The Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP™ 2021 has come to an end and, with it, more clues about who could win the crown of the current season. Today, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has awarded Miguel Oliveira, who achieved his first victory so far this year, the third in his career with the premier class. A total of 19,352 spectators have witnessed what happened. Adding the three Grand Prix days, 32,573 fans were able to enjoy their return to the World Cup track.
The seventh stop of the World Cup caravan has turned out to be very demanding on the riders, more than they themselves could expect. The most successful was Miguel Oliveira. His victory today has not only served to celebrate at the top of the podium, but the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider can continue to celebrate thanks to the 25 points he has added today, which place him in seventh position on the general standings of the championship. Oliveira has chained a couple of races with an unstoppable pace, which have made him regain numerous positions.
Fabio Quartararo, who was defending the position of honour at the start, was unable to defend it for many meters. In fact, Oliveira took the lead as soon as he started. And while Oliveira was starting to work on his victory, Quartararo was assimilating that the podium could cost. The Frenchman, despite regaining control towards the middle of the race, was overtaken by different riders. One of them, for example, was Joan Mir, who slipped into second place, and another was Jack Miller. The reigning world champion was ruled out in the fight for the podium, while Zarco and Miller put pressure on Quartararo.
Special mention should be made of Frenchman Johann Zarco, who despite losing some positions at the start, made one last sprint from fifth position to secure silver, followed by Miller. The finish line, however, was crossed by Quartararo in third position, but two three-second penalties caused the leader to lose the podium. Thus, Johann Zarco has been able to cut many points in the fight for the title with Quartararo.
Mir, who has secured fifth place, had Maverick Viñales behind. The Catalan has had a constant rhythm and has been regular, but he has not found the rhythm of the lead either. Behind him and Quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia, Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini, who close the top 10. Álex Márquez finished very close, in eleventh position.
If these were the lights, the winners; the shadows have been for various home riders. The Repsol Honda team had a double retirement after the crashes of Pol Espargaró at Turn 5 and Marc Márquez at Turn 10 during the first laps. Aleix Espargaró, who was fighting with the leading group, has also gone to the ground. With a lot of fans present today, Valentino Rossi has not been able to give his fans a good result, as the Italian had also to retire after his crash.
Remy Gardner, a little more Moto2™ leader
Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) has finally achieved his first victory this year. Despite leading the standings, the Australian had a thorn in his side. Three second positions, but no victory. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has given him that privilege today, and he is leading a little more. Pole, victory and record for the fastest lap at the Circuit. The only thing missing this weekend was the fastest lap of the race, an honour that has been granted to Raúl Fernández, the second classified today and in the World Championship.
Gardner’s teammate, Spanish rider Raúl Fernández, has been faced with options in the race. The confirmation of this has been his leadership for eight laps. In the end, Fernández was outmatched by Gardner with no option to reply. Things could not be more even between teammates, and the Spaniard does have a total of two victories this season.
Home rider, Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) has climbed to the third step of the podium. The Catalan had a very good start that allowed him to move up to fourth, and then overtake Bo Bendsneyder (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team), who started third. Both Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Augusto Fernández (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) also ended up beating Bendsneyder, who finally finished sixth.
Augusto Fernández was able to make up for himself today with his fifth position. The Madrid-born rider chained three races of very bad fortune, in which he could not score a single point. Today, it seems that Fernández has felt comfortable again on the asphalt of the Circuit, and has had a good pace during these three days. Albert Arenas (INDE Aspar Team), the second local rider on site, said goodbye to the home Grand Prix with a twelfth position, a place that greatly improves the twenty-first from which he started.
Sergio Garcia wins the Moto3™ madness
Thrilling. This has been the Moto3™ World Championship race, one of the most difficult and demanding so far this year. Equality, overtaking and some other incident have been constants during the 21 laps, in which a group of up to 19 riders has been seen without giving up.
No rider wanted to lead that madness, aware of the difficulty that this entailed due to the slipstreams at the end of the straight. Gabriel Rodrigo, Jeremy Alcoba, Pedro Acosta or John McPhee are just some of the riders who have seen themselves in the position of honour. McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), in fact, crashed at turn two while leading, reaching the halfway point of the race.
In the end, Sergio García (Solunion GASGAS Aspar Team) was the lucky one to take the gold. The Spaniard, in addition, started from the nineteenth position. Jeremy Alcoba, the second classified, also gave a masterful performance today in that endless group of riders. Jaume Masiá (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed a fully Spanish podium, but after the chequered flag, race direction corroborated that Masiá had not respected the track limits.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) took over the third position, which has given him his first podium in Moto3™. With Masiá in fourth position, the Valencian has cut some point in the classification to the leader, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who today was seventh. Acosta knew he was going to have a difficult time from his 24th starting position, but in the middle of the race he was even able to lead.
Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), who started from pole, was another participant who has been left with honey on his lips. His rhythm was very good, but he has been immersed in the constant change of positions of the main group, finishing sixth. Izan Guevara, for his part, was even less lucky and crashed on the last lap, when he had a chance of victory.
Miquel Pons wins at the MotoE™ premiere at the Circuit
The FIM Enel MotoE ™ World Cup today carried out its first race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The result has been the victory of the Mallorcan Miquel Pons. The LCR E-Team rider was not in the betting, but he managed to surprise today with his victory.
Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) was second, followed by Catalan Jordi Torres, who looked like an extension of him. Championship leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MootoE) was fourth.
The second rider in contention for the title, Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse) will lose some positions in the standings as he crashed today. The same has happened to Eric Granado (One Energy Racing), the owner of the E-Pole.
Another sustainable Grand Prix with KISS Barcelona 2021
The Circuit, through its Green Meeting Point platform, is promoting, for the ninth year in a row, the KISS Barcelona programme invoking the KISS (Keep It Shiny and Sustainable) programme by FIM Ride Green. This year, all efforts are focussed on the well-being of people, under the motto “2021, The Year of the People”. The aim is to make the return of the public to the Circuit, that will be opening its gates to thousands of people for the first time in a long time, as sustainable and responsible as possible.
Furthermore, the Circuit continues working on its 3C Management “Conscience, Commitment and Coherence”, with actions like the use of 100% renewable energy, the donation of food, the use of 0-km gastronomy products, the use of circular economy in waste management or the sustainable forest care in the surroundings of the Circuit.
Next stop: FIM CEV Repsol
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will continue with its particular frenetic pace and next week it will host the FIM CEV Repsol (12 and 13 June), with the future promises of international motorcycling.
