Brad Binder earned a dramatic victory in the MotoGP Sprint Race at Jerez, beating Francesco Bagnaia and teammate Jack Miller in a fierce battle that lasted until the last lap. Binder became the first winner of the new race format, which provides additional points and determines the starting position for Sunday’s main race.
The Sprint Race was stopped with a red flag after a major accident involving four racers at the second corner, namely Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Augusto Fernandez and Franco Morbidelli. All drivers survived the incident, but had to start from the back when the race resumed.
In the restart, Binder immediately took over the lead from Miller, who started from second. The two of them competed fiercely throughout the race, while Bagnaia followed in third place. Behind them, Dani Pedrosa put in an impressive performance as a wild-card by staying in sixth place.
On the last lap, Miller tried to overtake Binder at the last corner, but failed and was overtaken by Bagnaia instead. Binder managed to maintain his position and touched the finish line first with a difference of 0.149 seconds from Bagnaia. Miller had to settle for third, 0.197 seconds behind Binder.
Meanwhile, Aleix Espargaro, who started from pole position, had the misfortune to fall at the seventh corner while in fifth position. The Aprilia racer could not continue the race and lost the opportunity to reach the podium.
Sprint Race Results: MotoGP standings are getting tougher
The results of the Sprint Race made the MotoGP standings even tighter. Bezzecchi still leads with 66 points, but is only three ahead of Bagnaia in second place. Miller moved up to third with 59 points, while Oliveira dropped to fourth with 48 points.
The main MotoGP race at Jerez will take place on Sunday at 15:00 CEST (local time). Binder will start from pole position, followed by Bagnaia and Miller. Will Binder be able to repeat his victory or will another racer win the title? Watch this exciting race only on the official MotoGP Channel.
