2024 Malaysian MotoGP: Martin edges closer to title with sprint win as Bagnaia crashes
Vital win for Martin as crucial Bagnaia cr♈ash edges Pramac rider closer to th𝔉e title
Jorge Martin has taken a massive sprint💦 victory at the 2024 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix after title rival Francesco Bagnaia crashed out.
After the pair traded blows in a thrilling qualifyingꦺ session, with Bagnaia taking pole, Martin tipped the scales back in his favour in the 10-lap sprint.
Getting the holeshot from second on the grid, Martin led Bagnaia for the first two laps before 🐭the reigning champion crashed at Turn 9 on the t🌠hird tour.
Suffering his eighth DNF of the year and with Martin comfortably winning the S🍰epa🌱ng sprint, Bagnaia has now slipped 29 points behind in the standings.
Five minute before lights out, there was a very brief rain sh♑ower, though it ultimately came to nothing and the race was 𒁏run in dry conditions.
Martin now just needs to outscore Bagnaia by nine 🃏🅰points on Sunday to be crowned world champion.
Marc Marquez brushed off a difficult weekend so far to finish second on the Gresini-run GP23, while Enea Bastianini inherite𓆉d the final podium s🅘pot after his Ducati team-mate Bagnaia’s crash.
Off the line Bagnaia and Martin ran side-by-side into the first c🐠orner, with the latter ho♋lding firm on the inside of Turn 1.
Bagnaia tried to tough it out on the outside to get a run into Turn 2, but Martin kept t♒he lead, while Marquez had leapt from fifth to third.
Exiting Turn 9 on the first lap,ꦐ Bagnaia had a small🎶 twitch on the gas, which gave Martin a few bike lengths of advantage while Marquez loomed large behind the factory Ducati.
There was no change on lap two, while on the third tour Bagnaia didn’t come ou🐈t the other side of Turn 9 as he tucked the front on the way in.
It g🔜ave Martin a 0.9s lead over Marquez, with Bastianini boosted onto the podium as a result.
This order never changed to ꦚthe chequered flag, with Martin 0.913s clear of Marquez at the end, while Bastianini was a further 1.097s adཧrift.
Alex Marquez was fourth on the sister Gresin๊i GP23, while Fabio Quartararo ꦜwas a fine fifth on the factory Yamaha.
Franco Morbidelli was sixth on the Pramac Ducati, with Brad Binder leading the KTM charge in𓃲 seven♓th ahead of team-mate Jack Miller.
Tech3 GASGAS rookie Pedro Acosta put Miller under immense pressure over the final laps🍷, but couldn’t advꦺance on ninth.
Marco Bezzecchi was out of the points in 10th on theဣ VR46 Ducat💜i, while Aleix Espargaro was the top Aprilia in 12th.
Luca Marini took top Hondꦐa honours in 15th, while LCR’🐼s Johann Zarco retired on lap eight with a mechanical issue.
Andrea Iannone was 19th on his first MotoGP start since 2019 on the second VR46 Ducati, 3.8s clear of Trackhouse Racing’s Lorenzo Savadori and 2.084s behind the other Trackhouse Aprilia of Raul Fernan🧜dez.
