Bagnaia wins thriller, Quartararo keeps MotoGP title hopes alive

Francesco Bagnaia has extended his MotoGP championship lead after eventually overcoming future Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini to win the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The two fought tooth and nail for the lead before the Ducati Lenovo Team incumbent took victory by a margin of 0.270s after 20 laps around Sepang, but Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo just kept his title hopes alive by finishing third.

CLICK HERE for Ducati Team manager Davide Tardozzi’s reaction

Bagnaia and Quartararo are now split by 23 points with 25 on offer at Valencia in a fortnight from now, while Gresini Racing’s Bastianini and Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro are officially out of the hunt given they are now tied for third at 24 points further back.

Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Ducati) finished fourth on the day, ahead of Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar), a resurgent Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM), Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati), and Espargaro in 10th.

When the lights went out, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Ducati) bolted from pole position while Bagnaia also made a strong start and then braked late at Turn 1, emerging in second position after qualifying ninth.

Bastianini took up third and Marquez fourth, while Quartararo, who started 12th, put a forceful move on Yamaha team-mate Morbidelli for fifth at Turn 9.

The other somewhat serious title contender, Espargaro, ended the standing lap in ninth while Miller had slipped from 14th to 17th.

Bastianini was soon applying pressure to Bagnaia while Espargaro slipped down the order, passed by Miller for 14th on Lap 4.

Quartararo could not stick the move for fourth when Marquez ran wide at Turn 15 on Lap 4, but did so when he got a second opportunity at the other end of the main straight just moments later, by which time Bagnaia and Bastianini were 2.5s up the road.

Martin stretched his lead beyond one second on Lap 5, but crashed out two laps later and Turn 5 and Bagnaia inherited the lead, albeit with Bastianini still just behind him.

Just behind the podium positions, Bezzecchi passed Marquez for fourth at Turn 1 on Lap 8 in a battle which also included Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) in the thick of it.

As live, Bagnaia led the championship by 23 points and the Ducati-mounted Bezzecchi was therefore in position to help his countryman clinch the championship if he could catch and pass Quartararo for third.

Bagnaia’s future team-mate, however, was in no such mood, with Bastianini stalking the #63 Desmosedici and then overtaking it on Lap 11 at Turn 4, as Bezzecchi slowly closed the gap to Quartararo.

Bastianini could not shake ‘Pecco’, and Bagnaia reclaimed first position when he went underneath #23 at Turn 15 on Lap 14, as Quartararo and Bezzecchi ran together at two seconds back.

Despite losing top spot, ‘La Bestia’ continued to attack his Ducati stablemate, as Quartararo started to shake Bezzecchi and bring his deficit relative to the top two down to 1.6s with five laps to go.

That was about as close as the Frenchman got, but Bastianini was still latched on to the Bagnaia’s exhaust even as they started the final lap.

Both were loose through Turn 9 but both survived, and Bagnaia banked another 25 points, while Quartararo collected 16 for finishing 2.773s back in third.

Bezzcchi was a somewhat lonely fourth in the end, from Rins and Miller, who inherited 10th when Martin crashed out but continued to make progress and would pass Marquez on the final lap.

Morbidelli, who had to serve two long lap penalties after an impeding incident in practice, took the chequered flag in 10th but was officially classified 11th.

Stewards saw fit to punish the Italian again after he had barged past Espargaro at Turn 14 on the 20th and final tour of the Sepang International Circuit.

Raul Fernandez scored the final point by finishing 15th, three positions ahead of Tech3 KTM team-mate Remy Gardner.

Mir was last classified finisher in 19th, having already faded before he crashed and remounted inside the final three laps.

UPDATE: Mir’s rapid loss of positions was in fact due to arm pump

The 20th and final round of the season, the Valencia Grand Prix, takes place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on November 4-6.

Race results: Malaysian MotoGP

Race winner: 20 laps

Riders’ championship