Moto3 Italy Race: Victory by a master hand from Foggia!

After Mugello provided impeccable conditions for the Paddock's return to Italy, a touch of gray colored the sky ahead of the qualifying session. No rain disturbances arrived, but teams and drivers were suspicious, Q2 took a while to get going, until Pedro Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) opens the dance. It is Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) who obtained pole after the first series of laps, but half the peloton had not yet completed a timed lap with 5 minutes remaining before the end of the session. In the end, he is the leader of Q1, Tatsuki Suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24), who managed to take pole position at Mugello relegating the championship leader to more than half a second. Pedro Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) his place on the front row, the first since the start of the season, while Rodrigo was relegated to third position.

With many teams only joining the action for two flying laps, qualifying felt more like lottery than strategy, especially since a horrific incident involving Jason dupasquier (KTM, CarXpert PruestlGP, #50) and Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71) raised the red flag in the final seconds of Q2. This did not prevent Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) to qualify in fourth place on the home grid, ahead of Jaume Masia (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #5) and Jeremy Alcove (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #52).

Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) opens the third row, joined by Niccolo Antonelli (KTM, Reale Avintia, #23) and John mcphee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #17).

Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71) and Jason dupasquier (KTM, CarXpert PruestlGP, #50) are qualified on the fourth row, but the Swiss rider is currently hospitalized in serious condition and will not start the race.

Another notable mention goes to the VR46 Academy Wildcard, Alberto Surra, who missed Q2 by three tenths and will start the race in 19th place on the grid.

Who will be the winner of this Italian Grand Prix? Before answering this question, here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

Mugello Moto3™	2019	2021
FP1	1'58.188 Niccolò Antonelli	1'57.724 Andrea Migno
FP2	1'57.467 Tatsuki Suzuki	1'56.661 Darryn Binder
FP3	1'56.637 Tony Arbolino	1'56.234 Andrea Migno
Q1	1'57.792 Raúl Fernández	1'56.875 Tatsuki Suzuki
Q2	1'56.407 Tony Arbolino	1'56.001 Tatsuki Suzuki
Warm Up	1'57.085 Gabriel Rodrigo	1'57.271 Gabriel Rodrigo
Course	Arbolino, Dalla Porta, Masia	Foggia, Masia, Rodrigo
All time lap record	1'56.407 Tony Arbolino (2019)	1'56.001 Tatsuki Suzuki

At the end of this morning, the air temperature was 21°C and that of the track 34°C. We recall that Xavier Artigas (Honda, Leopard Racing, #43) received a double long lap penalty for today's race for driving slowly between Turn 12 and Turn 13 during Q1.

Ryusei Yamanaka (KTM, CarXpert PruestlGP, #6) will not start the race, in support of his teammate Jason dupasquier (KTM, CarXpert PruestlGP, #50), hospitalized in Florence in critical condition following his fall yesterday.

The drivers are ready to set off for this 20-lap race.

Here is the drivers' choice of tires for this race.

When the red lights go out, Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24) gets the best start but Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) takes the advantage at the first corner. He leads in front Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2), while Adrian Fernandez (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #31) falls at turn 1 and leads to the WildCard Alberto Surra in his fall.

Another big crash takes place at turn 7: Deniz Öncü (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #53) falls alone, then Andrea Migno (Honda, Rivacold Snipers Team, #16), Maximilian Kofler (KTM, CIP-Green Power, #73) and Carlos Tatay (KTM, Reale Avintia Moto3, #99) hang on.

Deniz Oncu (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #53) was one of 5 riders with a hard rear tire, he was probably still a little cold and that seemed to cause his crash.

At the end of the first round, Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) leads the race but is quickly overtaken by Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) and gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2). Acosta goes third, the pole sitter is fourth.

It's a Moto3 race as we like it, with 5 riders braking abreast! The battle rages there in the leading peloton, in San Donato, Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) moves from first to ninth place. The first 10 are within the same second and a group of 16 drivers broke away from their pursuers.

After 3 rounds, Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) takes the lead in front Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7), followed by Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24). Italy is celebrating, until Suzuki goes to the front.

On the track, it is impossible to predict who will win this race as the overtaking continues in the leading group, the leader changing almost every time they brake. Only 5 laps have passed, 15 remain, and what a spectacle! The long straight gives the drivers the benefit of the aspiration, and the braking at San Donato is still impressive.

Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) made extraordinary overtakes in order to regularly take the lead in the race.

We are halfway through the race, the drivers are already jostling in curves to grab positions. The leading group is at a very high pace and has relegated the pursuers to more than 10 seconds. Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) seems to be taking the lead, despite a lead of 0.158s over his pursuer, gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2), and Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37). Even if the Italian driver remains in the lead at the first braking, the ranking already changes from the first braking. Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24) and Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) take the places on the provisional podium.

By remaining in the top10, Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) would at least have a lead of more than 50 points in the World Championship… But we will have to wait until the checkered flag passes to know exactly what this lead will be!

At the end of the 12th round, Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24) crosses the line in the lead, but gets his politeness grilled by Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) and found himself 7th at the end of the first turn. What a fight! Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) sticks to the Italian rider's coattails, places on the podium will be very expensive this Sunday.

The pilots we most often see at the front are still Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) and Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37), closely followed by gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) and Tatsuki suzuki (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #24), the latter being more and more aggressive on the track. Is the winner among these 4 drivers? Nothing is less certain as the young guns in the category have the knife between their teeth.

With 6 laps to go, they are 8 abreast at San Donato braking, and it goes! John mcphee (Honda, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #17) takes the lead in front Romano Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) and Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71), the Tech3 rider often being well placed when braking.

There are 5 laps left before the finish, and the new leader is Darryn binder (KTM, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #40), in front gabriel rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) and Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71), and for once, the top3 does not change in San Donato, even if the show is superb!

Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) does not benefit more than that from the aspiration in the straight line but chooses the shortest path: the straight line, unlike the other drivers who make a lot of small deviations. And it works, because he leads the race, 3 laps from the finish, before being overtaken in Arrabiata by Darryn binder (KTM, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #40) then Romano Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55).

With 2 laps to go, Darryn binder (KTM, Petronas Sprinta Racing, #40) takes the lead, in front Romano Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) and Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37). From the first turn, Jaume Masia (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #5) leads temporarily but fenati takes the lead.

It's the last round, and it's difficult to know who will win in less than 2 minutes! Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) leads for the moment, Pedro Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) is 10th. Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) maintains the advantage over Roman Fenati (Husqvarna, Sterilgarda Max Racing Team, #55) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2) in the first turns. The drivers are fighting for 2nd position which allows Foggia to take a slight advantage.

Dennis Foggia (Honda, Leopard Racing, #7) wins with a slight advantage in front Jaume Masià (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #5) and Gabriel Rodrigo (Honda, Team Gresini Moto3, #2), Ayumu Sasaki (KTM, Red Bull KTM Tech3, #71) is fourth. There is less than 1 sec between the top 10!

Peter Acosta (KTM, Red Bull KTM Ajo, #37) finished 7th, Sergio Garcia (GasGas, Aspar Team Moto3, #11) 8th, but were demoted one position for exceeding the track limits on the last lap. Lorenzo Fellon (Honda, SIC58 Squadra Corse, #20) is 19th.

The drivers all have a more than sympathetic word for their competitor but nevertheless a friend Jason dupasquier (KTM, CarXpert PruestlGP, #50).

Standings for the Italian Moto3 Grand Prix at Mugello:

Credit Ranking: motogp.com