Aprilia emphasises its MotoGP superiority in its home race

Aprilia emphasises its MotoGP superiority in its home race

Marco Bezzecchi led Jorge Martin in an Aprilia 1-2 as they overcame Pecco Bagnaia's Ducati in a commanding Italian Grand Prix MotoGP performance.

And an all-Aprilia top four was entirely possible, with Ai Ogura only just missing out on the podium from 13th on the grid and Raul Fernandez going wide while fighting for the lead into the first corner then recovering from 17th to eighth.

Ducati did manage to lead over half its home race with Bagnaia, who snuck through an early Aprilia lead fight.

Trackhouse's sprint winner Fernandez slewed wide and tumbled down the order trying to fight polesitter Bezzecchi into the first corner, with Bezzecchi then getting pounced on by team-mate and title rival Martin before swiftly passing him back.

Martin dived inside Bezzecchi into the first corner starting lap two, but ran wide and fell behind Bagnaia to third, with Bagnaia then drafting down the outside of Bezzecchi at the same spot next time around to take the lead.

But he could not escape from the Aprilias, who passed him in turn just after half-distance.

Bezzecchi was 1.4 seconds clear of Martin at that point and was able to extend that to 3.6s and win his home grand prix for the first time, bringing his championship lead over his team-mate back up to 17 points.

Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta initially battled ferociously for fourth, later joined by Fermin Aldeguer.

But all three were caught by the superior race pace of Ogura - flying up from 13th on the grid - and Fabio Di Giannantonio, who had only qualified seventh and fell to 12th at the first corner.

They even caught Bagnaia at the end, with Ogura slicing past the Ducati on the last lap but running wide enough for Bagnaia to get back ahead and cling on to third by 0.034s.

Acosta, Marquez and Aldeguer ended up sixth, seventh and ninth, with the recovering Fernandez among them in eighth.

Diogo Moreira fought past Brad Binder's KTM for the final top 10 spot and top Honda honours.

Jack Miller was elevated to the final point and 'best Yamaha' status when Pramac team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu was given a track limits penalty on the last lap.

Results

1 Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia)
2 Jorge Martin (Aprilia)
3 Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati)
4 Pedro Acosta (KTM)
5 Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia)
6 Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati)
7 Marc Marquez (Ducati)
8 Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia)
9 Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati)
10 Brad Binder (KTM)
11 Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda)
12 Joan Mir (Honda)
13 Luca Marini (Honda)
14 Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati)
15 Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha)
16 Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha)
17 Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM)
18 Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha)
19 Michele Pirro (Gresini Ducati)
DNF Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM)
DNF Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda)
DNF Alex Rins (Yamaha)