Ducati’s Enea Bastianini led from start to finish in the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix sprint as Jorg🍸e Martin survived a track limits scare to finish a crucial second.

Having heaped the pressure on himself after crashing in qualifying, Martin made a scrappy start to the sprint from third on the grid as he tried to launch into the lead ahead of poleman Francesco Bagn🌠aia.

As ♑he pushed both wide, Bastianini came through to take the lead and led every lap to secure victory by 1.357 seconds.

Martin fought back to second ahead of Bagnaia, but was handed a track limits warning midway through the 13-lap sprint, creating a ne꧃rvous end to the race for the P🌃ramac rider.

Responding to late pressure from Bagnaia, though, 🔜Martin cemented second by 1.015s to take twoꦡ vital points and extend his championship lead to 22.

Martin has now put himself in a positioജn that if Bagnaia wins every one of the remaining races, the Pramac rider only has to finish second in each of them to win the championship.

Bagnaia completed the podium ahead of Gres﷽ini’s Marc Marquez, who faded out of the rostrum battle on his GP23 to 3.030s behind his future team-mate.

Off the line, Martin jumped Bastianini and drew alon🥀gside Bagnaia into Turn 1, with an aggressive move forcing both wide.

Martin ran further off track and had to cut the t🔴hrottle as he rejoined as he nearly hit Marc Marquez.

This dropped Martin to fifth behind T💝ech3 GASGAS rookie Pedro Acosta, who kept the Pramac rider at bay unti꧅l Turn 5 on lap two.

At the start of lap three, Bastianini was 0.8s clear🙈 of Bagn🍬aia, while Martin would clear Marquez on lap four.

Once ahead of Marquez, Martin quickly piled th𝕴e pressure on Bagnaia and took second away from his championship rival with🏅 an impressive move on the inside of Turn 7 on lap seven.

But Martin ra𓄧n wide as he did this, which earnꦏed him a track limits warning.

Bastianini came under no threat through to🐟 the chequered flag as he 🐓beat Martin by 1.357s, while the latter avoided any track limits penalty in second.

Behind Bagnaia a𒁏nd Marquez came the sister Gresini Ducati of Alex Marquez, who was 4.7s behind his team-mate in fifth and 0.9s clear of Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli.

VR46 duo Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio came next, with KTM’s Brad Binder scoring the final sprint po🥃i📖nt in ninth.

A big moment on lap one dropped sixth-placed starter Fabio Quartararo o🎃ut of the points, with the Yamaha rider taking the chequered flag in 10th ahead of KTM’s Jack Miller and leading Honda J🤪ohann Zarco in 12th.

The Aprilias suffered a difficult sprint, with Raul Fernandez for Trackhouse the marque’s leading rid🥀er in 14th - 19.6s off the win.

Acosta crashed on lap f♍our at Turn 3. He remounted, but retired into pitlane late on. 

Full 2024 MotoGP Thai Grand Prix sprint results