Martin, who started on the second row in sixth place, held off a late charge by pole-sitter Luca Marini, with Marini’s VR46 Racing teammate Marco Bezzecchi coming in third.

The Spaniard turned on the aggression as soon as he shot off the mark, moving into fourth place before barrelling past Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) into first place.

VR46 Racing also had cause to celebrate, with their two riders putting in heroic performances to claim podium finishes despite having both suffered collarbone injuries in recent weeks.

World champion Bagnaia, who started in 13th after failing to qualify from Q1, finished in eighth place behind teammate Enea Bastianini.

There was some consolation for Ducati, however, as they retained the constructor’s championship today.

Honda’s six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, who confirmed earlier this week that he will be joining Gresini Racing for the 2024 season, crashed out in the first lap.