Francesco Bagnaia emerged victorious at the 2024 Malaysian MotoGP, a critical race that not only showcased his racing prowess but also reignited his championship hopes as the season approaches its climax.
Held at the iconic Sepang International Circuit on November 3, the race unfolded under challenging conditions, with overcast skies and oppressive heat setting the stage for a dramatic showdown between the top contenders.
The 2024 Malaysian MotoGP was particularly significant for Francesco Bagnaia, who began the race from pole position after a disappointing performance in the preceding sprint race where he crashed out early.
Coming into this grand prix, Bagnaia trailed Pramac’s Jorge Martin by 29 points in the championship standings. For Martin, this race presented a golden opportunity to potentially clinch his first MotoGP title if he could outscore Bagnaia by nine points.
The stakes were high, and both riders were determined to leave everything on the track. As the race commenced, it quickly became evident that it would be a battle for supremacy between Bagnaia and Martin.
The initial laps were marked by fierce competition, with both riders exchanging positions in a thrilling display of skill and strategy. Bagnaia launched off the line effectively and held onto his lead into the first corner, but Martin was right on his tail, eager to capitalize on any mistake.
However, the excitement was abruptly halted when a dramatic incident happened on the second lap after Brad Binder’s KTM collided with Quartararo’s Yamaha after running wide into Turn 2 which sent both riders tumbling.
KTM’s Jack Miller was also caught in the chaos as he crashed into Quartararo’s bike which prompted a red flag. Fortunately, all riders were conscious following the incident; however, Miller required medical attention and was transported to the medical center for evaluation.
After a brief delay, the race was restarted for 19 laps under intense heat conditions that saw track temperatures soaring to 52°C. The grid order remained unchanged from the original start, with Bagnaia and Martin once again at the forefront.
As racing resumed, Bagnaia quickly regained his edge and began to assert his dominance. In the early laps of the restarted 2024 Malaysian MotoGP race, the Ducati stablemates locked in an exhilarating wheel-to-wheel battle.
The title rivals traded positions multiple times as they navigated through the tight corners of Sepang. However, by lap four, Bagnaia began to create a gap between himself and Martin, showcasing exceptional pace and tire management.
The reigning world champion’s decision to switch back to a softer front tire compared to Martin’s medium tire choice proved advantageous as he built an impressive lead, extending his advantage to more than three seconds by lap ten.
Despite Martin’s attempts to close the gap—he managed to reduce it momentarily to 1.5s—Bagnaia’s consistent performance allowed him to maintain control of the race and it became clear that the works Ducati star was on track for victory.
Francesco Bagnaia ultimately crossed the finish line with a comfortable margin of 3.141 seconds ahead of Jorge Martin, celebrating his tenth victory of the season—a crucial win that narrowed Martin’s lead in the championship standings to just 24 points. This result set up an exciting finale for the season at Barcelona from November 15-17.
Enea Bastianini, riding alongside Bagnaia for Ducati Lenovo Team, also had a strong showing as he secured third place in what turned out to be an all-Ducati podium finish. He finished over seven seconds behind Martin but demonstrated solid form throughout the race.
Gresini’s Alex Marquez finished fourth, while Pedro Acosta rounded out the top five for Tech3 GASGAS. Fabio Quartararo recovered from the early incident to finish sixth—an impressive feat considering the circumstances.
His Yamaha teammate Alex Rins finished eighth to the delight of the struggling Yamaha team, with Maverick Vinales separating the duo to bring his Aprilia bike home in seventh. VR46 Ducati’s Marco Bezzecchi finished in ninth while GasGas rider Augusto Fernandez rounded off the top ten.
Johann Zarco delivered Honda’s best result of 11th and fended off a late and rapid charge from Marc Marquez who was poised for a podium finish but crashed out on lap seven while in third place. He managed to remount and finish in twelfth position.
Aleix Espargaro finished 13th ahead of the second Pramac rider of Franco Morbidelli finishing in 14th while Luca Marini secured the final point-scoring position in 15th.
Trackhouse duo of Raul Fernandez and Lorenzo Savadori took 16th and 18th respectively, with VR46 rider stand in Andrea Iannone splitting them in 17th.
