MotoGP Americas GP: Bastianini wins thriller, Marquez makes heroic recovery after lap one disaster

The Gresini rider passed long-time leader Jack Miller on the factory team Ducati late on and cleared off by two seconds to return to the top of the standings with his first podium since his debut win in Qatar and win the 500th race of the Dorna Sports era of MotoGP.

Miller grabbed the holeshot from second on the grid, while Marquez went backwards to last as his Honda juddered off the line.

Poleman Jorge Martin gave chase to Miller ahead of Francesco Bagnaia and Bastianini on his 2021-spec Ducati, with reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo briefly holding fifth on his Yamaha.

But the lack of top speed would soon see the Frenchman shuffled back to eighth by the charging Ducatis and Suzuki duo of Alex Rins and Joan Mir.

Marquez recovered to 17th on the opening lap and by lap seven of 20 had gotten back into the top 10 having overtaken his ill Honda team-mate Pol Espargaro.

Bastianini was cut slightly adrift of the lead duo of Miller and Martin – who traded places at the end of the opening lap, with the former holding firm – by the fifth tour, but rallied when Miller started to break away from a struggling Martin on the Pramac GP22.

The Italian was briefly demoted by Rins at the big stop into the Turn 11 hairpin on lap 10, but easily blasted his way back through into third on the back straight into Turn 12.

Alex Rins, Team Suzuki MotoGP

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

By this point Miller had started to pull away from Martin by 0.4s, which would extend to close to eight tenths as Bastianini dispatched of the Pramac rider at Turn 1 on lap 12.

Bastianini steadily chipped away at Miller’s lead as the factory team Ducati rider’s pace started to fade, while Rins moved into third ahead of Martin at Turn 7 on lap