Acosta Takes Moto3 World Title After Foggia Taken Down By Binder

Grid Talk Reporter 12:17 07/11/2021

Rookie Pedro Acosta is the 2021 Moto3 world champion after winning a dramatic Algarve Grand Prix, in which main title rival Dennis Foggia was wiped out on the last lap.

Poleman Sergio Garcia grabbed the holeshot off the line as Foggia dropped a place to fifth, while championship leader Acosta made up two spots from 14th. Foggia stormed into the lead at the start of the second lap, outdragging the four riders ahead of him, with Acosta picking his way through a handful of bikes to move up to seventh by the Turn 5 hairpin. Leopard rider Foggia attempted to break away on lap three, putting six tenths between himself and Petronas Sprinta's Darryn Binder, but was soon reeled in again. Acosta continued his charge towards the front, moving to the fringes of the podium by lap four and wrestled third from Foggia's teammate Xavi Artigas through Turns 3, 4 and 5 on the sixth tour.

On lap nine Acosta took second away from Binder, but was demoted by KTM Ajo teammate Jaume Masia into Turn 1 four tours later. Masia then mugged Foggia at Turn 3 for the lead, nudging the Leopard rider out wide and allowing Acosta to come through into second. Acosta then moved into the lead at Turn 5 - though Masia would ease past again across the line at the start of lap 14. On the run into Turn 5 Aspar's Garcia sneaked into second, while Acosta bizarrely looked behind him, which allowed Foggia to come back through into third. Acosta was then swallowed into sixth and right in the danger zone as the lead group really bunched up.

Foggia returned to the head of the pack at the start of lap 15 and held firm for the next four tours before Acosta came through at Turn 3 on lap 19 - only for the Leopard rider to find his way back into the head of the pack with a daring raid on the inside of Turn 11 on lap 20. Acosta launched his final attack on the lead at Turn 3 on the last lap having retaliated on Garcia taking second from him at Turn 1, and pulled off the move on Foggia. But drama struck the Leopard rider as Binder charged into Turn 3 too hot trying to overtake Garcia and wiped both riders out, ending Foggia's title hopes.

Acosta took the chequered flag for his sixth win of the season and secure the 2021 Moto3 world title. Andrea Migno shadowed him on the Snipers Honda, with Avintia KTM's Niccolo Antonelli rounding out the top three ahead of Binder and Gresini's Jeremy Alcoba. Izan Guevara recovered to sixth having had to serve a long lap penalty on his Aspar GasGas, with Tech3's Ayumu Sasaki taking seventh having done the same.

Romano Fenati was eighth on the Max Racing Husqvarna, with Artigas and SIC58 Honda's Tatsuki Suzuki completed the top 10 on the road. But Binder was subsequently disqualified from the result for his last-lap collision, moving those behind him up a spot and promoting Prustel GP's Filip Salac into 10th. A late crash for the sister Ajo KTM of Masia left him 18th at the chequered flag.