 24.57 | $ | |
GSK | -0.49% | 38.63 | $ | |
AZN | -0.78% | 76.87 | $ | |
SCS | -0.15% | 12.95 | $ | |
RELX | -0.54% | 46.04 | $ | |
RIO | -0.11% | 69.62 | $ | |
NGG | -1.56% | 65.48 | $ | |
RYCEF | -1.45% | 6.88 | $ | |
BCE | -0.54% | 33.53 | $ | |
BTI | -0.26% | 35.2 | $ | |
VOD | 0.31% | 9.69 | $ | |
BP | 0.78% | 33.14 | $ |
Marquez thanks rain for San Marino MotoGP win as leader Martin pays for gamble
Marc Marquez revelled in the rain which helped him win Sunday's San Marino MotoGP as weather confusion allowed Francesco Bagnaia to slash the Jorge Martin's championship lead.
After going three years without a GP win Spaniard Marquez won his second in as many weeks, finishing over three seconds ahead of pole-sitter Bagnaia after bursting through from ninth on the starting grid, grabbing the lead during the brief time the surface was wet.
Gresini rider was delighted a light, brief shower which coated the "Marco Simoncelli" circuit in Misano Adriatico and allowed him to move to within 53 points of Martin, whose gamble to pit for rain tyres damaged his bid for a first MotoGP title.
"When it started to drop some water on the screen that is when I decided to attack, or to take more risk. In one lap I passed five riders and I was able to lead the race," Marquez told reporters.
Marquez added that he "decided to follow the local guy", Bagnaia, and not pit to change his tyres.
"The local guy decided to stay out, so they know better than me," said Marquez.
Martin admitted he made a big mistake when he pitted with 20 laps remaining to change his bike in the hope that he would have the better of it on a wet track.
But Martin, who said he didn't speak to his team about the weather, was the only one of the title contenders to do so and the rain, which was forecast to fall heavily in the afternoon, slackened almost as soon as he exited the pit.
The 26-year-old then pitted again to get back on his first bike. The two switches left the Pramac rider a lap behind his title rivals. He finished way back in 15th.
- 'Wrong strategy' -
After storming to Saturday's sprint, Martin picked up just one point on Sunday.
"I didn't do the right strategy, that's for sure. Maybe I was thinking more about the race and not about the championship so I thought that for winning the race it was better to stop," Martin told reporters.
"I think if it (the weather) kept the same as it was I would have won but from one lap to another one it stopped... at least I got one point."
The primary beneficiary of Martin's mistake was reigning champion Bagnaia, who is now only seven points behind Martin in the championship standings with seven GPs remaining.
"As soon as it started to rain I saw Jorge enter the pit, I said 'I don't need to take any risk, he will not take any points'," said Ducati rider Bagnaia who recovered from his initial disappointment of being outclassed on his home track by Marquez.
"I was sure it was some spit of rain and, apart from that, I just tried to be competitive when it started to rain.
"I saw that Marc was arriving and he is the bravest in these conditions. When he overtook me, I tried to overtake him back but I didn't have the chance to do it."
Bagnaia's bid to catch Martin will be further because this weekend was the first of two in a row at Misano, as the circuit is being used later in September for the Emilia Romagna GP which replaces a cancelled race in Kazakhstan.
Bagnaia rode all weekend on painkillers for injuries to his shoulder, neck and collarbone suffered when he crashed out of last weekend's Aragon MotoGP.
Also with an outside chance of the title is Bagnaia's Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini, who completed the podium and is 62 points behind Martin.
Y.Aukaiv--AMWN