It's been an incredible weekend for F1 fans and MotoGP too ensured that the action was any less nail biting. The 2018 MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix saw some unexpected results and taking a surprise win turned out to be Cal Crutchlow of LCR Honda satellite team in a last minute battle with Johann Zarco of Tech 3 Yamaha. The Argentina GP saw Suzuki Ecstar rider Alex Rins finish third, while denying Pramac Ducati's Jack Miller the podium after starting on pole. The Argentina GP was unpredictable right from the start with a bizarre delay, while the final stages saw a collision between Marquez and Rossi.
undefinedHe's happy with that one @calcrutchlow #ArgentinaGP pic.twitter.com/J0CsbUuPjH
— MotoGP (@MotoGP) April 8, 2018
Fans also had a deja vu with Honda's Marc Marquez clipped Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi with four laps to go, which pushed him at the back of the pack. Marquez did head to the Yamaha pits post race to apologise, only to be sent back.
(Marquez collided with Rossi, and was handed a 30 second penalty dropping him 18th)
The last laps of the race though turned out to be the most exciting with back-to-back changes in positions. Johann Zarco passed Cal Crutchlow to take the lead with four laps to go and the riders swapped positions for the remainder of the race. The LCR Honda rider however, regained the lead on the penultimate lap with Zarco coming in hot and managed to take his career's third win, while denying Zarco his first ever.
It did seem Jack Miller would be able to secure his first ever win with the Argentina GP. The Pramac Ducati rider gambled on slicks during the rain-hit qualifying and took the pole. Following him were Dani Pedrosa of Honda, Tito Rabat of Avintia Racing, Alex Rins and Marc Marquez.
However, the race start was delayed due to safety concerns over a wet track. Most riders decided to switch to wet tyres, but Miller held on to slicks having proved his mettle in the wet during qualifying. Miller's Ducati was soon left as the only bike on the grid.
(Jack Miller stayed on the grid even as other riders went back to pits to swap for wet tyres)
After an impromptu meeting with the top bosses and the organisers at Dorna, it was decided that Miller will be starting in the front row, while the other riders will pushed further back. In what seemed forever, the start was delayed again after Marquez stalled and bump started the RC on a full formed grid.
undefinedThere we have it! A moment for @jackmilleraus and @calcrutchlow leads the #ArgentinaGP
— MotoGP (@MotoGP) April 8, 2018
But here comes @JohannZarco1 pic.twitter.com/5gplJ8e5sP
Nevertheless, the Argentina GP started with Miller in the lead but was quickly denied of his lead by a charging Marquez. The reigning world champion was leading the pack by a gap of 2 seconds when he was assessed for a ride-through which dropped him all the way back to 19th.
The move though promoted Miller back in the lead making for a four-rider pack in the top spots followed by Rins, Zarco and Crutchlow. The top four riders soon broke away from the rest of the riders while Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso followed suit in a distant fifth. Soon after, the quartret continued changing positions with Alex Rins also leading the race briefly.
(Alex Rins of Suzuki secured his first podium finish, a big push for the factory team)
Rins ran wide on Lap 16 only to give the top spot to Miller again and drop down to fourth. The Australian soon made a mistake on Turn 13, two laps later and was pushed down to fourth behind Rins, handing over the lead to Crutchlow followed by Zarco.
undefinedUnbelievable scenes at the #ArgentinaGP as @marcmarquez93 heads to @ValeYellow46's box to apologise #TermasClash pic.twitter.com/5ZT4CwSd9t
— MotoGP (@MotoGP) April 8, 2018
Marquez passed Maverick Vinales to finish fifth at the chequered flag but was handed a 30-second penalty for his collision with Rossi. Vinales was promoted to P4, followed by Dovizioso, Rabat, Andra Iannone of Suzuki. Tech 3 Yamaha rookie Hafizh Syahrin secured his best finish in the ninth place, while Danilo Petrucci of Pramac Racing finished 10th.
The last set of points were picked up by KTM's Pol Espargaro, Scott Redding of Aprilia, Takaaki Nakagami of LCR Honda, Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli and Ducati's Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi finished 19th post the collision behind Marquez, and ahead of Karel Abraham and Xavier Simeon. Among retirements were Bradley Smit, Aleix Espargaro, and Dani Pedrosa, with the latter retiring with a crash after making contact with Zarco in the opening lap.
Crutchlow now leads the 2018 championship with 38 points, ahead of Dovizioso with 35 points, while Zarco sits in third place with a deficit of 10 points.
