Valentino Rossi moved into the lead from the start of the race and held on to the top spot until Marquez made a move with seven laps remaining. Four laps later, Rossi reclaimed the lead before holding on in a final chicane infraction to take the chequered flag.
The two riders were never separated by more than a few tenths throughout the 26 lap race, pulling clear of third placed Jorge Lorenzo who simply couldn’t keep pace at the front. Marquez bided his time for much of the race, sitting patiently in Rossi’s tracks, before moving up the inside under brakes at the first corner.
The Honda rider, who’d reverted to a 2014 frame with 2015 components, was never able to pull clear. With three laps to go Rossi moved back into the lead midway round the lap before opening a half second advantage as they began the final tour.
Marquez wasn’t giving up and closed the gap to set up a final chicane effort for the win. Deep on the brakes, the reigning world champion slid towards the apex of the corner, touching Rossi and sending the Yamaha bouncing over the gravel. Slowed by the melee, Marquez dropped back allowing the Italian veteran to take the win.
RESULTS – 26 LAPS:
Pos | Rider | Team | Bike | Gap |
1 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | Yamaha | 40m54.037s |
2 | Marc Marquez | Honda | Honda | 1.242s |
3 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | Yamaha | 14.576s |
4 | Andrea Iannone | Ducati | Ducati | 19.109s |
5 | Pol Espargaro | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 24.268s |
6 | Cal Crutchlow | LCR | Honda | 24.373s |
7 | Bradley Smith | Tech 3 | Yamaha | 24.442s |
8 | Daniel Pedrosa | Honda | Honda | 24.656s |
9 | Aleix Espargaro | Suzuki | Suzuki | 26.725s |
10 | Maverick Vinales | Suzuki | Suzuki | 27.238s |
11 | Danilo Petrucci | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 29.038s |
12 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | Ducati | 29.418s |
13 | Scott Redding | Marc VDS | Honda | 46.663s |
14 | Yonny Hernandez | Pramac Racing | Ducati | 49.305s |
15 | Loris Baz | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | 52.396s |
16 | Nicky Hayden | Aspar | Honda | 56.005s |
17 | Alvaro Bautista | Aprilia Gresini | Aprilia | 59.857s |
18 | Mike Di Meglio | Avintia Racing | Ducati | 1m14.513s |
19 | Marco Melandri | Aprilia Gresini | Aprilia | 1 Lap |
– | Alex de Angelis | IodaRacing Project | ART/Aprilia | Retirement |
– | Eugene Laverty | Aspar | Honda | Retirement |
– | Stefan Bradl | Forward Racing | Yamaha Forward | Retirement |
– | Jack Miller | LCR | Honda | Retirement |
– | Hector Barbera | Avintia Racing | Ducati | Retirement |
RIDERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP:
Pos | Rider | Points |
1 | Valentino Rossi | 163 |
2 | Jorge Lorenzo | 153 |
3 | Andrea Iannone | 107 |
4 | Marc Marquez | 89 |
5 | Andrea Dovizioso | 87 |
6 | Bradley Smith | 77 |
7 | Cal Crutchlow | 57 |
8 | Pol Espargaro | 56 |
9 | Maverick Vinales | 52 |
10 | Daniel Pedrosa | 47 |
11 | Danilo Petrucci | 44 |
12 | Aleix Espargaro | 38 |
13 | Scott Redding | 30 |
14 | Yonny Hernandez | 28 |
15 | Hector Barbera | 16 |
16 | Loris Baz | 14 |
17 | Alvaro Bautista | 11 |
18 | Jack Miller | 11 |
19 | Stefan Bradl | 9 |
20 | Michele Pirro | 8 |
21 | Nicky Hayden | 8 |
22 | Eugene Laverty | 7 |
23 | Hiroshi Aoyama | 5 |
24 | Mike Di Meglio | 2 |
25 | Alex de Angelis | 1 |