World championship leader Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) won the sprint race of the Malaysian Grand Prix on Saturday, the penultimate round of the MotoGP season, while his rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) crashed.
The Spaniard is now 29 points ahead of the Italian. He can be crowned on Sunday if he wins the GP and « Pecco » does not do better than third.
The duel, which has kept the paddock in suspense for several weeks, took a turn at the ninth turn of the Sepang circuit, where Bagnaia lost control of his front wheel while trying to overtake Martin at the start of the race.
His mistake condemns him to a miracle if he is to win a third consecutive title, a feat that only legends Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez have achieved in the 21st century.
Shortly after his abandonment, Bagnaia appeared with his head down, according to broadcaster images.
Martin won the sprint ahead of Spaniard Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) and Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati).
“It’s a great weekend so far. After I saw Pecco's accident, I tried to control the gap. Tomorrow it will be a similar race”reacted the Madrilenian.
On the French side, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) finished fifth. Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) did not finish the race.
