Vinales becomes third different Virtual winner at Jerez

ed Bull KTM Tech 3’s Iker Lecuona found himself in second after he managed to stay clear of the carnage in front of him but his chances of finishing on the podium evaporated on lap three when he crashed at the penultimate corner. In an incident that also saw Quartararo caught up in, suddenly Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was promoted to second and had a debut Virtual rostrum finish in his sights.

The World Champion was put under all sorts of pressure by both Vinales and brother Alex after the pair had refound their form following earlier crashes. The pair swooped through on the number 93 after a mistake at Turn 2. The trio were split by nothing on lap five but the gaps would quickly grow as Alex Marquez edged clear of Vinales for second, as Vinales did the same to Marc Marquez.

Behind, Quartararo and Lecuona came together again as the Frenchman simply couldn’t stop crashing; the same issue that cost him in the opening two Virtual MotoGP™ races. At half race distance, Vinales ran wide allowing Marc Marquez back through for third but he didn’t hold the final podium place for long, crashing out just moments later.

Then with just three laps remaining, Alex Marquez crashed out of second at Turn 2, only for the leader Bagnaia to crash as well at the penultimate corner allowing Vinales to go from third to first in the space of a lap. The Spaniard coped with the pressure in the closing stages and took the checkered flag for a first virtual victory. Alex Marquez finished second, with Bagnaia third meaning the same three riders were on the podium again but in a different order for a third time running.