BARCELONA - Fabio Di Giannantonio won a chaotic Catalan Grand Prix on Sunday, a race twice red-flagged due to serious crashes that sent Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco to the hospital.
The VR46 Racing rider secured just his second MotoGP victory, but the triumph was overshadowed by the incidents. Honda's Joan Mir finished second, ahead of Gresini Racing's Fermin Aldeguer. Pole sitter Pedro Acosta crashed on the final lap after contact from Trackhouse's Ai Ogura, who received a three-second penalty.
"Today has not been an easy day for everybody. I really hope that Alex is fine," Di Giannantonio said.
The first red flag came on lap 12 when leader Acosta's KTM lost power on the straight. Alex Marquez, running second, crashed into the back of him, sending both riders off track. Marquez's bike wheel also struck Di Giannantonio, who went down but managed to return to the pits.
The second red flag occurred on the restart when Zarco braked late and took out Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Honda's Luca Marini. Both Marquez and Zarco were taken to hospital for examination but were conscious.
The second restart transformed the original 24-lap race into a 12-lap sprint. Martin crashed after a collision with Raul Fernandez, prompting an angry reaction from Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola.
Di Giannantonio passed Mir with four laps to go, then hunted down Acosta and took the lead with two laps remaining. Acosta's hopes ended when he crashed on the final lap.