Метка: Malaysian GP

How costly have sprint mistakes been in Bagnaia’s MotoGP title bid


Francesco Bagnaia’s hopes of retaining the MotoGP title are hanging by a thread. The factory Ducati rider is facing a 24-point deficit to Pramac rival Jorge Martin heading into the final round of the season in Barcelona next week.

Although the odds have been against Bagnaia for some time, it was his crash from second place in the Malaysian Grand Prix sprint that has effectively sealed the deal in Martin’s favour.

From the early part of the year, Bagnaia had identified sprint races as being the main weakness in his title bid. After the first six rounds, he had accumulated just 14 points on Saturdays while his chief rival Martin had tallied up 56. By this stage, Bagnaia had actually outscored Martin by three points in Sunday races, but was left with a mammoth 39-point gap to overcome in the overall table.

To be fair to Bagnaia, he has upped his performance in half-distance races in the ensuing period. Since the Italian Grand Prix back in June, Bagnaia has picked up six sprint wins in 13 attempts, compared to four for Martin. Over the course of the full year, Martin is still ahead in the reckoning with seven wins to six thanks to his early-season form but clearly, the defending champion has shown that he can be rapid in the new format.

However, while Bagnaia knows how to score big on any given day, he has also hemorrhaged big points to the championship leader over the course of the season.

As early as the second round in Portugal, the two-time champion gave away a sprint win by outbraking himself at Turn 1 while leading the race. He later revealed that a mistake in miscalculating the impact of decreasing fuel load on braking led to him running off track.

A DNF in the Le Mans sprint was partly down to him, as the crash in qualifying left his primary bike with too much damage. The back-up GP24 that he ended up racing was described by him as “dangerous”, forcing him to pull into the pits after just three laps.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team crash

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Then there was the biggest error of all in Barcelona, where he crashed on the final lap while circulating a second clear of his nearest rival.

Even with that patchy run in the first part of the season, Bagnaia had managed to pull himself to the top of the championship, incidentally after Martin dumped his bike while leading the German Grand Prix.

But when the championship resumed at Silverstone in early August after the summer break, Bagnaia failed to capitalise on the situation, hitting the deck in the sprint while having a podium in the bag.

That weekend clearly showed the 27-year-old’s tendency to make errors at the worst time possible. The 10-point lead he had inherited after Sachsenring was turned into a three-point deficit and the focus suddenly shifted to Martin’s mental strength in overturning a psychological and sporting disadvantage.

In that context, it is easy to explain why Bagnaia fumbled under pressure in Malaysia at Turn 9 — admittedly at one of the trickiest corners on the track, a complex uphill left-hander that comes at the end of a fairly long straight.

The retirement from Sepang marked his fourth non-score in a sprint event this year (compared to two for Martin). That goes to show why he has lost a whopping 48 points to his title rival on Saturdays alone.

Points scored by Martin and Bagnaia in sprints:

Race

Martin

Bagnaia

Losail

12

6

Portimao

7

6

Austin

7

2

Jerez

12

0

Le Mans

12

0

Barcelona

6

0

Mugello

0

12

Assen

9

12

Sachsenring

12

7

Silverstone

9

0

Spielberg

9

12

Aragon

9

1

Misano 1

12

9

Misano 2

9

12

Mandalika

0

12

Motegi

6

12

Phillip Island

12

6

Buriram

9

7

Sepang

12

0

Total

164

116

Of course, Bagnaia then responded with a bang on Sunday, outduelling Martin in the early stages of the grand prix before sprinting clear to win by 3.1s.

It was his 10th win of the year from 19 grands prix, which already puts his 2024 campaign as one of the best by any rider in the history of the premier class.

With that success, he is now tied with ex-Ducati and Honda star Casey Stoner in the list of riders with most wins in a season, albeit with a lower success ratio due to there being more races on the calendar now.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Another triumph in the Barcelona finale would mean he would have scored as many victories as Valentino Rossi did in 2001, ‘02 and ‘05, but again with the same caveat as before with Stoner.

In fact, 11 victories was the maximum motorcycling legend Giacomo Agostini achieved in his career in a single season — in 1972, back when there were just 13 races in the 500cc class.

Points scored by Martin and Bagnaia in grands prix

Race

Martin

Bagnaia

Losail

16

25

Portimao

25

0

Austin

13

11

Jerez

0

25

Le Mans

25

16

Barcelona

20

25

Mugello

16

25

Assen

20

25

Sachsenring

0

25

Silverstone

20

16

Spielberg

20

25

Aragon

20

0

Misano 1

1

20

Misano 2

20

0

Mandalika

25

16

Motegi

20

25

Phillip Island

20

16

Buriram

20

25

Sepang

20

25

Total

321

345

With those numbers, it would be easy to conclude that Bagnaia would have been champion if MotoGP had not overhauled its weekend format and added sprint races to the schedule. After all, if you take sprints out of the equation, it would be Bagnaia leading the championship by 24 points heading to Barelona and not Martin.

But that only explains part of the picture. Bagnaia is known to build his speed over the course of a weekend. He starts off slowly on Friday and gradually picks up the pace, making steady gains in both single-lap performance and long run speed.

A crucial part of that trajectory is the sprint, which gives him the opportunity to hone his speed in real-life racing conditions. It’s one of the reasons why he is able to win races on Sundays after being outperformed by Martin in the sprints.

Of course, it’s important to note that some of his dismal sprint results in sprints haven’t entirely been of his own making. At Jerez, for example, he was blameless when he scored a duck after being sandwiched by Brad Binder and Marco Bezzecchi. He also strongly hinted at a faulty Michelin tyre for his troubled run to ninth place in the Aragon sprint, a race in which Martin finished on the podium.

But those misses pale in comparison to the unforced errors committed by Bagnaia and it’s a key reason why he may have to surrender the crown to Martin in a little over a week’s time.



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Why would we need to be enemies off the track?


Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin feel there is no reason why they should be “enemies outside the track” as they fight for the 2024 MotoGP title.

For a second season in a row, Bagnaia and Martin have been in a class of their own in MotoGP, with their championship battle set to culminate in next week’s Barcelona finale.

Their rivalry has taken place against the backdrop of Pramac rider Martin being snubbed for a promotion to the factory Ducati team next year, with six-time champion Marc Marquez instead being chosen for the coveted seat alongside Bagnaia.

While the changes instigated by Ducati made Martin lose faith in the Borgo Panigale marque and forge a new career path with Aprilia from 2025, he hasn’t allowed that decision to have any impact on his relationship with Bagnaia.

The Italian, too, has returned the favour, with both repeatedly emphasising the respect they have for each other as rivals.

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Speaking again about the matter after engaging in an epic early battle for victory in the Malaysian GP, Bagnaia reiterated his intention to maintain a cordial relationship with his championship rival.

“For me it is very easy [to maintain harmony with Martin] because I’m not the type of guy that wants to be rude outside of the track and then need to be rude inside of the track or to be aggressive — pushing out and being the one that doesn’t respect rivals,” he said.

“I have never been like this and I will never be like this. If in case Jorge will start to do it, I will change, but Jorge is more or less the same as me. 

“Surely, respect is the main thing and will always be like this from my point of view. So I don’t understand why we need to be enemies outside of the track, not speak to each other and be rude. I prefer [it] like this.”

 Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Dorna

Both Martin and Bagnaia raced for Aspar Mahindra in Moto3 back in 2015 and have been a part of the grand prix paddock ever since.

That helped establish a solid foundation to their relationship, with the intensity of a title fight not enough to put a dent in the respect they have for each other on and off the track.

“We [have] known each other since 2015. We were really close friends in the past,” Martin said. “Now we no longer have that relationship but we are good to each other. 

“As he said, it’s no sense to [be enemies]. We can fight, you saw on Sunday, it’s an amazing battle for history. 

“Maybe not the last laps, but it was amazing [overall] and then we can speak about it. I think we both enjoyed it. 

“And as he said, if it’s like this in the future, for me it will be perfect, and I hope it will be like this always.”



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Bastianini left “angry” after distant Malaysian GP podium


Enea Bastianini pronounced himself “angry” after being unable to compete with factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin for victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Italian inherited third place after Marc Marquez fell off his 2023-spec Gresini Ducati but finished over 10 seconds down on winner Bagnaia.

Although Marquez’s fall allowed Bastianini to close to within a single point of the Spaniard heading to the MotoGP season finale in Barcelona, the British and Emilia Romagna GP winner was disappointed that he couldn’t show such form at Sepang.

Asked if he was satisfied with the podiums he had picked up in both the Saturday sprint and the main race on Sunday, Bastianini said: “No, I’m not very satisfied. Because I’ve been fighting with the bike a lot all weekend.

“We started [well] but then we lost something. I was confident we could resolve the problem this morning but nothing changed. 

“I was lucky in the [grand prix] today because Marc crashed. But otherwise nothing is positive.

“I was slow in the middle of the corners and had no speed on the entry. Today it was impossible for me to give 100% and I’m angry.”

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Barcelona will represent a chance for Bastianini to atone for a difficult Catalan GP in May, when he qualified 11th and was classified 18th in the race after earning a 32-second penalty for ignoring ride-through sanctions.

The season-closing race has been moved from its traditional Valencia venue due to flooding in that region, which Bastianini says will be an advantage for Marquez, who hails from Cervera, outside Barcelona.  

“For Marc, it’s an advantage to go to Barcelona, it’s his town,” said Bastianini. “We have to give 100% and I have to be much stronger compared to the Barcelona race at the start of the season because I was fast but got two or three long-lap penalties!”

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez, however, does not see Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as advantageous in terms of riding, listing his home track alongside Sepang as one of the two tracks with which he struggles the most.

Bastianini added that he considered simply moving the Valencia race elsewhere in Spain ethically problematic given the level of the catastrophe in the original host city. 

“For me, it wasn’t correct to race in Spain,” he said. “But that’s how it is, that’s [MotoGP promoter] Dorna’s choice.” 

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Should MotoGP reconsider its emphasis on sprint races?


«When you win 10 grands prix and you are still 24 points behind, something is wrong.»

Complaints about a format by a competitor who has failed to master that format must always be read with due caution. They are to be expected. But Francesco Bagnaia may just have a point when it comes to the influence of sprint races on the 2024 MotoGP title battle.

To recap the situation heading into the final round, Bagnaia comes into the Barcelona weekend as a long shot despite having won 10 grands prix to the three triumphs of points leader Jorge Martin. The Spaniard’s advantage can be traced to his seven wins in MotoGP’s sprint races as well as numerous falls for Bagnaia on Saturdays.

To be clear, Bagnaia is making no excuses for his sprint travails. He is honest about those to the point where you have to take his «something is wrong» statement as a little more than sour grapes.

«Jorge was just better on Saturdays this season and we have to say he did a really good job there,» said Bagnaia following his latest Saturday fall in Malaysia. He is also happy to tip his hat to Martin’s ability to find pace with limited or zero preparation time.

«Yesterday Jorge just went straight on track and did a 1m56.996s, just like that,» said Bagnaia with a snap of the fingers as he reflected on Martin’s record-breaking first run in Q2 at Sepang. «The speed with which he can adapt [to set a quick time] is something unbelievable.»

Bagnaia celebrated his 10th Grand Prix victory of the year in Malaysia on Sunday, but it followed another sprint disappointment that edged Martin closer to the crown

Bagnaia celebrated his 10th Grand Prix victory of the year in Malaysia on Sunday, but it followed another sprint disappointment that edged Martin closer to the crown

Photo by: Dorna

Given that the sprints come earlier in the weekend, when Bagnaia is usually still fine-tuning his package, this phenomenon has been an important factor in Martin’s Saturday points hauls. For one so realistic about the balance of power in the sprints, Bagnaia could arguably have avoided his current situation simply by taking a damage-limitation approach on Saturdays.

With the benefit of hindsight, he would certainly have settled for a few seconds and thirds instead of falling off. But his biggest losses came early in the season, when the picture – including his edge on Sundays – wasn’t quite so clear.

But with all of that said, for 73 of MotoGP’s 75 years, worrying about how to handle sprints was not a skill Bagnaia would have had to master. Winning grands prix – and the occasional TT in the Netherlands or the Isle of Man – was always what earned you world titles. That is a fundamental part of the heritage MotoGP celebrated with such pride at Silverstone this year. There is an argument that the sprints have been a slap in the face to that heritage since they arrived in 2023.

Should Bagnaia win in Barcelona, he’ll have won 55% of this year’s Sunday races, still a shade behind the lowest percentage in the 10+ club

Just to put Bagnaia’s 10 grand prix wins in perspective, the other riders to have won 10 in a season in the top class – some of them multiple times – are Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez. All of them went on to win the world championship in the seasons in question.

Before we erupt in outrage on Bagnaia’s behalf, though, note that in percentage terms Bagnaia hasn’t quite reached the level of his predecessors. Even disregarding sprints, there are more grands prix per season now than for any of those riders. In 1968, in fact, there were only 10 races and Agostini had a 100% record.

Should Bagnaia win in Barcelona, he’ll have won 55% of this year’s Sunday races, still a shade behind the lowest percentage in the 10+ club. That was Stoner’s 2007 effort, when he won 10 of 18 races at 55.56%.

Let’s factor in the sprints, just for fun. Despite all the focus on the points he has thrown away in that department, Bagnaia has still won six of them. That’s only one fewer than Martin, which does rather call into question the popular notion that the Spaniard is indisputably the fastest man on Saturdays.

Mistakes at costly times in sprints have hurt Bagnaia's title prospects

Mistakes at costly times in sprints have hurt Bagnaia’s title prospects

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

It gives Bagnaia a total of 16 wins for the season, out of a possible 38 so far: that’s 42.1%. The Italian’s defenders will happily note that Martin’s seven sprints and three grands prix add up to an overall winning percentage of 26.32%.

You can play with these statistics all the way to Christmas, speculating about what might have been when we take other finishes and retirements into account. I’m going to stop now. The system is what it is, and while Bagnaia has done more winning by any measure, he has simply given away too many points – mostly on Saturdays.

The question is whether those Saturday mistakes have been accorded too much worth. Or, if you prefer, whether grand prix Sundays should be worth more – as per MotoGP heritage.

Well, firstly, it’s in the name. If you know any French at all, you’ll know that the grand prix of any country (or region or city) is supposed to be the big prize. It came with the definite article: le grand prix. There was only one. Semantics aside, a longer race brings tyre management into play – a skill many might feel a champion should have in their portfolio. Flat-out sprints don’t test that.

So let’s say something is indeed «wrong» with the system. What to do with the Saturday sprints?

Introduced to MotoGP two years after they appeared in Formula 1 in 2021, the extreme position would be to dismiss them entirely as an unnecessary attempt to copy what the four-wheelers were doing.

Statisticians and many media might be thankful for that, as sprints have given rise to all sorts of complications around records, statistics and choice of wording. Does ‘race’ mean grands prix only, for example? Does ‘Malaysian Grand Prix’ refer to the entire weekend or only the Sunday race? More importantly, could these questions confuse and alienate fans who have better things to do than dig around for definitions?

Another thing that might need a little audience research: could some fans walk away after being asked to invest Saturdays and Sundays in following the racing – and on an ever-growing number of weekends? Is there such a thing as too much? Most regular folk have lives outside of motorsport, a fact that decision-makers living in all-consuming paddocks might want to consider.

Most recent Grand Prix win came for Martin, who has proven to be a specialist in the shorter races to top up his tally

Most recent Grand Prix win came for Martin, who has proven to be a specialist in the shorter races to top up his tally

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

On the other hand, Saturday sprints can only be an attraction for those weighing up weekend passes to attend races. You have to assume that they help sell such tickets, which is certainly an argument against scrapping them entirely.

A more realistic approach could be to go all-in on copying F1. MotoGP has differentiated itself by running sprints at every single round while F1 stages them only at selected events. In the first two years of F1 sprints, there were only three ‘sprint weekends’. That has grown to six in 2023 and 2024 – exactly a quarter of the race weekends in this year’s case.

Under this model, sprints are seen as a special bonus that doesn’t detract from the main narrative. They can always be rotated between venues, or alternatively reserved for historic, blue-riband circuits like Jerez, Silverstone or Assen.

There’s a danger that pragmatic engineers would opt to treat non-points sprints as additional practice sessions

Another way to reduce the sprints’ impact on the championship would be to revisit the points system. Again, MotoGP could follow F1’s lead here. Under the current F1 weighting, a sprint win gets you eight points. That’s less than a third of the 25 points a grand prix victory earns.

MotoGP also offers grand prix winners 25, but every time somebody wins a sprint, they walk away with almost half that. Should a sprint win really be worth 12 points?

Another option could be to run the sprints but exclude them from the championship entirely. That way, you could still sell tickets for Saturdays and offer ‘content’ for hardcore fans who can’t get enough while sending the rest a clear message that these races are a non-essential bonus. An exhibition, if you like.

A short race in which there is nothing to lose seems like a fun solution on paper. And if they get a cracking show, it’s hard to imagine those ticket-holders complaining that it didn’t count for a championship.

Options exist to change up the sprint format, but it is a popular draw for fans looking to buy weekend passes

Options exist to change up the sprint format, but it is a popular draw for fans looking to buy weekend passes

Photo by: Marc Fleury

But would teams get into the spirit of it, with no points at stake? There’s a danger that pragmatic engineers would opt to treat non-points sprints as additional practice sessions. It’s probably best to proceed with this idea only after extensive consultation with the competitors.

Another variant would be to add something like a ‘Sprint Cup’ to MotoGP’s extensive array of championships. That way, there would still be something bigger to fight for. It would be something a manufacturer’s marketing department could fix their attention on if it doesn’t quite work out at world championship grand prix level. That may have its commercial appeal.

After two years of the sprint format experiment, there is no shame in revisiting it. Bagnaia is unlikely to be the only person who thinks something is a little out of balance under the current model. And, as we’ve seen, there are alternatives.

Let’s remember that Bagnaia is among the smartest and most analytical personalities on the grid. He is also a true, fair sportsman who will graciously offer his hand in defeat, no matter what the format. He may have a particular bias when he says something is «wrong», but his words are carefully considered and are not spoken in the heat of a moment. Perhaps MotoGP’s powers-that-be ought to pay them due attention.

Will Bagnaia's sprint protestations fall on deaf ears?

Will Bagnaia’s sprint protestations fall on deaf ears?

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images



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Quartararo explains why he’s Yamaha’s traction control now


2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo has said Yamaha’s latest step in performance is down to an electronics tweak that allows the riders to have more input on the throttle.

Last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix saw Quartararo and team-mate Alex Rins both qualify inside the top 10 for the first time in a difficult 2024 campaign. Quartararo finished sixth in the race on Sunday, concluding a series of flyaway races that was positive apart from the marque’s home race in Japan.

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Both Quartararo and Rins highlighted the progress made on the electronics side.

“I am much more the traction control now,” joked Quartararo after qualifying on Saturday. “We have made some big changes on the electronics.”  

Asked if it was like riding an old 500cc grand prix bike, the Frenchman said: “Not exactly, but basically it’s a little bit like that.

“I have to control [it] much more and it’s much more difficult for me to ride the bike but we have more performance and this is what we are looking for.

“It’s much more difficult to use the throttle and have the best performance but I think we have made a good step in only a few days.”

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Asif Zubairi

Rins added similar sentiments following his best weekend of the season in terms of points, thanks to the eight he picked up for eighth place on Sunday.

“I have the bike a little bit more in my hand, which is so important for me. I got used to riding like this on the Suzuki – to control the spin a bit more, picking up the bike when it’s spinning…so it was quite nice.”

Yamaha, which benefits from concessions designed to help it rediscover the winning performance it has lost over the past two seasons, also brought a new engine to Malaysia.

Quartararo was unable to race with it after his broke in practice, and also had to race the spare bike in the grand prix after being caught in the first-corner incident. Rins, however, was able to use the new motor.

“Regarding the power and the top speed, it’s more or less the same,” said Rins. “But it works a little better for the electronics.”

“[On Saturday] morning we tested the strategy on the electronics that we tested with this engine in Misano. And the good feeling came back again.”

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Asif Zubairi

Quartararo summed up the Asia-Pacific leg of the season as a positive one in terms of progress.

“We can take positives from all the [flyaway] circuits. Japan was one of the weakest, but in Australia the pace was great, also in Mandalika. In Thailand we were fast in the wet and the dry.

“Here we were fast also. So we can be happy about this end to the season and hopefully we can now see the difference to where we were at Barcelona in the summer.”       

He added that he looked forward to the post-season test that has been rescheduled at Barcelona instead of Valencia, considering the room for improvement Yamaha has there.

“Barcelona is a great choice [for the test]. It’s been a really tough track for us in the last two years. The grip is super low and that’s been our weakest point. The test there will be quite nice for us.”



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Miller, Binder, Quartararo escape injury after Malaysian GP crash


Jack Miller, Brad Binder and Fabio Quartararo all emerged from the second-corner incident at Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix without serious injury.

The race was red-flagged following the multi-rider crash, with Miller receiving attention on the circuit after his head appeared to hit the back of Quartararo’s Yamaha as he fell from his factory KTM. Honda’s Joan Mir also ran over the Australian’s leg during the incident.

Miller’s situation caused concern in the paddock, but after being taken to the medical centre he was able to walk back to his garage minutes later, even before the race was restarted.

There was nonetheless no question of Miller riding again on Sunday after such a heavy accident.

Miller’s team-mate Binder did attempt to return to the track despite some pain in his left shoulder, but the South African brought his bike back to the pits after the discomfort proved too much on his way to the grid.

Quartararo escaped the incident with nothing more than a limp, and was able to take the restart, albeit on his second Yamaha. He finished the race in sixth position.

The Frenchman was the only one of the three riders to speak to the media on Sunday.

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing Crash

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing Crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I didn’t even see what happened,” said Quartararo. “It just felt like somebody hit me on the inside. It felt like a lot, and it was Jack’s head.

“I didn’t know how he was but I saw him in the paddock just before the restart so I was really happy that he was fine. Because [the crash] was a really scary one.”

KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti summed up his squad’s short Sunday after the race.

“It was very bad to see but luckily nobody is injured,” said Guidotti. “Everything is fine.

“Jack went to the medical centre to have his foot checked but he is fine. He has no pain anywhere.

“Brad tried to take the second start but the pain in his left shoulder didn’t allow it. It wasn’t safe for him and for the others.

2024 Malaysian GP — Opening lap crash

“If the pain is still there tomorrow, maybe Brad will go to have the shoulder checked.

“We have to be happy that both of them are fine and now look toward the last race.”

While noting that the incident had been triggered by contact between Binder and Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati), the stewards announced after the race that there would be no further action.

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Guidotti agreed with the assessment from race control.

“From the images we have, it’s not really clear what happened,” he said. “It looks like Brad was far to the inside and touched someone [Marquez] in front. He had to pick up the bike and he hit Fabio. Then Fabio hit Jack.

“It was like a domino [effect]. I think it’s just a racing incident.”



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Bagnaia says “anything can happen at Barcelona” despite slim title hopes


Francesco Bagnaia believes the switch of venue from Valencia to Barcelona offers him an extra glimmer of hope in his unlikely bid to overhaul Jorge Martin in the points race at the last round.

Factory Ducati rider Bagnaia closed the gap to Martin to 24 points with a win in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix, keeping the Italian’s hopes alive in the championship battle.

But Martin will be a strong favourite with such an advantage. Outscoring Bagnaia by two points in the Saturday sprint on the final weekend would be enough for the Pramac Ducati man.

However, the venue for the finale is set to be switched from Valencia to Barcelona at short notice following the catastrophic floods in the city that traditionally plays host to the last race.

Bagnaia, who realistically needs a mistake from Martin to have a chance of a third straight title, feels the move to Barcelona opens up exactly that possibility.

“Mathematically [the title] is still possible,” said Bagnaia. “We know it’s quite difficult, but anything can happen in Barcelona.

“I do normally perform better at Barcelona, but it’s a more tricky circuit where [you can be very close to] making mistakes, so you have to be more precise.”

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Bagnaia pointed to his own accident there at the Catalan Grand Prix in June, when he fell at Turn 5 on the final lap.

“I crashed there in the sprint race when I had a one-second lead, even though I was trying to avoid any mistakes.

“It will be tricky; the conditions will be tougher compared to [May] because it will be cold. And two corners there are quite tricky, Turn 2 and Turn 5.

“It will be important to try to be competitive but still calm.”

Failing a major mistake by Martin, Bagnaia is well aware that his only hope will be to take maximum points while other riders push Martin further down the field.

“We still have a chance, but we really need some help from others. [Otherwise] if I win Jorge will finish second because we are at another level.

“So I will try to help everybody during the weekend and lend my slipstream that someone can follow. I just need someone to get between me and Jorge.”

Bagnaia said one rider who wouldn’t be on his side would be local racer Aleix Espargaro, who will get a bonus farewell on home ground before heading into retirement.

“I know Aleix will be strong in Barcelona and will help Jorge all weekend,” Bagnaia said of the Aprilia rider.

Photos from Malaysian GP Race



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Bagnaia clings on to title hopes with 10th win of 2024


Francesco Bagnaia overcame Jorge Martin’s early challenge to win the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, making a light dent in Martin’s championship lead as the Spaniard came home second.

The pair duelled in spectacular fashion after factory Ducati rider Bagnaia converted his pole to a first-corner lead at the restart. However, Martin ultimately had to settle for second place and 20 points aboard his Pramac Ducati.

The result means Bagnaia has cut the gap at the top of the points table to 24, giving him a chance of retaining his world championship crown at the finale — now set to take place in Barcelona — in two weeks.

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Crash

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing, Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Two starts were required to get the race going after an incident in the opening sequence of corners caused a red flag.

Bagnaia had taken the lead from Martin at the first corner when an accident developed behind them, involving the KTMs of Brad Binder and Jack Miller as well as the Yamaha of Fabio Quartararo.

Bagnaia still led when the red flags flew towards the end of the first lap, as Miller still received attention on the circuit.

There was some concern for Miller during the red flag delay, but the Australian was then seen walking away from the medical centre. Though he escaped major injury, he would not take part in the restarted race. Binder joined him on the sidelines for the rest of the day after reporting pain on his shoulder.

Quartararo did however take the restart despite walking with a pronounced limp following the incident.

The ‘second’ race was reduced to 19 laps and got off to a spectacular start as Martin repeatedly attempted to make a move on Bagnaia stick during the first four laps. Thanks to Martin’s scant regard for the idea of following Bagnaia home and banking 20 points, their gripping battle was the longest protracted spell of wheel-to-wheel racing between the championship protagonists this season.

Then Martin’s slight mistake towards the end of lap four allowed Bagnaia a little breathing space to ride normal lines. He responded with fastest lap on lap five, which finally broke Martin’s challenge for victory.

Bagnaia was able to control the rest of the race to win by just over three seconds from Martin, whose choice to go against the grain and run the medium front tyre did not appear to have a meaningful impact on the outcome.

Enea Bastianini finished a lonely and distant third on the second factory Ducati. The Italian initially ran behind Marc Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Franco Morbidelli (Pramac Ducati), but both fell on lap seven.

Alex Marquez, aboard the second Gresini Ducati, ran one spot behind Bastianini throughout the race. He briefly came under threat from Pedro Acosta, who made up several places from 13th on the grid, before the Tech3 KTM’s challenge faded in the final three laps.

Quartararo took an encouraging sixth place for Yamaha, with Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) and Alex Rins (Yamaha) completing the top eight.

Marco Bezzecchi won a tight battle for ninth place, the VR46 Ducati man holding off Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez by just over a tenth of a second at the flag.

Johann Zarco led the Hondas with his 11th place, while Marc Marquez recovered from his fall to finish 12th ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro.

Morbidelli also remounted to score points, picking up two for his 14th place. Last of the scorers was Luca Marini on the factory Honda.

Photos from Malaysian GP Race

MotoGP Malaysian GP — Race results:



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Lap one crash causes red flag



The Malaysian Grand Prix has been red-flagged after a multi-bike incident on the opening lap of the race.

TV images showed KTM rider Jack Miller falling off his bike at the entry to Turn 2, with his head then getting briefly tangled in the Yamaha M1 of Fabio Quartararo.

Miller’s team-mate Brad Binder was also involved in the melee.

Race control declared that all three riders are conscious, with the medical crew arriving on the scene to attend to Miller. 

Both Binder and Quartararo were able to return to their respective garages, although the latter was seen hobbling as he walked away from the track.

A red flag was shown before the end of the opening lap, with all remaining riders returning to the pitlane.

The restart procedure will begin at 15:20 local time, and the race will now run to 19 laps — three fewer than scheduled.

Francesco Bagnaia will  take the start from pole position on the factory Ducati ahead of championship leader Jorge Martin.

Update: Miller was later seen walking back to the KTM garage after returning from the medical centre. He will not take the restart.

 

2024 Malaysian GP — Opening lap crash



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