Keith Huewen: Brilliant Bastianini has got it all, Marquez ride of the day
Bastianini sensationally put his year-old Gresini Ducati back on the top step of the podium with another confident display to retake the world championship lead heading into the European campaign.
But it had been factory Ducati's Jack Miller who set the pace for most of the race, only to be mugged by both Bastianini and Suzuki's Alex Rins in the closing laps.
"It's going to be one of those years! We're just never going to be able to predict what is going on," said former grand prix rider and British champion Huewen
"Bastianini? Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. He's got it all, the speed but most of all a smooth application to keep the tyres in that narrow operating window and that's the key to winning a race.
"It was also good to see Jack Miller back where he should be at the front and Rins was looking especially feisty."
Further back, Marc Marquez was carving through the field after a technical issue left him last on the grid.
"Without taking anything away from Bastianini, Marc Marquez gets my award of the day. He hadn't ridden the bike since Mandalika, we know this was his track and all the rest of it, but he rode superbly," Huewen said.
"Starting last and having to hack his way through the field like that is not easy. Every time you meet another rider further up the field, they are going faster than the one before.
"You are also using up more tyre by having to push harder than he would have done if he had been running at the front from the start.
"So a great ride from Marquez. He had the speed to fight for the win. We've still got a lot of races to go in this championship. So the threat is there from Marquez. Every team and rider knows that."
Huewen, Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren and podcast host Harry Benjamin, also discuss the home heartbreak for Cameron Beaubier in the Moto2 race as well reviewing another frantic Moto3 contest.
Attention then returns to the premier-class and the subject of slow-riding in search of a tow during practice and qualifying, which Rins branded as "unacceptable" on Saturday.
"We seem to have allowed ourselves to go into a two-tier system where Moto3 and Moto2 get penalised straight away for all that mucking about, but MotoGP seem to get away with it. It needs dealing with," said Huewen.
"I have to say, I was also disappointed at the size of the crowd at the track..."
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