The Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang offered us for three laps the pinnacle of talent in MotoGPwith the razor's edge clash between Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.
The Spaniard tried to contain the Italian who had little to lose with 29 points behind before the Grand Prix, but he did not give up in the face of incessant attacks from the championship leader, ultimately reducing his deficit to 24 units, winning his tenth victory of the season. This will probably not be enough to bring him a third world title, but the battle was beautiful and intense, between these two great champions at the top of their art!
Jorge Martinhe is aiming for something else, and he could obtain it from the Sprint in Barcelona…
As usualwe report here his words during his debriefing, without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the post-race press conference following an exciting Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit. Once again, it is Ducati GP24s which lock the first three places. Your 10th time Sunday Grand Prix winner in 2024, reigning world champion, Ducati Lenovo Team rider Pecco Bagnaia, Pecco is only the 4th rider in the MotoGP era to win 10 Grand Prix in a single season. Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin is in second place and leads the world championship with 24 points with one round remaining. Ducati Lenovo Team rider Enea Bastianini completes today's podium, just as he did yesterday during the Tissot Sprint. Gentlemen, well done to all three! Conditions were very difficult today.
I must now address the leader of the world championship, Jorge Martin. Jorge, what a spectacle in these first 3 or 4 laps, you played your part, you did everything to achieve victory here! Did you enjoy this battle, given the stakes, while you lead the world championship with two races to go?
Jorge Martin : “Yes, I really appreciated it. Thanks to Pecco because his level allows me to improve mine every day. Every day we are getting stronger and stronger and we have never had a battle like this, I think, in our entire career. Of course, we were always close, but we never had a battle with 11 overtakes, they told me, in three laps. You know, I felt strong to do it. I think the choice of the front medium was the best for me. It was maybe a bit of a gamble for the first two rounds, because it was really hard to stop. It's really difficult to overtake someone like him, because he brakes very, very hard and he can stop the bike really well, but I was able to do it. Yes, I think if I could have kept the first position for a full lap, everything would have changed a bit, but in the end he had incredible pace, and for me it was too risky to continue attacking. So I just controlled the gap with the guy behind and tried to hold on until the end. »
It was a bit like Japan. Later, there were four or five laps remaining and the gap was closing. And I guess you must have thought at some point that there was still a chance of winning. Then we saw the little mistake you made at turn 9. Did you think you had a chance to catch him at that point?
Yeah, I think I did well, I mean, I'm super happy. I think we lost as little as possible. Maybe I could have crashed too, so I'm happy. But I think when Marc crashed I relaxed a little too much. So I was like, “OK, second place is good enough, just keep driving,” OK, something like that. But I saw that Pecco was also getting a little closer, so I thought if I attacked maybe I could close the gap, and I started to get closer, in one lap I think, 4/10. So I kept pushing and I saw that he was also struggling, he was widening, because the track conditions were very difficult today. But in turn 9, I went a little wide and almost crashed. I then said the same thing as in Japan, “enough”. Second place is perfect, and yes, we'll see next time.
The revenge is still relevant. I'm going to ask you what you think of the last Grand Prix. 24 points is the gap. Jorge, you are so close to the goal, what are your feelings as we approach this last Grand Prix? Because you can now be crowned world champion after Saturday's sprint, the next race…
“Yes, we’ll see, we’ll see. I think Barcelona is a good circuit for both of us. Pecco won the last Sunday there, I was second, pretty close. It's certain that I missed a little, but we'll understand why. I think it's good to do it at home because a lot of people will support us. And yes, for sure today is not a good day, I mean for the Spanish people, after everything that happened in Spain. So this podium is for them and I will try to win the championship, not for me, but for these people, for my team and for the people around me, who really deserve it. So let's try to get there. »
Jorge, you chose the medium front tire today. Did you consider that you were going to follow Pecco and therefore it would be a safer option from a front tire temperature point of view?
“Yes, definitely Medium was the best option for me. I focused on myself and tried it in FP1, FP2, I also tried it this morning and it was working really really well, so I felt like I was really competitive with it. And also in case I was behind, I had something extra. Now I think that with the soft tire the situation would have been much worse. So I think I made the best choice for me. I saw that Pecco was making a strategy at the start, saying that he put this and then no (laughs), but for me it was the same thing, it didn't change, so I'm happy that we took this decision. »
How do you manage, despite the pressure of the fight for the title, to maintain a peaceful relationship? I mean from the outside it looks peaceful. I don't know if that's really the case…
“Yes, there is not much to add to Pecco. I think we know each other very well since 2015, we were very close friends in the past, now we don't have that relationship anymore, but we are good for each other. I think like he said, it doesn't make sense to… I mean we can fight like you saw today, it was an incredible battle, I think for history, can -maybe not the last few laps, but it was amazing. And then we can talk about it. I think we both enjoy it, and like he said, if it's like this in the future, for me it will be perfect, and I hope it will always be like this. »
Did the red flag make a difference in your race or do you think the first few laps would have gone about the same, depending on where you were and how you started ?
“For me, it was the same thing. I think I had already planned to attack Pecco in turn 14. And then I saw that he was very slow in turn 11, because I didn't see the red flag. And then I saw he was looking outside, so I realized. So yes, I was very close, but I don't think it would have changed anything. »
How confident are you, knowing that this will be the last race in Barcelona with this 24 point gap?
“For me, confidence doesn't change much coming into this race or coming into the next race. I think I'm confident in my work, in how I got here. But I think it's a privilege to be at this stage, to fight with a champion like Pecco, it's crazy. So yeah, I'm confident, I'm happy that we took seven more points in this race and all that. I feel a little closer to the end goal. But you know, nothing is over, nothing is finished. So we have to be very, very focused and believe in it until the end. »
Will the fact of competing in the last race in Montmelo and not in Valencia change anything for you in terms of preparation? Do you feel better or worse on this circuit?
“For me, it’s the same thing. I think I had very similar performances in Barcelona and Valencia. I was on the podium, last year in Valencia, no, but in Barcelona, in Montmelo, I was on the podium in 22 and 23. So I think I'm competitive. As Pecco says, there are some tricky turns, and now in November, let's see what we can find. There are a lot of different conditions: it could be raining, it could be windy, it could be snowing, I don't know. I hope Michelin finds a good solution, like in Australia, but we'll see what happens. »
Nineteen races have taken place, with one remaining, so how can you summarize your season?
“I would say “shity Sundays, loved Satrudays” (laughs). »
And how would you characterize your opponent in three words?
“It's hard to say, because it's just three words, it's not much, for me it's 'champion' because he's incredible, he's really complete, he has everything, he is fast, it performs very well, in all conditions, you could see it in Thailand and here. I think he has a lot of 'resilience', he can also, after a bad moment like yesterday, come back and win today. And then maybe, 'Sunday Man', because 10 wins is crazy. It is certain that at the moment, on Sunday, it is stronger. He is the best, he is the best on Sunday. So yeah, so far, the last two years, he was the best. »
Results from the 2024 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang:
Rankings credit: MotoGP.com
MotoGP Sepang Martin MotoGP Sepang Martin MotoGP Sepang Martin MotoGP Sepang Martin MotoGP Sepang Martin
