Maverick Vinales has made history by becoming Suzuki’s first winner in over nine years.
Vinales dominated proceedings to take the Japanese manufacturer’s first win since Chris Vermeulen won at Le Mans in 2007. This would also be Vinales’ first ever win in the premier class.
The race was originally red flagged after a serious incident involving Pol Espargaro and Loris Baz. Both riders were ok and conscious after their crash.
On the restart, it was all Maverick. The Suzuki rider was able to quickly gap Valentino Rossi, Cal Crutchlow and Marc Marquez and create a big lead for himself.
The other riders were unable to cope with Maverick’s speed. Rossi, Crutchlow and Marquez fought for the podium spots, with some seriously tight manoeuvres between the riders.
Andrea Iannone managed to join the group, dispatching of Crutchlow and Marquez with ease. However, as it has been in many cases so far this season, the Ducati rider crashed, leaving him with no points.
Marc Marquez had a tight incident with Crutchlow, as the two almost collided after the Spaniard went in way too hot into a corner. Marquez was able to rejoin, but only managed fourth place.
It was therefore to be Maverick’s day, as the Suzuki rider finally ended the factory’s long wait for a win.
Cal Crutchlow again made history. This time he became the first British rider to gain a podium in the premier class since Jeremy McWilliams came close to victory at Donington Park in 2000. He finished second, with Valentino Rossi coming home in third.
Marquez came home in fourth, with Dani Pedrosa finishing fifth. Andrea Dovizioso was sixth whilst Aleix Espargaro was seventh.
Jorge Lorenzo was a disappointing eighth, with the Yamaha rider struggling yet again. Danilo Petrucci was ninth whilst Alvaro Bautista picked up a solid tenth placed finish for Aprilia.
Eugene Laverty and Alex Lowes had solid outings in twelfth and thirteenth. But it was to be heartbreak for Scott Redding as multiple crashes saw the Pramac rider finish all the way down in seventeenth.
The result means that Marquez’s lead in the championship is 50 points over Valentino Rossi. Jorge Lorenzo is 66 points down, whilst Maverick Vinales lies 85 points off Marquez.
There’s no rest for the MotoGP grid, as the championship quickly moves on to Misano and the San Marino GP. We’ll have all the coverage here at Read Motorsport.
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