Francesco Bagnaia Secures 10th Win, Title Race Continues

Francesco Bagnaia is 24 points behind Jorge Martin in the championship standings.

Francesco Bagnaia the defending champion kept his MotoGP title hopes alive by winning the Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing three seconds ahead of rival Jorge Martin. With this victory, Bagnaia a two-time champion secured his 10th Grand Prix win of the season. This outcome means the championship battle will extend to the final race, although Martin currently holds a 24-point lead.

Bagnaia praised Martin’s aggressive strategy, stating, “Jorge was very aggressive; he knew he needed to leave me behind but our pace was too good. Like always in the race on Sunday, I can attack and be more aggressive.” Martin, 26, could have clinched his first championship if he had finished nine points ahead of Bagnaia. He and Bagnaia exchanged the lead multiple times in the early laps but Martin ultimately settled for second place.

He reflected on the race, saying, “We were making a good show for the first few laps but as soon as he overtook me, it was impossible to fight.” An early crash on turn two involved Brad Binder, Jack Miller and Fabio Quartararo and led to a red flag. While Miller received trackside medical assistance, he sustained no serious injuries and Binder could not restart.

Six-time champion Marc Marquez contended for a podium finish in third place before crashing out, ultimately finishing 12th and allowing Enea Bastianini to claim his spot. The organizers canceled the final race, originally scheduled for Valencia on November 15 due to flooding in the area.

Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports’ chief sporting officer, requested that the final race be moved to Barcelona. He cited the location’s proximity to Valencia and noted that many fans had already started traveling for the finale.

Overall Standings