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

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:

Jorge Martin says the sprint race at Sepang on Saturday could have had an entirely different outcome had he not toughed it out with polesitter Francesco Bagnaia to take the lead midway through the first corner.

As it happened, factory Ducati rider Bagnaia fell out of second place on the third lap of the race, leaving Martin (Pramac Ducati) to stretch his points advantage from 17 to 29 with a straightforward victory.

The Italian’s fall highlighted the difficulty of trying to follow and overtake another rider in MotoGP – as did Martin after the race.

“If I hadn’t taken first position straight away today, I wouldn’t have won,” said Martin. “I think Pecco would have won and I would have been second. So to start well is really important.

“Nowadays, either you are like Enea [Bastianini] who can come from behind, or it’s impossible to win if you’re not in first position at the beginning.”

Martin also showed some sympathy for Bagnaia having been caught out at the slow, left-hand Turn 9.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“It’s been a really critical corner all weekend,” he added. “You have like three different asphalts on the perfect line. And at one point, there’s no asphalt! So it’s like motocross; super difficult. You need to ride a really precise line at that corner.

“I had a few moments there in my time attack yesterday and also today. And sometimes I had to [back off] there during the race too in order not to crash.”

Martin added that his sprint victory was not as easy as it looked after Bagnaia’s retirement.

“After Pecco’s crash, it was difficult to manage the situation,” said Martin. “But I was able to do it well. 

“You do have to think about the fact that Pecco has crashed. You think ‘be careful, you need to finish’. At one point I even thought I might have to [let Marc past] and finish second. 

“But I had a lead of eight-tenths, so it made no sense to wait for him. So I said ‘okay, let’s keep doing the thing you know how to do’. 

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I was really focused on my braking references, just trying to do everything the same without changing anything.”

Martin’s successful Saturday means he could wrap up his maiden championship in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

But he does not plan to take a particularly cautious approach or get bogged down in the permutations.

“When I try to relax, I get more nervous and everything gets more difficult,” he said when asked if he felt more breathing space with the extended points advantage.

“Today I was a bit nervous in the morning, so I said to Gino [Borsoi, his team manager], ‘Gino, I will go for it.’ I don’t want to finish second or third, I want to go for it. If Pecco is stronger, he will win. And if he’s not, he won’t’.

“Tomorrow will be a bit more of the same. If Pecco is much stronger, it’s okay. But I will do my best, because it’s the only way I can really be at 100% and focused.”

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He noted that Bagnaia will be a dangerous competitor on Sunday given he has no choice but to win. 

“It’s a privilege to have this advantage at this point,” said Martin. “But it’s not over until it’s over.

“Tomorrow will be a really long race and Pecco will risk a lot to win. He has nothing to lose now – it’s all or nothing. To beat him under those conditions is really tough.”

However, Martin also echoed Bagnaia’s suspicion that the championship leader is unlikely to finish lower than second – despite his chaser’s hopes that other riders can take points off the Spaniard.

“We are a step in front of the others, so I think in the worst case I will try to finish second,” said Martin.

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Jorge Martin can seal the 2024 MotoGP title in the Malaysian Grand Prix after his nearest rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed out of Saturday’s sprint race at Sepang.

In what many see as the decisive moment in their championship scrap, Bagnaia lost the front end of his factory Ducati at the tricky uphill Turn 9 on lap 3 of 10, while running in second place behind Martin.

This has given the Pramac rider a massive 29-point lead in the championship standings, with just two grands prix and a sprint race left to run.

The 26-year-old will have his first match point in Sunday’s full-distance race as he aims to avenge for his title defeat to Bagnaia in 2023.

An early coronation could be crucial for the Spaniard, as the venue and date for the season finale is yet to be announced. Valencia was due to host the final round on 15-17 November, but heavy flooding in the region forced MotoGP to cancel the race just two weeks ahead of its scheduled date. A replacement round could take place in Jerez, Barcelona, Portimao or Qatar.

How Martin can wrap up the title in Malaysian GP

To put it into simple words, Martin needs to extend his lead by at least nine points in order to be crowned the 2024 champion in Malaysia.

That means he must finish at least seventh in order to put the title out of Bagnaia’s reach.

Given the speed both Martin and Bagnaia have shown so far this weekend, it is likely that the two will finish on the podium.

If Martin wins the race, his title rival must finish third or lower for the championship to be decided early. If Bagnaia is able to follow Martin home in second place, that will mean the title fight will continue into the finale — albeit with a mammoth 34-point gap between the two.

A second-place finish for Martin would be enough if Bagnaia fails to finish higher than fifth.

The final spot on the podium would also suffice if the two-time champion has a difficult race and cannot finish inside the top eight.

The championship fight will carry over to the final round if Bagnaia wins the race or finishes second irrespective of Martin’s finishing position.

The opposite scenario

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

No matter where Martin finishes on Sunday, he will head to the final round as the championship leader.

Even if Bagnaia wins the grand prix and Martin fails to score, the Spaniard will still hold a four-point lead in the standings.

While Martin has already put one hand on the title, Bagnaia’s only option is to score the maximum number of points on Sunday and then hope for a miracle in the season finale. A total of 37 points would then be on offer in the last round.

Here’s how the championship picture would look like if Bagnaia wins the Malaysian GP and Martin finishes second or lower:

Photos from Malaysian GP Qualifying and Sprint

Valencia will not hold the MotoGP season finale despite promotor Dorna’s initial plans to race there amid the tragic flooding in the region.

Dorna has officially announced plans to cancel the event and is looking for an alternative venue to host the race, probably at a later date than the scheduled 15-17 November weekend.

With the paddock set up at Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix, meetings are taking place between the parties involved in what is a very critical decision, given the sensitivity of the matter.

As early as Thursday, Dorna’s initial idea, coordinated with the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme), was to try to keep the Valencia circuit as the chosen venue for the last grand prix of the season.

In the hours that followed, the possibility of moving the race a week later to Sunday 24th November briefly emerged as an option – one that was even communicated to several riders on the MotoGP grid.

However, Motorsport.com understands that by Friday afternoon there had been a considerable change in viewpoint among Dorna bosses, who began to consider Valencia unfeasible.

With that in mind, the Spanish company’s directors are already working to find an alternative to close the title fight between Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia, which could be resolved this Sunday in Malaysia – although only in favour of the Spaniard. Martin would have to score 21 points more than the Italian to settle the championship early.

Photo by: Paco Alcobendas

«MotoGP stands with the Community of Valencia following the devastating floods that have affected the area. Our hearts are with all those who have been lost and those who have lost so much,» read statement from MotoGP.

«We have been in constant contact with the local authorities and the circuit to best assess how we can help and how we should proceed. We have a responsibility to every region where we race that goes far beyond the sport and the events.

«After carefully weighing up the potential positive impact of MotoGP racing in Valencia on delayed dates versus ensuring no single resource is diverted from the recovery efforts by the presence of MotoGP , the championship and local authorities have been obliged to cancel the 2024 Valencia GP.

«In lieu of racing in Valencia, MotoGP will instead race for Valencia. The championship will put our collective efforts behind backing the relief funds already in place to ensure our positive impact can connect with the area in the way it best serves the people and communities we have been part of for so long.

«Our efforts will begin during the Malaysian GP and continue at the final round of 2024, with a new venue and dates to be announced as soon as confirmed.

«Fans around the world, our athletes, and paddock deserve a sporting finale to the 2024 season, and one that can make a key contribution to supporting the communities we race in.

«Any further information regarding the season finale will be confirmed as soon as possible.»

The official death toll from the floods stood at 158 earlier on Friday, although forecasts point to a much higher figure given the number of people still missing.

In this context, in which up to 20 towns are without drinking water and the army is deployed in the area, Dorna’s directors have finally reached the conclusion that there seems to be no possible justification for organising a grand prix in Valencia.

There had already been very strong statements by riders such as Marc Marquez and Bagnaia, who on Friday insisted that he did not plan to travel to Valencia to race there, even if it would cost him the title.

“I hope they [at Dorna] take into consideration the fact that on an ethical level, with what is happening, it is not the right thing to do,” said the reigning champion. “Even at the cost of losing the ultimate goal for me, which is the title, I’m not willing to race in Valencia.”

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Motorsport.com understands that four alternatives are now being considered for a replacement finale: Qatar, Jerez, Barcelona and Portimao.

In the event that the Losail circuit is chosen, Formula 1 will occupy the track the week of 25 November to 1 December which would lead MotoGP to look for a date that would probably be the Sunday before (24 November).

What does seem clear is that the closing race of the season will not be held on the scheduled date (15-17 November).