Jorge Martín failed to close the title race this Sunday, at Sepang, where he obtained a first match point following the fall of Pecco Bagnaia in the sprint. Perfectly on point for an event where he was aiming for victory, and nothing else, the Italian managed to fend off his rival's opportunity, taking control in a high-flying fight in the first laps of this Malaysian GP and getting his tenth victory of the season.
Martín, second at the finish, nevertheless carried out an excellent operation. He will start the next Grand Prix with a lead of 24 points, which means that he will have a new match point from the sprint race. Given their difference in number of victories (ten for Bagnaia, three for Martín), the Pramac driver will need to score two more points than the double reigning champion to be crowned on the Saturday of this event, which has been moved from Valencia to Barcelona and will be held in two weeks. A victory in the sprint would therefore ensure him to be crowned.
In the fight between Marc Márquez and Enea Bastianini for third place in the championship, the advantage still lies with the Spaniard despite his fall this Sunday. Thanks to his podium, the Italian comes back to just one point and can still hope to win this season's bronze medal, before his departure for KTM.
Behind them, Brad Binder lost fifth to Pedro Acosta after having had to retire following the big fall which marked the start of the Grand Prix. Three points separate the future teammates, who will be united in the official KTM team next season. The gaps are a little more marked behind them, even if Álex Márquez enters the top 10, passing Aleix Espargaró.
Remember that Ducati and its factory team have already validated the manufacturers' and teams' titles. This is the third consecutive year that the Italian brand has won all three championships.
Drivers' Championship after the Malaysian GP (19/20)
Manufacturers' Championship after the Malaysian GP (19/20)
Teams Championship after the Malaysian GP (19/20)
1 | Ducati | 685 | 37 | 34 | 25 | 37 | 37 | 34 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 37 | – |
2 | KTM | 316 | 29 | 21 | 26 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 23 | 17 | 5 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 17 | 14 | – |
3 | Aprilia | 285 | 15 | 20 | 37 | 10 | 18 | 25 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 9 | – |
4 | Yamaha | 119 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | – | 9 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 7 | – | 15 | – |
5 | Honda | 73 | 4 | 4 | – | 5 | 4 | 2 | – | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 | – |