Ducati's Marc Marquez seized the MotoGP championship lead for the first time this season by winning a chaotic San Marino Grand Prix Sunday after Aprilia's hometown favorite Marco Bezzecchi crashed out on the opening lap.
Marquez claimed his fifth victory of the campaign to move into a tie with Jorge Martin at 274 points. The seven-time champion tops the standings because he has won more races than the Aprilia rider, whose only win this season came in France.
The Spaniard finished ahead of his brother, Alex of Gresini Racing, and KTM's Pedro Acosta completed the podium. Fermin Aldeguer was fourth, pushing Martin down to fifth as five Spaniards finished in the top five.
Leading the championship seemed a distant prospect earlier this season, with Marquez trailing Bezzecchi by 102 points after the Italian Grand Prix in May.
"It feels unreal, but I never give up. I will push until the end. This is not done; we are there in the championship fighting against very good riders, especially Martin and Bezzecchi. But as we see today, we are riding at the limit, and a small mistake can cost a lot of points," Marquez said.
Marquez had overtaken Bezzecchi at Turn 1 to win Saturday's sprint race, but the Italian went on the defensive in the race, taking the lead as Aprilia, sporting a special white livery at its home track, surged into the lead.
Bezzecchi's attempt to build an early lead backfired when he lost control at Turn 12, sending his bike cartwheeling across the gravel, shocking Italian fans.
Marquez moved into the lead while his teammate Francesco Bagnaia also crashed at his home track to retire for the fourth time in five races. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali could not hide his disappointment and doubled over in disbelief.
Martin, starting fifth, had briefly taken control by passing Marquez on Lap 7 with a pass on the inside at Turn 4.
But the Aprilia rider's dreams of victory evaporated when Marc struck back on Lap 12 with a dive into Turn 6, before Alex also passed.
"After Bezzecchi's mistake, I was too confident, and then Martin attacked me," Marquez said. "But then I regained my confidence. I kept the pace, and I'm happy because 37 points here mean a lot."
Aprilia's home race then turned into a nightmare as Acosta also overtook Martin, knocking him off the podium, before Aldeguer also passed.
Once Marc reclaimed the lead, he was unstoppable, despite Alex's relentless pursuit.
"With Marc, it's true that it was difficult to attack him because his last sector was unbelievable," Alex said.
As the Ducati rider took the checkered flag ahead of his brother, a stone-faced Bezzecchi, who had led the championship earlier in the season, watched from the Aprilia garage as he fell 33 points behind the leading pair.
Raul Fernandez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo completed the Top 10.
