MotoGP: Bezzecchi and Michelin dominate first-ever GP of India
Marco Bezzecchi has gone down in history as the winner of MotoGPTM's first visit to India. The Mooney VR 46 Racing Team rider qualified on pole for the IndianOil Grand Prix of India which he led almost from lights-out to the checkered flag, aided by the performance of his MICHELIN Power Slicks. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) joined him on the podium .
India is the 30th nation to host MotoGPTM action, and the riders, teams and Michelin got their first opportunity to discover the new venue during Friday's free practice. The French firm had brought a particularly wide choice of four front MICHELIN Power Slicks (soft, medium and two hard options), compared with the usual three, along with three different rears (soft, medium and hard) instead of the two alternatives available at other circuits.
Clearly in his element around the dirty, low-grip circuit, Bezzecchi topped Saturday's qualifying with a benchmark time of 1m43.028s.
The ensuing sprint race was shortened by a lap due to the extreme heat and the Italian had the misfortune of being hit by his team-mate first time through Turn 1. The incident dropped him to 17th, but an extraordinary fight-back confirmed his pace as he consistently lowered the fastest race-lap, posting the afternoon's best effort on the last of the clash's 11 laps. The grip and consistency of his medium and soft MICHELIN Power slicks front and rear helped him to finish an incredible fifth, while victory ended up in Martin's hands.
Similarly, Sunday's grand prix was shortened by three laps and the track temperature stood at 46°C for the first of the 21 laps! The hot conditions saw the majority of the field combine the medium front with the soft rear, but Martin went for the medium rear, while Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both chose the hard front.
Bezzecchi didn't get away to the cleanest of starts but led by the end of Lap 1. Taking maximum advantage of the grip and consistency of his tires, he went on to post a series of quick times that took him clear of his chasers. The Italian eventually crossed the line eight seconds before Martin who had had to dig deep to fight off Quartararo during the final lap as he suffered from the heat. The Frenchman himself was pleased to be able to participate in the podium celebrations for the first time since April's Grand Prix of the Americas.
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Racing Factory) and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) rounded out the afternoon's top five, while all the manufacturers involved in the championship got at least one bike into the top-eight thanks to Aprilia Racing's Maverick Viñales (8th).
Francesco Bagnaia failed to add to his score of 292 points when he fell on Lap 14. Consequently, his lead in the provisional standings has been cut to just 13 and 44 points over Martin and Bezzecchi respectively.
Next round: Motul Grand Prix of Japan, Motegi (September 29-October 1).