Catalunya MotoGP Rider Ratings: Full marks for one Ducati rider but it's not Bagnaia

Crash.net runs through the rider ratings for the Catalunya MotoGP.

26 May 2024

Francesco Bagnaia - 9.5

For the third weekend in a row Francesco Bagnaia saw his sprint end with a non-finish after a huge blunder from the world champion. Bagnaia crashed out of the lead when holding a comfortable gap of eight tenths over Aleix Espargaro. Fending off early pressure in the 24-lap race, Bagnaia soon let Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta through as he instead saved his rear tyre to perfection. The reigning world champion once again bounced back in superb fashion as he got through on Martin before securing a comfortable win. Bagnaia does not score a perfect 10 due to his mistake on Saturday.

Jorge Martin - 9

A quiet sprint race for the championship leader who struggled to get on terms with the riders ahead of him, however, Jorge Martin again increased his lead in the standings following Bagnaia’s mistake. A red hot pace early on in Sunday’s race saw Martin lead for much of the grand prix, however, he couldn’t fend off Bagnaia with six laps to go.

Marc Marquez - 10

Like in Le Mans, Marquez made life hard work by missing out on Q2 in both practice and Q1, however, the eight-time world champion was sensational again in the sprint. Coming from P14 on the grid, Marquez delivered another brilliant start before overtaking Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta en route to second place. Making it a habit to deliver his best performance in race situations, Marquez was one of just four riders to gamble with the soft rear tyre as he produced a ride that very few could. Marquez never relented and instead kept picking off riders ahead of him en route to P3.

Aleix Espargaro - 9

The pre-sprint favourite after breaking the all-time lap record in qualifying, Aleix Espargaro used his experience to control his pace while others around him crashed from the lead. Espargaro looked set for P2 before Pecco Bagnaia fell from top spot on the final lap. In the grand prix, Espargaro had good pace but not enough to trouble the top two, while he also saw a home podium slip away when Marquez got through with three laps remaining.

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 7.5

After knocking Marc Marquez out in Q1, Fabio Di Giannantonio built on his impressive lap by claiming sixth in Q2. In the sprint, Di Giannantonio was consistent as he claimed sixth once again, although the Italian was unable to trouble the leading group. After a tough opening few laps of the grand prix, Di Giannantonio used his brilliant late race pace to charge through to fifth, which included a last-lap overtake on Raul Fernandez.

Raul Fernandez - 7.5

Yet to taste podium success in MotoGP, Raul Fernandez looked on course to do even better than that following a breathtaking start to the sprint. The Aprilia rider took over the lead after lunging his way past Acosta, before immediately gapping the riders behind. But that was as good as it got for Fernandez who then crashed at turn ten, throwing away a potential first sprint win in the process. His best result as a MotoGP rider, Fernandez rebounded after Saturday’s disappointment.

Alex Marquez - 7

Unlike his brother, Alex Marquez failed to make the progress Marc did, however, the grand prix was a strong showing from the Gresini rider, who also used the soft rear tyre.

Brad Binder - 6.5

Like Francesco Bagnaia and Raul Fernandez, Brad Binder saw a golden opportunity to win missing in the sprint as he crashed from the lead midway throught the race. The KTM rider’s fall was his third of the weekend. A dip in pace midway through the grand prix seemed to indicate Binder would be in big trouble with his tyres, but the factory KTM rider steadied the ship to claim eighth.

Fabio Quartararo - 6.5

Following a tough qualifying session, Fabio Quartararo went in the right direction during both races, claiming ninth ahead of riders on more favourable machinery.

Miguel Oliveira - 6

A quiet race for the Portuguese rider who was out-performed in the three main sessions of the weekend by team-mate Fernandez.

Marco Bezzecchi - 5

Continuing to struggle for form, Marco Bezzecchi’s improved weekend in Le Mans did not continue in Barcelona as he was comfortably beaten by team-mate Di Giannantonio.

Maverick Vinales - 4.5

An unexpectedly difficult weekend for Maverick Vinales continued in the sprint as he lost positions at the start before coming across the line in eighth. Another shocking first lap for Vinales did little to help him in the grand prix as he struggled to fight his way back through the field.

Pedro Acosta - 7.5

Although he finally succumbed to the pressure put on him by Marc Marquez, Acosta took yet another podium thanks to a brilliant ride in the sprint race. Despite a fall while pushing hard to challenge Martin, Acosta remounted his KTM and was one of the fastest riders on cricuit as he clawed his way back into the points.

Takaaki Nakagami - 5

While Honda’s difficult season continued, Nakagami found more performance compared to the other RC213V riders, finishing top Honda as a result.

Joan Mir - 4

The highlight of Joan Mir’s race was an intense battle with Nakagami for P14 late on.

Johann Zarco - 4

A lackluster race for the Frenchman who was extremely quiet throughout. Zarco was the first rider to miss out on points.

Luca Marini - 4

Much closer to the other three Honda riders, Luca Marini showed very small signs of progress.

Enea Bastianini - 3

Once again with impressive late race pace, Enea Bastianini struggled early on to match the pace of the leaders. The factory Ducati rider ended the 12-lap sprint in P5. ninth across the line in the grand prix, Bastianini was demoted to the rear of the field after failing to take his double Long Lap penalties, which were due to running off track and not losing enough time, and for failing to take the first Long Lap.

Stefan Bradl - 5

Last of the Hondas, test rider Stefan Bradl was able to finish both races and gain valuable data for the Japanese manufacturer.

Alex Rins - 3

Alex Rins started the weekend in great form as he secured automatic entry to Q2, however, the Yamaha rider was hurt most by degrading tyres as he finished over 60 seconds down on the win.

Jack Miller - 4

His second best finish in a sprint race this season, Jack Miller was eight seconds off the race win as he claimed P7. Miller, who chose the soft rear tyre for the grand prix, crashed early on in what was another disappointing outing for the Australian.

Franco Morbidelli - 4

His best weekend in terms of pace and reducing the gap to Jorge Martin, Morbidelli had more potential than his P10 in the sprint suggested. Set for his best result since joining Ducati, Morbidelli crashed out late on.