Bagnaia wins in Albacete while his teammates struggle

The fifth round of the Spanish Speed Championship, held at the Albacete Circuit, has brought mixed fortunes for the Repsol riders. Bagnaia has won the race, but his teammates Rins and Márquez failed to score points due to a mechanical problem and a crash, respectively.

Bagnaia’s excellent start saw him take the lead into the first corner, a position he never relinquished for the rest of the race. He was followed across the line by Jack Miller and Jorge Navarro. This means that Francesco has closed the gap on his teammates in the standings, moving up to third with 63 points, while Rins has 86 and Márquez 70.

For Alex Rins, who had taken pole, it was a real blow to see his bike refuse to start on the grid, forcing him to start from the pit lane after 7 laps. Rins set the fastest lap and fought for points, finishing 17th in the end.

Alex Márquez went down on the first lap, losing grip at the rear wheel and sliding off the track. He suffered a bruised right shoulder and left ankle, and has travelled to Barcelona so that doctors can rule out any possible injuries.

Statements from Alex Rins:

We had a problem with the bike, but I have to thank the mechanics and almost everyone in the paddock, because they came over to help me. I went out with 10 laps to go, riding as hard as I could, and managed to set the fastest lap.

The next round is in Valencia and I will try to do my best. Álex [Márquez] had a pretty hard crash, but I hope he recovers as soon as possible so he is fit for Valencia and gives me a hard time out there. ‘Pecco’ [Bagnaia] has moved up to third in the overall standings, and it’s a source of pride for the team to have all three of us at the top.

Statements from Francesco Bagnaia:

I am very happy with my first victory. I have been improving all weekend, and in this morning’s warm-up we made progress with the bike’s setup for the race. I got a good start and knew that if I could go fast from the beginning I could break away. That’s what happened, and I was able to take the win.

Thanks to the whole team that helped me achieve this win. I hope nothing serious has happened to Álex Márquez and that he recovers quickly.

Source and photos | Repsol