Five seconds back, Binder
was doing a sterling job of keep-
ing Espargaro and Miller behind,
not least because he injured his
right ankle in a fast turn-two get-
off on Saturday. But an engine
mapping change was what did it
for Binder toward the end. That
told as they started the penulti-
mate lap, with the Aprilia getting
better drive out of the final turn,
enough for Espargaro to pass at
turn one. A sixth podium of the
year was a welcome return after
he suffered two crashes on Fri-
day. Binder "fought like hell" for
fourth, with Miller 0.6 seconds
back in fifth.
Martin led an all-action quartet
contesting sixth home, 12 sec-
trio, again Bastianini reeled Bag-
naia in. By lap 17, the deficit was
down to 0.3 seconds. And with
four laps to go he was asserting
the kind of pressure witnessed in
that late Misano battle.
Attempts to overtake came
thick and fast—first at turn eight
on laps 20 and 21, then the first
of the final lefts on 21 and 22
thanks to the slight top-speed ad-
vantage of Bastianini's GP21. Still,
Bagnaia held firm. But the satel-
lite rider would not be outshone
this time. A brilliantly precise
move at turn seven on the final
lap was enough to seal a fourth
win of the year, even if Bagnaia's
cut back on the exit of the final
turn so nearly succeeded.
him for third the following lap at
turn six, and Espargaro following
the KTM's lead with a pass at
turn nine.
Then Bastianini got to work.
Bagnaia's defenses were finally
breached on the ninth lap, with
his compatriot slotting under
at turn one. Yet this was short
lived. A mistake braking for turn
12 led to the Gresini rider run-
ning off track and ceding the po-
sition. Again, he had overcome
a 0.7-second deficit. Yet, as the
lead pair gradually edged clear
of the Binder-Espargaro-Miller
ROUND 15 / SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
MOTORLAND ARAGON CIRCUIT / ARAGON, SPAIN
P60
MOTOGP I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Marc Marquez's first race
back from surgery ended in a
ride back to the pits after two
incidents on the first lap.
