Francesco Bagnaia keeps his chance of winning his third consecutive MotoGP World Championship title open. The Italian celebrated his 10th win of the season in the penultimate Grand Prix of the year in Malaysia.
03.11.2024, 09:19
SDA
Bagnaia fought a close duel with world championship leader Jorge Martin on the high-speed track in Sepang in the early stages. After five laps, the Ducati factory rider picked up the pace, ultimately winning by three seconds ahead of the Spaniard from the Ducati customer team Pramac Racing.
Martin with a comfortable lead
As a result, Bagnaia, who had retired from the sprint race on Saturday after Martin's victory following a crash, reduced the gap in the world championship standings by five points to 24.
Martin can live well with 2nd place, his tenth in the 19th race of the season. The cushion in the fight for his first world championship title in the premier class of motorsport is still comfortable.
Showdown in Barcelona
At the season finale in two weeks' time, 37 points are still up for grabs in the sprint and main races. The showdown will take place at the Circuit Catalunya in Barcelona. This was confirmed by Carlos Ezepeleta, the manager of MotoGP rights holder Dorna, to international TV stations. The season finale was originally planned for Valencia, but after the devastating flood disaster in eastern Spain, an alternative venue was sought at short notice.
