Gresini rider Alex Marquez claimed a controlled Sprint race victory in the MotoGP season finale at Jerez.
The Spaniard’s composed performance followed a first-corner overtake, with fellow countryman Pedro Acosta and VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio joining him on the rostrum.
Poleman Bezzecchi lost his lead into Turn 1 to Gresini’s Marquez and KTM’s Acosta, before dropping further back to sixth as Raul Fernandez, Fabio Quartararo, and Di Giannantonio all overtook the Italian.
Marquez and Acosta already formed a 0.7s lead over the rest of the field by the end of the first lap, showcasing that both had the pace in the opening laps.
In the middle of the pack, the factory Honda duo of Joan Mir and Luca Marini both crashed out at Turn 2. However, it appeared to be a freak accident as Mir lost the front and collected his team-mate.
An ambitious Jack Miller aggressively overtook Fermin Aldeguer for ninth, leading to the Gresini rider dropping multiple places and losing a handlebar. Miller was forced to drop three positions, placing him behind the Spaniard.
Bezzecchi climbed to fifth after a Turn 1 move on Quartararo on Lap 5, but by that point, the gap to Di Giannantonio and Fernandez was 1.5s.
Out front, the gap between Marquez and Acosta stayed within three tenths for the first half of the race. However, on Lap 6, Acosta ran wide at Turn 8, allowing the MotoGP vice champion to build a 1.6s lead.
The gap reduced slightly to 1.4s with five laps to go, but Marquez responded with consistent lap times to claim victory.
Marquez secured his third Sprint race victory of the season, finishing the final two rounds with back-to-back Saturday wins.
Acosta secured another second place on the KTM, with victory still just out of reach for the 21-year-old.
Di Giannantonio compiled a late move on Fernandez to claim third as he closes in on sixth in the championship.
Bezzecchi ended the race in a surprise fifth after his slow start off the line, followed by Franco Morbidelli and Quartararo.
Brad Binder wrapped up eighth for KTM, as Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura claimed the final point for the American team.
Johann Zarco finished as the lead Honda rider to round off the top 10, defeating Aldeguer and Miller after their battle earlier in the race.
Enea Bastianini edged out Francesco Bagnaia at the line to take 13th place, adding to his Italian compatriot’s woes.
Alex Rins secured 15th for Yamaha, closely followed by Ducati stand in Nicolo Bulega and the departing Miguel Oliveira.
Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro took 18th and 19th, respectively, while Augusto Fernandez edged out Somkait Chantra and Jorge Martin on his V4 Yamaha.
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