Set to finish a barren dash run with out a win on Saturday since final yr’s Austrian GP, Bagnaia fell off his manufacturing unit Ducati at Flip 5 on the final lap of 12, whereas eight tenths away from Aprilia’s Espargaro.
Espargaro, who began from pole however received crushed up within the early laps, had recovered to second on lap eight and was promoted to the lead when Bagnaia crashed.
It marks his first dash win of the season and comes simply 48 hours after asserting previous to his residence race that he will retire from racing at the end of the 2024 season.
Given the occasions of the weekend up to now, Espargaro known as his win a “fairytale”.
“Has been wonderful the final two days, like a fairytale,” he instructed the MotoGP world feed in parc ferme.
“I’ve no phrases to explain it. The race was very robust, observe was tremendous slippery, I misplaced the entrance of couple of instances.
“Once I noticed the lap instances we have been doing, I used to be utterly positive it was inconceivable to complete with that tempo.
“The truth is, folks began to crash. I simply tried to keep up the tempo, keep the rear tyre for the final laps.
“Pecco was doing nice as properly, however he was risking, so my objective was to push him to the final nook and it labored. I’m very glad.”
Marc Marquez got here from 14th on the grid to second, besting Tech3 GasGas rookie Pedro Acosta on the ultimate lap.
A tricky race for championship chief Jorge Martin noticed him salvage fourth from seventh on the grid, that means his factors lead has solely shrunk by one to 37.
The 12-lap dash had 5 riders main at numerous phases, three of whom crashed out whereas heading the pack.
Bagnaia nailed the launch off the road from second on the grid to take the holeshot firstly, with Acosta shifting into second from third-place starter Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing), KTM’s Brad Binder and Espargaro.
Martin moved as much as sixth within the opening turns, whereas Marquez survived Flip 2 contact with KTM’s Jack Miller – which left the Gresini rider lacking wings on the left facet of his fairing – to take a seat eighth off the road.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Staff
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Acosta put a problem on Bagnaia for the lead on the run to Flip 1 firstly of lap two, although the Ducati rider carved previous once more at Flip 5.
Acosta repeated that transfer on lap three, whereas Fernandez received opportunistic and scythed beneath Bagnaia at Flip 3, which then allowed Binder to overhaul the Italian for third at Flip 4.
Fernandez then threw his 2023-spec Aprilia up the within of Acosta at Flip 5, an aggressive transfer that opened the door for Binder to return via into second.
The Trackhouse rider proceeded to dart away from the pack, swelling his result in eight tenths over Acosta come the tip of lap 4.
However Fernandez crashed at Flip 10 on the subsequent tour, releasing Acosta into the lead earlier than Binder jumped the Tech3 rider at Flip 1 on lap six.
Binder was breaking away on lap seven when he crashed at Flip 5 whereas main, releasing Bagnaia to go the pack after the Ducati rider got here out on high in a battle with Acosta on lap six and earlier within the seventh tour.
Bagnaia appeared set to carry onto the lead as Espargaro, who moved forward of Acosta for second on lap eight at Flip 1, couldn’t make any inroads into the Ducati rider.
However, on the ultimate lap, Bagnaia slid off his GP24 at Flip 5, gifting Espargaro a lead of virtually 9 tenths to make sure victory.
Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Staff
Picture by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Marquez’s march in direction of the entrance continued on lap seven when he handed Martin for what was fifth on the time, earlier than outbraking Acosta for third at Flip 1 on the ultimate tour.
That grew to become second when Bagnaia crashed, persevering with his robust run of Saturday rostrums to 4 for 2024 up to now.
He held Acosta at bay by 0.277s, whereas Enea Bastianini got here from eleventh to fifth on the sister manufacturing unit crew Ducati.
Fabio Di Giannantonio was seventh on the VR46 Ducati, with Miller, Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46) rounding out the highest 9 to take the final factors.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo got here simply 0.598s from a degree in tenth, whereas Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco crashed out.