Bagnaia wins Malaysia MotoGP to force final round title battle with Martin

The Italian won the penultimate MotoGP in Sepang to force a final round showdown for the championship with Jorge Martin on November 17.

Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia kept his MotoGP title defence alive with a victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, cutting Jorge Martin’s lead in the driver’s standings down to 24 points before the season’s final race.

Pramac Racing’s Martin’s second-placed finish in Sepang moved him up to 485 points in the overall standings, while Bagnaia is second on 461. Bagnaia’s teammate Enea Bastianini finished third in Sunday’s race, over seven seconds behind Martin.

After a chaotic start, the race at the Sepang International Circuit was restarted for 19 laps under dark clouds and in sweltering conditions.

Polesitter Bagnaia had a clean start off the line and kept the lead heading into the first turn.

In a thrilling first three laps, Bagnaia and Martin threw caution to the wind and went toe-to-toe on every turn as the lead continuously swapped hands between the two title rivals.

Bagnaia, who had pledged on Saturday to go all out in the race, was able to finally put some space between him and Martin in the fourth lap, an advantage he would not relinquish.

The win also helped Bagnaia limit some of the damage from his crash in the sprint on Saturday.

“Managing the heat was the easiest part today, honestly,” said Bagnaia, whose victory was his 10th of the season.

“Jorge was very aggressive. But our pace was too good and like always in the race on Sunday I can attack, I can be more aggressive.

“We just need to understand why on Saturday I’m struggling more to do the same.”

Martin will have destiny in his own hands at the November 15-17 final round, which will be held in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona after the Valencia Grand Prix was cancelled due to catastrophic flooding in the region last week.

Earlier on Sunday, the race was red-flagged after Red Bull KTM’s Jack Miller went down on turn two of the opening laps and crashed into Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and teammate Brad Binder.

Australian Miller received medical attention on the track and was conscious when taken to the medical centre for an examination.

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia leads ahead of Prima Pramac Racing’s Spanish rider Jorge Martin (L) during the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang on November 3, 2024 [Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP]