Going into the race, we were treated to another Ducati first. Nicky Hayden out qualified Casey Stoner for the first time as his teammate, but Casey's race pace was a clear sign that the qualifying positions really wouldn't matter once the flag dropped. That didn't materialize because Stoner had clutch problems on the start and entered turn one in last place. The fact that he finished fifth was easily the most impressive run through the pack we have seen in years. Casey was a bit of a douche about the matter, publicly throwing his team under the bus about the technical problems. This attitude towards the usually tight knit Ducati teams only served to heat up the rumors that Casey is headed to Honda at the end of the season. Clearly Stoner has not warmed up to the new bike. Maybe it's too rigid in in current incarnation. Rumors are also swirling about the paddock that Ducati has already signed Hayden to a ride in 2011. The fact that they have signed one rider and not the other also gave weight to the rumor that Ducati has made a run on Rossi for next year. Rumor also says that Rossi has been watching Hayden's progress on the Desmo and had given it his seal of approval. This type of conjecture is normal in any racing series, but it's a little early for this kind of thing in MotoGP.
For the second time this season, Hayden beat Stoner to the checkered flag, but the fourth place position was little consolation for Hayden for several reasons. Hayden was beaten to the podium by a satellite rider (Spies) on the last lap and barely beat Stoner who had to pass nearly everyone on the track. The big news was that Spies passed Hayden on the track and took third away from him. Are we seeing the start of an American rivalry? I hope so, moreso because I never put Spies on the podium this year before Hayden, but that's where we are.
Lorenzo was in a different world and made everyone else loo a little silly in the process. Very impressive. Yamaha parked Ross's bike and did not produce a replacement rider. This is probably a nod to the fact that the Rossi faithful would crucify anyone who dared rider the masters bike or they just couldn't find anyone willing to do it.
Colin Edwards must be feeling a little lost as the nominal lead rider was outshone by a rookie. One factor that hasn't seen much airtime is the fact that only two riders (Stoner/Edwards) had ever ridden there before, so that meant Spies was not at a big disadvantage here and he made the best of it.
Current Standings after 5 races:
| Position | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | 115 |
| 2 | Andrea Dovizioso | Honda | 78 |
| 3 | Dani Pedrosa | Honda | 73 |
| 4 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 61 |
| 5 | Nicky Hayden | Ducati | 52 |
| 6 | Randy De Puniet | Honda | 46 |
| 7 | Ben Spies | Yamaha | 36 |
| 8 | Casey Stoner | Ducati | 35 |
| 9 | Marco Melandri | Honda | 32 |
| 10 | Marco Simoncelli | Honda | 32 |
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