Pecco Bagnaia was counting on Sepang to help him hold off Jorge Martín in the championship, and he indeed ended the weekend where he hoped: on the top step of the podium. However, he was left in a bad position on Saturday evening, after another fall in the sprint race which had extended the Spaniard's lead by 12 points and put the double reigning world champion in a now highly delicate position.
His opponent had a first match point and Bagnaia had only one objective: to win this race to try to repel her. This laid the foundations for what was one of the most beautiful races we have seen in months. Rarely opposed so directly, the two candidates for the title delivered on this very special Sunday a duel of incredible intensity, at the cost of an incalculable number of overtakes in the first three laps of the race, before the official Ducati rider succeeded. to have the advantage and move towards victory.
“The race was great, that’s what I hoped for yesterday,” comments the Italian, interviewed by the official MotoGP website. “I think we gave the people, at home and here, a great show. Jorge was super aggressive but we had a very clean fight, we never touched each other. I was just waiting for the moment to attack based on my pace, because I knew he was good enough to build a lead.”
“He was stronger at turn 5, he gained a lot of time there, but I was very strong in all the corner entries,” describes Bagnaia about his duel against Martín. “I think that to attack me, he had to drive beyond the limit. I saw twice that he lost the front. The battle was very, very at the limit. I I was very good on the brakes, I was always pushing hard in the last corner, and it was a good strategy.”
“I tried to respond as best as possible to each attack. The one I didn't expect was the one at turn 5 when he resisted from the outside. Other than that, I just tried to brake as hard as possible to widen this gap and that was enough But Jorge did a fantastic job again and with three or four to go he came back.
It must be said that Bagnaia himself let seven tenths slip away in one lap… A way of pushing his opponent to attack to catch up? “I thought about it, I thought he wanted me to try!” Martín laughs, when Bagnaia plays with this question. “You’ll never know!” he responds first, before providing a more pragmatic explanation, linked to a change in cartography.
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On a circuit which saw him win two years ago, Pecco Bagnaia won his tenth victory of the season, an unprecedented feat for a MotoGP rider since Marc Márquez in 2014. “I'm happy for today, but it's a shame about yesterday. Today I hit the bump from yesterday again and I didn't fall,” he emphasizes, he who was playing big on this Sunday. “Mentally, I wasn't afraid. I had full confidence and knew I could fight for victory.”
Although he won, the Ducati rider only reduced his deficit from 29 to 24 points, which leaves Martín with a chance to be titled in the sprint race of the last Grand Prix, in two weeks in Barcelona. “I only took five points, it will be very hard for Barcelona but we will try,” he promises. “We still have our chances. We really need help from others because if he wins he will finish second since he is at another level.”
Bastianini and Márquez unable to help
Already on Saturday, Pecco Bagnaia was making incantations so that Enea Bastianini and Marc Márquez could improve and transform the duel of this Grand Prix into a four-way fight. But the fears expressed by the two drivers last night, while they themselves were fighting for third place in the championship, were verified today and no one came to indirectly “help” the defender of the crown.
“As soon as I took the lead, I just hoped, I even dreamed of seeing Enea or Marc catch up with him and take points, but today again we are showing that we are doing something different. incredible, the performance we displayed is incredible! It's also thanks to the bike but it must be said that we did something that leaves you speechless.”
“We know that we are currently making the difference in the championship and that gives us the opportunity to widen the gap. Even if he slows down a little, he still finishes six or seven seconds ahead of third. “We'll have to improve for next time in Barcelona.”
“I will try to help everyone during the weekend so that they take my aspi and follow me! I also know that Aleix Espargaró will be strong in Barcelona and that he will help Jorge all weekend, but I just need someone to come between him and me”, warns Bagnaia, without forgetting his own duties: “I will also have to win both races…”
