Aragon Ratings: What score does Marc Marquez get after causing double collision?

Crash.net journalist Robert Jones runs through the field’s rider ratings following an Aragon MotoGP that could be looked back on as the most crucial race in the 2022 title fight.
Marc Marquez, Honda MotoGP Aragon
Marc Marquez, Honda MotoGP Aragon

Enea Bastianini - 10

(Qualified 3rd, finished 1st)

After playing second best to Francesco Bagnaia in Misano, Bastianini made Aragon his own with a brilliant overtake at turn seven on the final lap. The Gresini Ducati rider initially took the lead early in the race before gifting the advantage back to Bagnaia following a mistake at turn 13. And although it took Bastianini several laps to find his way back onto the rear tyre of his fellow Italian, that’s exactly what he did before making his race winning overtake. 

Francesco Bagnaia - 9

(Qualified 1st, finished 2nd)

Looking like five consecutive race wins was on the cards with one lap to go, Bagnaia instead had to settle for second after losing out in a thrilling last lap battle. The Italian was again in sensational form throughout the weekend, and following an incident involving his main championship rival Fabio Quartararo, the factory Ducati rider is now just ten points away from top spot. Despite applying late pressure on the exit of turn 17, Bagnaia narrowly missed out on victory as Bastianini held strong. 

Aleix Espargaro - 9

(Qualified 4th, finished 3rd)

Like Bagnaia, Espargaro made up huge points on Quartararo in the championship after returning to the podium for the first time since Mugello. Espargaro, who showed pace all weekend, delivered a brilliant overtake on Brad Binder at the corner that had given him the most trouble throughout the weekend [turn one].

Brad Binder - 9

Brad
Brad

(Qualified 10th, finished 4th)

A sensational launch saw Binder go from P10 to fifth by the exit of turn one. The KTM rider went from strength-to-strength during the race as he climbed as high as second, however, the South African missed out on the podium - would have given him a perfect score from us - by just two tenths of a second. 

Jack Miller - 8

(Qualified 2nd, finished 5th)

Another very strong race for Miller who appeared to have the pace to match Bagnaia and Bastianini early on. After losing out to Binder and Espargaro on lap five, the Australian remained in the battle for third throughout, although an attack on the two riders ahead of him never came. 

Jorge Martin - 8

(Qualified 8th, finished 6th)

Involved in a race-long fight with team-mate Johann Zarco and Luca Marini, Martin managed to get the better of his fellow Ducati riders and secure his best finish since Silverstone with sixth.

Luca Marini - 8

Luca Marini, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September
Luca Marini, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September

(Qualified 14th, finished 7th)

After a poor qualifying session, Marini once again delivered in the race as he climbed up the order in impressive fashion. The Italian was faster than both Martin and Zarco for periods of the race before finishing four tenths away from Martin. 

Johann Zarco - 7

(Qualified 5th, finished 8th)

A good qualifying result set up Zarco for at least an attempt of claiming a top five, if not a podium. However, the French rider lacked the necessary pace to do so and instead came across the line for a slightly disappointing P8.  

Alex Rins - 7

(Qualified 9th, finished 9th)

Seemingly with pace to burn based on free practice, Rins was unable to make that count in the race as he struggled to battle and overtake the Ducatis around him. Still a decent result but not what Rins or Suzuki would have hoped for. 

Marco Bezzecchi - 7

(Qualified 7th, finished 10th) 

Like Zarco, Bezzecchi didn’t have the pace to either move forward or retain his starting position in the Grand Prix. The impressive rookie was four seconds off the four-rider group ahead of him. 

Miguel Oliveira - 6

(Qualified 11th, finished 11th)

With team-mate Binder proving what a good start could do, Oliveira would have been wishing he did something similar after being stuck in the middle of the pack. Oliveira was just over a second away from Bezzecchi at the end of the race, while a similar margin separated the Portuguese rider and Alex Marquez. 

Alex Marquez - 7

(Qualified 17th, finished 12th)

His third points scoring finish in a row, Marquez managed to improve by five places following a disappointing qualifying session. 

Maverick Vinales - 5

Maverick Vinales, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September
Maverick Vinales, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September

(Qualified 16th, finished 13th)

Caught out by the early drama, Vinales had to take avoiding action when Marc Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami came together on the exit of turn seven, which resulted in the Aprilia rider dropping towards the back of the field. Despite having very good race pace, mistakes in qualifying and practice conditioned the Spaniard’s poor weekend. 

Cal Crutchlow - 8

(Qualified 19th, finished 14th)

A very solid race in his first Grand Prix appearance since Aragon last year, Crutchlow not only out-qualified Franco Morbidelli but finished ahead of the factory Yamaha rider in the race.

Pol Espargaro - 5

(Qualified 18th, finished 15th)

Espargaro’s difficult home race came to an end with him picking up the final point as he finished just ahead of Remy Gardner. 

Remy Gardner - 5

Remy Gardner, MotoGP race, Aragon MotoGP, 18 September
Remy Gardner, MotoGP race, Aragon MotoGP, 18 September

(Qualified 22nd, finished 16th) 

Gardner came close to scoring points once again as the Tech 3 rider looks to finish out his one and only season in MotoGP in style, ahead of moving to WorldSBK.  

Franco Morbidelli - 4

(Qualifed 20th, finished 17th)

Another weekend to forget for Morbidelli as the Italian continues to struggle whether it’s one lap pace of race performance. The Yamaha rider was also one of the riders affected by the chaos ahead of him.

Darryn Binder - 4

(Qualified 23rd, finished 18th)

Binder narrowly lost out to Morbidelli in the battle of the Yamahas, while also finishing four second off the points. 

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 4

(Qualified 15th, finished 19th) 

Di Giannantonio lost out on the opening lap as he took avoiding action of Quartararo which hampered his race. 

Raul Fernandez - 4

(Qualified 21st, finished 20th)

Last of the completed runners, Fernandez was another rider that had to recover after losing time early on. 

Fabio Quartararo - 4

Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September
Fabio Quartararo, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP, 17 September

(Qualified 6th, DNF)

On a day where he could have potentially taken the fight to Bagnaia and Bastianini, Quartararo instead spent the afternoon receiving medical checks in case of any injuries following his very fast crash. Unable to react in time to Marc Marquez saving a rear-wheel slide, Quartararo instead ran into the rear of the eight-time world champion’s RC213V before crashing out. 

Marc Marquez - 2

(Qualified 13th, DNF)

A race that promised so much, Marquez looked back to his aggressive but superb best in the opening couple of corners. But after gaining seven places between lights out and the exit of turn one, the Aragon MotoGP quickly became a nightmare for the Spanish Superstar. Although neither incident was intentional, nor was his bike in working condition for the second as his holeshot device locked into place, Marquez was at fault for two big crashes from other riders, meaning a grade of 2 is handed out.  

Takaaki Nakagami - 4

(Qualified 12th, DNF)

A new one-year MotoGP deal at LCR Honda prior to the weekend, the new Kalex swingarm seemingly generating better performance and a great start to the race were all highlights from what turned out to be a very unlucky Aragon MotoGP for Nakagami after being left with nowhere to go following contact with Marquez.

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