Enea Bastianini’s “Dirty” Overtake to Win Misano MotoGP Analysed

Enea Bastianini won his second MotoGP race of 2024 thanks to a last-gasp move on Jorge Martin at Misano.

Bastianini was closing on Martin lap after lap before the series leader began to take defensive lines in order to keep the factory Ducati rider behind him. However, the two riders went wide on the final lap as Bastianini dive-bombed Martin, sending the Spaniard and himself off the track.

Bastianini, despite his aggressive overtake, did not relent as he went on to win the race while a very frustrated Martin gestured angrily as he came over the line. Harsh overtakes on the final lap of a MotoGP race are normal, especially when it's for the race win, but missing the corner and sending your opponent out of the track is surely too much.

But the overtake divided opinion amongst pundits and current riders. Michael Laverty, a pundit on the TNT Sports broadcast called it a “dirty” move but had no issues with it: “A beauty from Enea’s point of view. Horrible from the receiving end. It’s one of those where it’s close to the bone. When you lead the race the whole way and protect every line, then someone comes up the inside and takes you off the track. It doesn’t give Jorge a chance to fight back. He deserved to be able to retaliate later in the lap.

“You can see why he feels hard done by. Five points missing, when he feels like he earned it. Bastianini, with a chance to win your home GP, you’re going to put it all on the line. There should be no penalty. It’s a racing incident. It was dirty, filthy, and I loved it!”

Fellow pundit Neil Hodgson, a former World Superbike champion, agreed that it was dirty but that this is nothing different than other overtakes in the past.

Hodgson added: "He pulled it towards the apex, he let the brake off. It's a tight first-gear hairpin. He makes contact, pushes him wide… Is it dirty? Yes, it is, a bit. But at this level, that's sort of what it takes.

“Would Martin have done the same? Yes, he would. Would Valentino Rossi in his prime have done the same? Yes, he would. Mick Doohan would have pulled that move, Kevin Schwantz would have. It's a fine line between a disgusting move to a really firm, hard move on the last lap to win the Grand Prix."

Bastianini’s victory was another milestone for the Bologna-based brand, but it was overshadowed by the last lap drama, and Martin was one rider who clearly didn’t agree with Bastianini’s manoeuvre.

Martin said: “For sure, now I think we are clearer about the Race Direction ideas for the future. So, I think next time if I have to do the same, for sure no consequence, I hope. Even Marc Marquez said that he thinks it should drop one position!”

Bastianini kicked back at Martin’s comments saying: “I saw the only chance to attack him on the last lap was at Turn four. He tried to close the line. I was a bit on the limit with the front, but then I closed the corner and I won the race.”

Of course, in a situation like this the race winner (Bastianini) is rarely ever going to admit his overtake was over the limit, while it’s understandable that Martin, having led for so long, and after being pushed off the track, would deem it to be too aggressive, to which I agree.

That’s not a problem eight-time world champion Marc Marquez has, as the former Honda rider is considered the most aggressive rider in MotoGP. But even the Gresini rider thought Bastianini should have had the win taken away.

Marquez stated: “I saw a replay and Enea was outside the track. For me it is not good for the championship and if Enea was out of the track he should drop one position. When you do an aggressive overtake and are inside the track, then it’s not a problem. But if you go out of the track then it means drop one position. I don’t agree with that decision.”

I can only imagine the frustration Martin felt after the race, and although his post-race gesture was over the top, the Spaniard was understandably annoyed. No one, whether you’re a rider, team member or fan, wants inconsistencies within the rules, or similar incidents to be treated differently. Normally if you overtake another rider and fail to make the corner, you will need to give up the position. But that’s the total opposite of what took place as Race Direction deemed it to be a racing incident.

But Miguel Oliveira agreed with Marquez and thought the position should have been given up, although he was less inclined to blame Bastianini: “The rules are clear. Once you are in a direct fight with a rider, and you go on the green, you need to give up a position. The fact that he didn't go on the green, because it's not painted green over there, but he didn't make the corner. So it is a last lap overtake, everyone is fighting to the centimetre, and it is difficult to overtake with the MotoGP bike, so you need to take every opportunity.

“If it is for the win, I don't mind, but I leave it up to the stewards. The rules are clear, so he's not penalised because the paint is not green, it's blue, or whatever. If you overtake in a different corner and you touch the green, you need to give up the position. So he knew exactly where to overtake!”

Repsol Honda’s Luca Marini was another rider, who unsurprisingly, wants consistency and if Bastianini’s type of move is to be allowed, then all riders should be privy to that sort of treatment.

Marini added: “If you push another rider out of the track and you just go over - don't make the corner. Please, if Martin makes the same move in Indonesia, I expect the same treatment - as Martin, Pecco, me, everybody. Only this.”

Lost in all of this is the fact Martin really didn’t need to win the race as main title rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of the Grand Prix, handing Martin a serious advantage at this stage of the season.

But like any racer, Martin’s drive to win and prove he is the undisputed best Ducati rider is something he’s been searching to achieve for multiple seasons now, and being beaten by Bastianini for the second time in a last lap battle this season - Mugello was the other occasions when Bastianini produced a final corner overtake to claim second - will certainly have hurt.

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