VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio claimed victory at the Catalan Grand Prix in extraordinary circumstances, taking the chequered flag after a race that was red-flagged twice due to multiple crashes. It was only his second MotoGP win and VR46 Racing's first since the Indian Grand Prix in 2023.

The drama began on lap 12 when race leader Pedro Acosta's KTM suddenly lost power on the straight, and Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez, running second, crashed into the back of him. Marquez's bike wheel struck Di Giannantonio, who went down but managed to nurse his machine back to the pits.

The second red flag came after an even more chaotic restart when LCR Honda's Johann Zarco braked late on turn one and took out Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Honda's Luca Marini in a three-rider pile-up. Both Marquez and Zarco were taken to hospital for further examinations; they were conscious.

The second restart transformed the original 24-lap race into a 12-lap sprint. Di Giannantonio found a way past Joan Mir with four laps to go before hunting down Acosta, taking the lead with two laps remaining. Acosta's nightmare was complete when he crashed on the final lap.

"Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine," Di Giannantonio said. "We've been really lucky. We know that our sport is amazing. We try to give an amazing show, but also we are humans and we are in danger."

Six riders were being investigated for their tyre pressures after the race, leaving the final standings uncertain. Honda's Joan Mir finished second ahead of Gresini Racing's Fermin Aldeguer.

Source: www.aljazeera.com