Francesco Bagnaia yesterday won a dramatic Malaysian Grand Prix, but the champagne for the Italian’s maiden MotoGP World Championship remains on ice after rival Fabio Quartararo finished third.
Bagnaia would have clinched the title had Quartararo has not finished on the podium at Sepang, Malaysia, but the Ducati Lenovo Team rider instead extended his lead to 23 points ahead of the season’s final race at Valencia, Spain, in two weeks.
Bagnaia took the checkered flag in 40 minutes, 14:332 seconds, 0.270 seconds ahead of fellow Ducati rider Enea Bastianini. Quartararo completed the podium 2.7 seconds adrift.
Photo: AP
Bagnaia started ninth on the grid, but made a blistering start which saw him swoop through the field to second by the end of the first lap, on the back wheel of Jorge Martin, who had clocked the fastest lap ever at Sepang to land pole position.
“I did the best start I ever did in my life,” Bagnaia said. “It was perfect.”
The dynamics of the race changed on the seventh lap when Martin crashed out, enabling the Ducati rider to charge into first with Bastianini hot on his tail.
“I took some risk at the front,” Bagnaia said. “Following Jorge was a bit too much for the rear tire and I was starting to stress, then unfortunately he crashed.”
Bastianini managed to overtake his countryman on turn four of the 10th lap, but his lead was short-lived as Bagnaia regained the No. 1 spot.
Quartararo, who earlier in the season had been 91 points ahead of Bagnaia, was meanwhile being drawn in a battle against Marco Bezzecchi for third, but held his ground to stave off the Gresini Racing rider.
At the front, Bastianini continued to pressure Bagnaia, but the Italian kept his cool to cross the finish line for his seventh win of the season.
“Today we did a really, really good job in terms of the championship. It’s also my seventh win, so we can be very happy,” Bagnaia said.
With a maximum 25 points available in Valencia, Quartararo must win the final grand prix of the year and hope Bagnaia finishes 15th or lower to have any hope of retaining this world championship.
“It’s been a long time since I made the podium,” Quartararo said.
“I gave my maximum today, couldn’t do any better, but I’m proud of myself, because I felt this is one of my best rides of the season,” added the Frenchman, who was riding with a fractured finger, sustained when he fell in the fourth free practice on Saturday.
“I’m happy at least we’re bringing it to Valencia. Even if the chance is super small, we did everything to bring it to Valencia,” he said.
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