Jorge Martin, the current leader of the MotoGP championship, emerged victorious in a thrilling sprint race at Jerez. The race was marked by a high number of crashes, with notable riders such as Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez among those affected. Despite a wet qualifying session, the track dried enough for riders to switch to slick tires. However, the conditions proved to be treacherous, resulting in 15 separate crashes throughout the race.
Martin made a strong start, overtaking Marquez from pole position. However, both riders were soon surpassed by Brad Binder, known for his impressive starts. Martin eventually caught up to Binder and reclaimed his position. Marquez managed to overtake Binder on the following lap, but Binder retaliated with an aggressive move, pushing both riders wide. This allowed Alex Marquez to make a move from the inside. Unfortunately, this incident led to Bagnaia’s crash and subsequent retirement from the race.
The collision between Binder, Bezzecchi, and Bagnaia occurred as they vied for position. Binder’s attempt to secure the inside line led to a collision, causing the Ducati rider to crash out of the race. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez had overtaken his brother Alex in the same spot just moments before. Martin had initially built a comfortable lead, but a mistake at Turn 7 allowed Marquez to overtake him at Turn 9.
On lap 7, a series of crashes occurred inexplicably. It started with Alex Rins falling off his Yamaha, followed by simultaneous crashes from Alex Marquez, Binder, and Enea Bastianini. Bezzecchi also crashed a few corners later, and Marc Marquez, who was leading the race, also fell victim to the mass crashes. This allowed Martin to reclaim the lead.
The chaotic sequence of crashes propelled Pedro Acosta and Maverick Vinales into podium positions. However, Vinales also crashed at Turn 5, leaving Fabio Quartararo in a position to secure an unlikely podium finish. Quartararo, who had started from 23rd on the grid, held off Dani Pedrosa to secure third place by a mere 0.050 seconds.
Franco Morbidelli overtook Johann Zarco for fifth place at the final corner, with Zarco subsequently crashing just moments before the finish line. Raul Fernandez claimed sixth place for Trackhouse Aprilia, while Marquez, despite his earlier crash, fought his way through the field to finish seventh. Augusto Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira completed the top nine, scoring valuable points.
Notably absent from the top positions were the Honda bikes, as both Luca Marini and tester Stefan Bradl were involved in an unseen incident that forced them to retire from the race. Other riders who experienced crashes but managed to remount and finish the race included Fabio Di Giannantonio, Jack Miller, Lorenzo Savadori, and Rins. Aleix Espargaro was the first to crash on lap two.
The unpredictable events of the 12-lap race have resulted in Martin extending his lead in the championship standings, now holding a 29-point advantage over his closest rival, Acosta.