Alcañiz (Spain) (AFP)

The Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) won his first MotoGP victory in Aragon on Sunday, the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) unable to do better than 8th but retaining the lead of the World Championship with a comfortable lead.

Bagnaia edged out six-time Spanish world champion Marc Marquez (Honda), the two men engaged in a sumptuous duel in the final laps of the race.

The Italian is thus getting closer to Quartararo in the world championship, just like the Spaniard Joan Mir (Suzuki) 3rd.

But the French driver keeps a 53-point lead over his Italian rival with five races to go.

Bagnaia, who started from pole position, was only able to get rid of the pressure from Marquez in the last few meters of the race after an error by the Spaniard, coming out too wide from one of the last corners.

The two riders had previously passed and returned without Bagnaia, 24, not being impressed by his opponent who has already won, at 28, 57 MotoGP victories but who is recovering from an injury that has held him back. away from the circuits all last season.

"It's a lot of emotion. We worked very hard to achieve this result. Today's victory is like a liberation", underlined "Pecco" Bagnaia.

"It was not easy to stay in front of Marc," he conceded.

"He's not 100% yet but he's very competitive."

- Not yet at best -

"I always have to find the best level," said the Spaniard, who has already won a victory this season but is only in 10th place in the world championship.

"I enjoyed the battle but I was at the limit, like everyone else, with my tires. But I'm really happy with this podium in a difficult season," he said, adding that 'he still had to "become the same Marc as before" his right arm injury.

Marc Marquez beaten by Francesco Bagnaia, winner of the GP of Aragon on the Motorland circuit, near Alcaniz, September 12, 2021 LLUIS GENE AFP

Quartararo, who started 3rd on the starting grid, dropped in the standings in the first laps and could not do better than 8th at the finish.

"From the start of the race I felt that my tire was wrong and I demoted the standings more and more. But I fought to the end and that was positive", judged the French driver , adding that he "did not consider this race to be a disaster".

"It can happen that you lose a few points and this is the first time in a long time that this has happened. The positive thing today is that even when I was 9th I continued to fight for the point of 8th place, "said the driver from Nice.

The second French entered in MotoGP, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), falls to 4th place in the championship with 137 points.

He completely missed his race as he finished only 17th and out of points.

He had chosen a different front / rear tire combination than his rivals and which obviously did not work in the heat of the Aragon circuit.

Championship leader Fabio Quartararo during the Aragon Grand Prix, near Alcaniz, September 12, 2021 LLUIS GENE AFP

"This aggressiveness that makes us ride fast, I didn't have it today. I couldn't take the bike where I wanted. But there is no death of a man," he said. it however tempered.

"The choice of the front tire does not fully explain the lack of performance. We thought it would be cooler today but in fact it was very hot during the race," explained Zarco.

The next race is scheduled for next Sunday on the Italian circuit of Misano which could still be successful for the Ducatis who will be at home and have shown themselves to be in great shape throughout the weekend.

© 2021 AFP