Aragon MotoGP Race Results | Bastianini mugs Bagnaia as Quartararo crashes out

Enea Bastianini has clinched his fourth victory of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season after snatching the lead from Ducati stablemate Pecco Bagnaia on the final lap of the Aragon MotoGP.

In a race that could prove pivotal in the fight for the 2022 MotoGP title race, while Bagnaia would be denied a fifth consecutive victory by his future team-mate, he has still closed right up to Fabio Quartararo in the standings after the defending champion crashed out on the opening lap.

A race defined by its bookends with critical moments occurring on both the first and final laps, Bagnaia came to Aragon - scene of his maiden MotoGP win a year earlier - seeking to continue a stellar run of form having closed the gap to his Yamaha rival to 30 points.

Things couldn’t have started any better for the Italian as he got the hole-shot into turn one from pole position to lead through the opening lap from Brad Binder - getting a lightening start from tenth on the grid - Jack Miller and Bastianini.

Behind him, however, there was carnage after two incidents involving Marc Marquez, whose return to racing certainly made an impact. Starting 13th, Marquez was already up to sixth position by the first corner, but an untidy exit coming out of Turn 2 would catch out an accelerating Quartararo tucked up behind him.

Clattering into the back of the Repsol Honda, championship leader Quartararo was sent into a bruising high-side and out of the race, his second DNF of the year after Assen.

Though Marquez remained upright, the impact would damage the rear-end of his bike, leading to him slowing on the run to Turn 4. That subsequently unsettled Takaaki Nakagami, who by attempting to thread by lost his balance against the side of his Honda stablemate to come off the LCR machine and slide right down the centre of the asphalt.

Despite his hazardous position, the entire field managed to avoid the Japanese rider, though it did sent several riders - Franco Morbidelli, Fabio di Giannantonio, Maverick Vinales, Pol Espargaro and Darry Binder - scattering out wide or to a complete halt.

Up at the front, Bagnaia got the hammer down from Miller and Bastianini, the pair having relieved Binder of his early podium positioning. However, Bastianini was soon on the move, dispatching Miller on Turn 6 before quickly beating down the 0.7s margin to Bagnaia.

While Bastianini’s previous race wins have all come as a result of late race charges, this time it appeared he had the pace to go early as he swept by Bagnaia into Turn 1 on Lap 9.

However, no sooner had Bastianini worked his way to the front, he swiftly lost it at Turn 12 when he out-braked himself. Just holding onto second place, Bastianini had it all to do again, 0.7secs behind.

This time Bagnaia was more of a match for Bastianini in terms of lap pace with the margin between the two riders remaining relatively static.

However, the gap would begin to come down more notably as the race reached its lattermost stages. Now able to shadow the GP22 with four laps to go, Bastianini repeatedly feigned a move coming off the long back straight and into the final long left hand corner.

Nevertheless, having exercised caution in not making a lunge on his title-fighting stablemate, Bastianini would leave it until the very final lap to launch a surprise attack on the brakes at Turn 7.

With Bagnaia unable to respond immediately to the machine scything up beneath him, the factory Ducati rider tried to stay close with Bastianini through the final corner and onto the final straight. However, whereas two weeks ago in Misano it was Bagnaia resisting Bastianini at the flag, this time the roles would be reversed.

A fourth win of the year for both himself and Gresini Racing, which in turn assures Ducati of the MotoGP Manufacturers’ Championship with five races of the season remaining, it means the in-form Italian retains an outside hope of fighting for the title, 48 points off the lead.

That lead remains in Quartararo’s grasp but the Frenchman looks increasingly vulnerable versus the might of Ducati, with Bagnaia now just 11 points shy of the top spot having been 91 adrift only five races earlier.

With Bastianini and Bagnaia dominating out front, the fight for the remaining podium place fell to Binder, Miller and Aleix Espargaro.

While Binder looked on course for only his second podium of the season on the KTM, a herculean late effort from Espargaro would see the Spaniard grab third place on the penultimate lap.

A timely result for the Aprilia man, though attention on his title-challenge has waned in the wake of Bagnaia’s resurgence, an eighth podium of the year coupled with Quartararo’s DNF gives his aspirations a major boost too. He now sits just 17 points off the top spot.

Binder held onto fourth place for his best result since clinching a second place at the Qatar opener, ahead of the rider he will be team-mate to in 2023, Miller.

Jorge Martin completed the top six, the Spaniard leading two more Ducati entries in Luca Marini on the VR46 bike and Johann Zarco on the second of the Pramac machines.

Forced to the back of the field after running off in avoidance of the spiralling Quartararo ahead, Alex Rins was at times the fastest rider on track as he fought back to ninth place on the sole Suzuki.

Marco Bezzecchi completed the top ten, ahead of Miguel Oliveira, Alex Marquez and Maverick Vinales - who never quite recovered from being forced to stop avoiding Nakagami.

Cal Crutchlow marked his return to MotoGP with a solid run to 14th place and two points, with Pol Espargaro. picking up the final digit for 15th.

2022 Aragon MotoGP | Motorland Aragon | Race Results