Emilia Romagna MotoGP: Race as it happened

Martin goes up the inside of Bagnaia at Turn 8 and holds the lead. Bagnaia couldn't quite get the cutback. 

lap 4/27

Acosta is the fastest rider on track right now. He's just 0.4s behind the top three. Bagnaia holds the lead from Martin and Bastianini.

Martin has a look up the inside of Turn 12 on Bagnaia. That would have been brave!

Martin goes up the inside of Bagnaia at Turn 4 but runs wide. Bagnaia back in the lead. 

lap 3/27

It's tight at the front as the top three are line astern - Bagnaia, Martin, Bastianini. 

Bagnaia gets a bit loose into Turn 14 and Martin almost runs into the back of him. 

Binder came off at Turn 4. He's ok. 

KTM team-mate Jack Miller has made a great start from 19th. He's up to 10th on lap two.

Incident 

Binder has crashed out of fourth.

lap 2/27

A clear first lap for everyone and Bagnaia leads over the line from Martin still, with Bastianini right with the top two.

Bastianini had a bit of a tussle with Binder but gets third back from him, with Binder fourth, Acosta fifth, Marquez sixth. 

race start - lap 1/27

We're away and Martin has jumped Bagnaia into Turn 1. But he runs wide and Bagnaia is back in the lead!

warm-up lap

The grid head off for the warm-up lap.

The start will be crucial this afternoon. Overtaking has proven incredibly difficult for the MotoGP class at Misano over the past two weeks.

Bagnaia said yesterday that he will need to "invent" something if he finds himself stuck behind Martin again. 

Track temp has gone down another degree with five minutes till lights out. 

Confirmation from Michelin that all riders on the medium rear bar Bezzecchi. 

It doesn't look quite as bright over the Misano circuit now as it did a little while ago. Track temp has dropped only by a degree, but that will be something to watch out for especially when it comes to getting the medium front working in the first few laps.

VR46 says Bezzecchi didn't have the same feeling on the medium rear this weekend that the top riders had, which is why he is taking a punt on the soft.

Just 15 minutes until lights out. 

Michelin says the soft is raceable, but feels like the medium is still the best option - it just needs a lap to get up to working range. 

tyre choice

Initial tyre tyre selection has everyone on medium/medium, with Marco Bezzecchi going to the grid on a soft rear. 

Bastianini raced with the soft at the previous Misano race, though it dropped off quite a lot in the closing stages. 

No chances of a repeat of the flag-to-flag drama from the San Marino GP today. 

Conditions are clear, if a bit cool, with an ambient temperature of 22 degrees Celsius and a track temp of 30 degrees C.

After what we saw in practice and then the sprint yesterday, all signs point towards another runaway battle between Bagnaia and Martin today. 

Our analysis after Friday practice from the medium tyre runs threw up a pecking order that looked like this:

1. Bagnaia - 1m31.210s (average pace)
2. Martin - 1m31.306s
3. Marquez - 1m31.583s
4. Bastianini - 1m31.649s
5. Quartararo - 1m31.664s

Pitlane is open and the field heads out to form the grid. 

Today could be a very big day for Ducati. 

Not only could it secure its 100th grand prix win, but it could also win the constructors' championship. 

The simple maths on that is this: if one of its riders finishes at least fourth today, the constructors' crown is Ducati's.