Martin holds off Bagnaia to win German MotoGP as Binder crashes out

Jorge Martin edged world champion Francesco Bagnaia after a cut-and-thrust battle over the last 10 laps to win Sunday’s German MotoGP, to trim the Italian’s lead in the standings.

After beating Bagnaia in Saturday’s sprint race, Martin, a Spaniard who rides for the Primac Ducati team, this time resisted late counter-attacks to win. Frenchman Johann Zarco, on another Pramac, completed the podium.

Binder crashes out

South Africa’s Brad Binder crashed out of the race with 12 laps to go. The Redbull KTM rider held onto third place for most parts of the race missed out on a chance to get a podium finish after crashing out.

On Saturday, Martin, starting from the second row of the grid, overtook pole-sitter Bagnaia, on a factory Ducati, on the fourth lap. On Sunday, he made his move even earlier and took first on the third lap.

Intense battle

Bagnaia gave chase and overtook with 10 laps to go but Martin hit back and regained the lead. 

Bagnaia pressed hard and the bikes touched on the second last lap, but both riders stayed upright and Martin stayed ahead to close out his second win in a main MotoGP race. His previous victory was in the Styria Grand Prix in Austria in 2021.

With 144 points overall, Martin, cut Bagnaia’s championship lead to 16 points. 

Marco Bezzecchi was fourth and Luca Marini fifth, both on Mooney Ducatis, giving the Italian manufacturer the top five places.