A last-lap move for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix win was a particularly complicated gift horse to look in the mouth of, what with the quality of the preceding 26 laps of MotoGP action.
The race had not been bad but it had not really been good, and it became abundantly clear by the end that over two weekends at Misano - excluding a brief rain intervention - premier-class bikes were struggling a fair bit to race one another.
Leader Jorge Martin felt emboldened by that, backing himself to hold off any advances even by riders with slightly more pace, while challenger Enea Bastainini clearly felt more than a tinge of desperation that was eventually expressed in his Turn 4 divebomb.
Martin had been otherwise "perfect", Bastianini said, and he sounded confident another chance wasn't coming. "A bit on the limit but at the end was the only choice," he insisted.
"Without [taking] this possibility [winning] was impossible for me."
"I think the move, for sure, was a bit too much" @88jorgemartin makes his thoughts clear 🎙️#EmiliaRomagnaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/Qtl68MTnfe
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 22, 2024
There's little argument that Bastianini wasn't a valid winner - even though Martin repeatedly claimed post-race that he'd been "strongest", it was evident that Bastianini had little trouble matching his pace late on and was being held back.
But as far as Martin's post-race comments go, that particular claim is the only one that really raises any objections.
What Martin and Bastianini said
"I'm not happy about the manoeuvre," he lamented to British broadcaster TNT sports, describing Bastianini's divebomb as "too on the limit" and saying they were "lucky" to avoid a shunt.
He reiterated this to MotoGP.com, but added that it would've made "no sense" to confront or hit out at Bastianini - "because [then] it's worse, maybe next time he his me stronger!
"I need to be clever, he's not fighting me for the championship, so [for him] it's all or nothing."
Martin also expressed contrition over hit outbursts on the bike after the move, including the 'up yours' gesture with his arm when crossing the start-finish line. "Maybe I was too hot in the moment, I am sorry about that."
Bastianini, for his part, acknowledged he was "a bit on the limit" but felt the space had been sufficient for the move to be valid.
"I was a bit on the limit with the front but in the end I closed the corner" @Bestia23 talks through the last lap move 🎙️#EmiliaRomagnaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/k0dbK4t2fx
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) September 22, 2024
No good answer
It will have been a big decision to strip Bastianini of a home soil win post-race, after a grand prix that was largely light on spectacular wheel-to-wheel action, in a MotoGP era in which said wheel-to-wheel action is becoming more and more complicated.
A popular home winner would've been denied. A win would've changed hands post-race, which you never really want. And - though this is not to suggest the Freddie Spencer-led FIM stewards panel took that into account - the title fight would've spread further apart.
All of those are reasons it would've been a painful decision. None of them are reasons not to do it.
Martin had no chance of recourse for Bastianini's move because he was run out of track. Had he put up more of a fight before that, as Honda rider Luca Marini rightly observed, he would've been down on the ground - and Bastainini would've likely received a penalty.
There is also the matter of Bastianini going outside of the track himself on corner exit, although MotoGP pitlane reporter - and future chief steward, as of 2025 - Simon Crafar rightly pointed out this was likely related to Bastianini trying to check that Martin hadn't crashed rather than being out of control himself.
But should that matter for the decision? Is going off track unacceptable in any circumstance in completing a move - or does it even matter given Bastianini had not left Martin reasonable racing room in coming from behind?
The incident was never officially put under investigation, so we're unlikely to hear any further of the reasoning of why it was deemed acceptable.
Truthfully, no reason would be sufficient for Martin, and it is easy to sympathise with him, given he was effectively punished for the crime of being ahead on the final lap.
A post-race penalty that changes the winner would've been brutal. But now that it hasn't come, let's hope this five-point swing does not decide the title fight.
