The suspense remains before the last Grand Prix of the MotoGP season. Sunday November 3, the Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) won the Malaysian GP at Sepang, ahead of the world championship leader, the Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) and the Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati).
Bagnaia, double title holder, signed a proud victory, the day after a fall during the sprint which had almost condemned his dream of a hat-trick. Martin, however, maintains a 24-point lead over Bagnaia, a comfortable cushion at the time of leaving Sepang where neither the heat, nor the hazards of a hectic GP, nor the aggressive strategy of his rival have disturbed him.
The Spaniard appears in an ideal position to win his first world championship in the premier category, during the next GP, the last of the season. The MotoGP promoter has not yet announced the date or the site selected to replace the Valencia circuit, initially planned, but rendered unusable due to the devastating floods which devastated the south-east of Spain this week.
Many drivers, including the two leaders of the general classification, spoke in favor of relocating the last GP, “out of respect for the victims” of the disaster. The preferred track would be Barcelona, according to media reports.
“It will be a big challenge”
“Jorge was very aggressive. It was the tenth victory of the season, we did a great job. We just need to improve on Saturday [pour la course sprint] »reacted Bagnaia. “I wanted to win, but “Pecco” [le surnom de Bagnaia] had another strategy. It will be a big challenge during the last races [sprint + GP] »declared Martin for his part.
Contested in nearly 35 degrees, the race delivered a scenario full of twists and turns, which tested the nerves of a tense paddock. An accident at the start, from the second turn, involving three drivers, caused an interruption of around twenty minutes, in a climate of concern given the images of the scene.
At the time of his fall, the Australian Jack Miller (KTM) hit with his head the rear wheel of the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) who, unbalanced, also ended up in the gravel, just like the South African Brad Binder. The first medical examinations did not detect any “serious injury” for Jack Miller, according to organizers.
At the second start, Bagnaia and Martin resumed their mano a mano in spectacular fashion. The Italian, who started from pole, took the best start, but the Spaniard seemed not to want to settle for second place.
The two men then engaged in a piloting demonstration. They overtook each other several times during the first three laps, and even touched each other, but without making the mistake that could have compromised their world championship ambitions. The Turinese ended up gaining the upper hand and widening the gap. Martin managed the second half of the race, with no one to challenge him.
Long in contact with the leading duo, the Spaniard Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) fell thirteen laps from the end, but managed to take the four points for twelfth place. The French Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco (Honda) finished sixth respectively – the best result of the season for Quartararo – and eleventh.
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