Pramac Ducati rider Martin put in a mature display to clinch his first grand prix win of the season, seeing off Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales prior to the Spaniard’s gearbox problems, to move into the lead of the championship.
But it was the collision between Gresini Ducati rider Marquez and the reigning double world champion Bagnaia that served up the biggest talking point of the second round of the 2024 season.
The crash was dismissed by the stewards as a racing incident, but both riders differed on their opinion about the clash. Harshest of all was Marquez, who felt Bagnaia was at fault for the collision. This has served up Ducati’s first big internal drama to manage.
MORE: The MotoGP civil war threat Ducati must now delicately manage
Elsewhere, Pedro Acosta continued to make waves in his MotoGP debut year as he scored a maiden podium in the grand prix in third, while Vinales’ return to form is also a point of discussion on this week’s show.
On the latest Tank Slappers podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss the incident and what it means for both the riders and Ducati going forward. They also assess Martin’s impressive grand prix performance and evaluate where he is now as a rider after the 2023 season.
