The Aragon GP of the 2022 MotoGP season was going to be the penultimate appearance for the racers before the Asian leg of the World Championship. By all expectations, the match was going to be an everyday affair for MotoGP. However, one never knows when the tables may turn at MotoGP. So saying, Round 15 proved to be quite a surprise for fans and teams alike.
There was the legendary Marc Marquez, racing for the Honda Repsol team, making his re-appearance for the first time since the Italian GP. On the flip side, we had Fabio Quartararo, another fan favorite, appearing for the Monster Energy Yamaha team. Quartararo was hopeful that along with Marquez, the two would be able to topple Ducati's dominance of the season. However, things didn't go quite as planned!
Favorites Overthrown
In a sudden reversal of fortune, Quartararo crashed into the rear of Marquez's machine in the opening lap itself. To make matters worse, Marquez went on a collision course with LCR Honda teammate, Takaaki Nakagami. In a series of upsetting events, none of the three made it to the second lap. It was a dramatic opening lap and immediately upped the adrenaline in fans, but the race was far from over.
A Thrilling Race At Every Corner
On the other hand, at the very top of the standings, Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati Lenovo was leading Gresini's Enea Bastianini by margins. Meanwhile, Brad Binder of Red Bull KTM and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro were battling out for third place. A magnificent start from Binder had propelled him to a potential podium finish. However, to everyone's disappointment, with just two laps to go, Espargaro lashed out. In the last lap of the race, Bagnaia was still in the lead, with Bastianini following closely.
A Final Lap For The Ages
The race was an altogether clone of the San Marino GP race just a few weeks back. However, this time around, Bastianini crept in closer and closer until he found an opening at Turn 7. This final move led him to his fourth win of the year. Moreover, as Ducati won both the top podiums, they were able to seal the deal on the 2022 Constructors' Championship for the third year running.
Meanwhile, the Championship leader got a DNF while his opponents secured podium finishes. Thus, in the end, only 17 points stood between the three contenders as they went on for the first Japanese GP in three years, one week later.